Category: Press

Bi-partisan group focused on increasing awareness of the potential of algae industry to create jobs and economic development through variety of fuel, feed and human health products

Washington, DC (October 23, 2013) – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today applauded the new leadership of the Congressional Algae Caucus, Congressmen Scott Peters (D-CA) and Matt Salmon (R-AZ).

The caucus includes a bi-partisan group of lawmakers who see the significant potential of algae-derived products to fill needs in multi-billion dollar industries, including fuel, feed and food, while creating jobs and adding to the nation’s food and energy security.

“I want to thank Representatives Peters and Salmon for their bipartisan leadership in organizing the Congressional Algae Caucus,” said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “The Algae Biomass Organization is excited to see so many representatives from both parties coming together to support algae’s promise to provide our nation with renewable fuels, feeds, plastics and a range of other products.”

The Congressional Algae Caucus includes the following members:

Scott Peters (D-52CA) (Co-Chair)
Matt Salmon (R-5AZ) (Co-Chair)
Tulsi Gabbard (D-2HI)
Tom Latham (R-3IA)
Trey Radel (R-19FL)
Louise Slaughter (D-25NY)
Tim Walz (D-1MN)
Jackie Speier (D-14CA)
Susan Davis (D-53CA)
Ben Ray Lujan (D-3NM)
Alcee Hastings (D-20FL)
David Cicilline (D-1RI)
Ed Perlmutter (D-7CO)
Jared Polis (D-2CO)
Duncan Hunter (R-50CA)

The caucus will help educate Members of Congress about the algae industry as it opens its first commercial production facilities. Some states are already adopting policies to accelerate the jobs and economic growth that come with algae cultivation, and Congressional support will further expedite the potential of algae to provide the nation with renewable fuels and other products that can be cultivated without significant impacts on freshwater supplies or valuable agricultural lands.

“We all share an interest solving America’s energy and economic challenges, which is why it’s more important than ever to accelerate the development of a robust algae industry that is already creating jobs across the country,” said Representative Peters. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the bipartisan Congressional Algae Caucus as we enhance the dialogue on the Hill about this job-creating product.”

“Algae-based products deserve a chance to compete on a level playing field with other technologies,” said Representative Salmon. “In my own state we are already seeing the economic development that is possible from a thriving algae sector, from jobs to research and development.  High tech jobs will help grow our economy and through this caucus, I hope to draw attention to the great economic and environmental benefits of algae production.”

With new production facilities planned or operating around the U.S., the algae industry is rapidly emerging as an opportunity to address many of the energy, food, economic, and environmental challenges facing the world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, recycle CO₂, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. Algae’s ability to produce high yields and grow in saltwater on marginal lands mean that they can be cultivated on large scales without harmful impacts on freshwater supplies or valuable agricultural land. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Contacts:
Nate Kommers, Scoville Public Relations for ABO
206-625-0075 x2, nate.kommers@scovillepr.com

First place awards for students at University of Texas at Austin and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC-San Diego

ORLANDO –October 3, 2013– Six student scientists were presented with the second annual Young Algae Researcher Awards today in Orlando, Florida for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering on the final day of the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit, the official conference of the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO).

The awards are presented at the world’s largest gathering of algae industry and academic leaders to recognize outstanding research projects by early-career scientists that are finding new ways to use algae to create a range of renewable fuels, fertilizers, plastics and other products.

More than 130 applications for poster presentations were received by the Algae Biomass Organization from the U.S. and other countries, including Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, France, Canada, Taiwan and Malaysia.

“We congratulate each of these young, brilliant and determined scientists,” said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “The growing level of interest we see each year from young scientists making contributions to algae biology and engineering gives us high hopes for the future of the algae industry. ”

The Young Algae Research Awards are presented to winners for research conducted in two subject areas: biology and engineering.

For outstanding research in algae biology awards went to:

 1^st Prize: Wilson Mendoza, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC- San Diego

2^nd Prize: Anil Patel, McGill University

3^rd Prize: Naoko Kobayasi, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The runners up for the biology category were  Manoj Kamalanathan of Monash University and Ryan Georgianna from the University of California- San Diego.

For outstanding research in algae engineering awards went to:

1^st Prize:  Thomas Murphy, University of Texas at Austin

2^nd Prize: Katerine Napan, Utah State University

3^rd Prize: Pavlo Bohutskyi, Johns Hopkins University

Runners up in the engineering category were Alex Lunka from Ohio University and Martin Gross Iowa State University

The Algae Biomass Summit concludes Thursday afternoon. Information on the event, including a full agenda is available at http://algaebiomasssummit.org.  Ongoing developments can also be monitored via the Twitter hashtag #ABS13. Next year’s Summit will be held in San Diego, California.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today.  Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

First day features bold statements of growth and commercialization across a wide portfolio of products

Orlando (October 2, 2013) – The 2013 Algae Biomass Summit, the world’s largest event focused on algae technology opened yesterday in Orlando, Florida. Hosted by the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), industry leaders revealed new production capabilities and forecasts for commercial quantities of biofuels, feeds, Omega-3 oils, plastics and other products derived from large-scale, industrial algae agriculture operations.

Speaking to a packed conference hall, executives from Algenol, Sapphire Energy, Cellana, BioProcess Algae, Heliae, Algix and Aurora Algae all emphasized scaling up production as the industry’s next major priority as it begins to provide algae-derived fuels and a wide range of other products to worldwide markets. Matt Horton, CEO of alternative fuel retailer Propel Fuels, showcased research results demonstrating consumer preference for algae-based fuels.

Paul Woods, CEO of Florida-based Algenol Biofuels, unveiled a new vertical bioreactor design that has allowed the company to achieve algae-to-ethanol production capacities in excess of 10,000 gallons per acre at competitive prices. Algenol also uses its algae to produce renewable jet fuel, diesel and gasoline. The company expects that the new system, based on simple, easy to set up photobioreactors growing algae in seawater, will enable a rapid expansion to commercial production.

“As fast as people can put up the bags, I can fill them with algae,” said Woods.

Algenol and Sapphire Energy both expect to meet production capacities in excess of one million gallons within the next year. That milestone was acknowledged as just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the industry’s goal of supplying markets with meaningful quantities of sustainable, renewable fuels derived from algae.

“A million barrels is a significant milestone but it’s only the beginning of what’s required,” said CJ Warner, Sapphire Energy’s CEO & Chairman, who reported on Sapphire’s success in the past year in bringing its pilot scale facility online, and announced they are selecting a site for a full production scale facility.

Beyond fuels, the ability of algae to be a source of fertilizers, feeds, plastics, and nutraceuticals was the subject of updates from executives at Cellana, BioProcess Algae, Heliae, Algix, and Aurora Algae. Algix, a Georgia-based company producing a range of algae-derived plastics, was among the companies expressing a growing interest in purchasing large quantities of algae from producers.

“We brought our checkbook and we’re taking orders,” said Michael VanDrunen, President and CEO of Algix.

The Summit will continue through Thursday afternoon. Information on the event, including a full agenda is available at http://algaebiomasssummit.org.  Ongoing developments can also be monitored via the Twitter hashtag #ABS13.

The Summit comes at a time when industry is increasingly looking for new sources of sustainable raw materials—feedstock—for a wide range of end-uses. Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing the world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, recycle CO₂, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans without harmful impacts on freshwater supplies or valuable agricultural land. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Washington, DC (September 20, 2013) – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) today encouraged the EPA to include  carbon capture and reuse (CCR) as an approved strategy for compliance under its New Source Performance Standard, a draft version of which was released today. The EPA’s draft, which places a heavy emphasis on geologic carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a viable method for power plants to reduce their emissions, comes just as commercial technologies developed by the algae industry are making it possible to use those same emissions for the manufacture of valuable, low-carbon products that can make emissions reduction a revenue generator rather than a waste disposal cost.

Experts predict CCS methods could cost power plants as much at $60 per tonne of CO₂ to bury the emissions. Conversely, when algae companies use CO₂ emissions as an input, those emissions are no longer waste – they have a value. As such, algae reuse technologies offer a return on investment that will enable coal plants to meet emissions reductions targets and create a revenue stream in the process.

Encouraging the reuse of CO₂ emissions rather than their disposal underground is entirely consistent with previously established policies regarding waste management. In both the Waste Management Hierarchy and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, “pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner, whenever feasible” and “and disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.”  Reusing, or recycling carbon dioxide into marketable commodities meets this definition.

Algae’s carbon reduction potential has already been demonstrated by research and in real-world production. A recent life cycle analysis (LCA) published in Bioresource Technologyshowed algae-derived gasoline reduced greenhouse gas emissions 68 percent over petroleum. The same analysis showed the energy returns of algae-derived biofuels are approaching those of petroleum. A previous LCA of biodiesel made from algae showed a 50 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Algae fuel will have a significant energy return on investment, consume waste CO₂ and can be grown in saltwater on marginal lands

MINNEAPOLIS (September 19, 2013) –Algae-derived biofuel can reduce life cycle CO₂emissions by 50 to 70 percent compared to petroleum fuels, and is approaching a similar Energy Return on Investment (EROI) as conventional petroleum according to a new peer-reviewed paper published in Bioresource Technology. The study, which is the first to analyze real-world data from an existing algae-to-energy demonstration scale farm, shows that the environmental and energy benefits of algae biofuel are at least on par, and likely better, than first generation biofuels.

“This study affirms that algae-based fuels provide results without compromise,” said Mary Rosenthal, ABO’s executive director. “With significant emissions reductions, a positive energy balance, nutrient recycling and CO₂ reuse, algae-based fuels will be a long-term, sustainable source of fuels for our nation.”

The study, “Pilot-scale data provide enhanced estimates of the life cycle energy and emissions profile of algae biofuels produced via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL),” is a life cycle analysis of an algae cultivation and fuel production process currently employed at pre-commercial scales. The authors examined field data from two facilities operated by Sapphire Energy in Las Cruces and Columbus, New Mexico that grow and process algae into Green Crude oil. Sapphire Energy’s Green Crude can be refined into drop-in fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The study concluded that algae technologies at commercial scale are projected to produce biofuels with lower greenhouse gas emissions and EROI values that are comparable to first generation biofuels. Additionally, algae based biofuels produced through this pathway at commercial scale will have a significant energy return on investment (EROI), close to petroleum and three times higher than cellulosic ethanol. The system that was evaluated recycles nutrients, can accept an algae feed that is up to 90 percent water in the processing phase, and the final product can be blended with refinery intermediates for refining into finished gasoline or diesel product, resulting in significant energy savings throughout the process.

“These real-world data from demonstration scale facilities gave us new insight and allowed us to understand how scale will impact the benefits and costs of algae-to-energy deployment.” said lead author Andres F. Clarens, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. “These results suggest that algae-based fuels made using HTL have an environmental profile that is comparable to conventional biofuels.”

The authors also write that expected improvements in the industry mean that algae-based biofuels are set to surpass advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol in terms of both energy returns and greenhouse gas emissions. 

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Contacts:
Nate Kommers, Scoville Public Relations for ABO
206-625-0075 x2, nate.kommers@scovillepr.com