Bedford, MA – Joule announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has favorably reviewed the company’s Microbial Commercial Activity Notice (MCAN) for Joule’s first commercial ethanol-producing catalyst. This clears the catalyst for commercial use at the company’s demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico. Notably, this also marks the first time that EPA has allowed the commercial use of a modified cyanobacterium. Continue Reading →

Seit einigen Jahren arbeitet der Lehr- und Forschungsbereich Biosystemtechnik der Technischen Hochschule Wildau unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Franz-Xaver Wildenauer gemeinsam mit Praxispartnern an der energetischen und stofflichen Nutzung von Algenbiomasse. Nach dem Aufbau eines entsprechenden Technikums auf dem Campus im Jahre 2011 wurde jetzt ein neuer Meilenstein erreicht. Continue Reading →

Gilbert, Ariz. – Heliae today announced a partnership with Japan-based Sincere Corporation, a waste management and recycling company, to form a joint venture and develop a commercial algae production facility in Saga City, Japan. The joint venture has been named Alvita Corporation, and will combine Sincere Corporation’s operational skill, distribution networks and knowledge of the Japanese market with Heliae’s proprietary algae production technology to supply natural astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant with broad health benefits, to the growing health and wellness market in the region. Continue Reading →

Ochten, NL, Nutress as producer and seller of algae (- products) for the food industry, is certified according to the NEN – EN-ISO 22000:2005 standard. An audit by Lloyd’s has shown that the management system for food safety from Nutress meets this international standard. Continue Reading →

Researchers at Bielefeld University together with colleagues from Italy and Australia identified a molecular mechanism that microalgae use to protect themselves from damaging environmental stress. According to the researchers, the results of their analysis could be used to speed up the cultivation of algae for the production of valuable products. An advance version of the study is now published online in the internationally renowned journal “Plant Cell”. Continue Reading →

Kearny, NJ and La Jolla, CA – Avoca, Inc., a division of Pharmachem Laboratories, Inc., has formed a supply agreement with Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI), a privately held company developing and commercializing genomic driven solutions and products in a variety of industries, to extract and commercialize natural astaxanthin from a strain of algae developed by SGI. The multi-year supply agreement also provides Avoca with exclusivity for product sales in North America. Pharmachem Laboratories will be responsible for marketing and sales. SGI is developing this product through their Genovia Bio business unit, which is responsible for the development and commercialization of algal-based food, chemical and fuel products. Financial details were not disclosed. Continue Reading →

San Diego, CA and Kailua-Kona, HI – Cellana, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a letter of intent with Galil Algae Cooperative Agriculture Society Limited, with the objective of partnering for the production of high-value algae products for aquaculture applications. Currently, Cellana produces industrial-scale quantities of ReNew™ Algae – high-value algae biomass rich in Omega-3 nutritional oils, proteins, fuel-grade oils, cosmetic-grade oils, acids, and polysaccharides, as well as other valuable micronutrients – at its Kona Demonstration Facility in Hawaii. At its facility in northern Israel, Galil Algae currently produces a variety of whole-algae products that are rich in Omega-3s for aquaculture applications. Continue Reading →

Neste Oil and Renewable Algae Energy (RAE), a US-based algae biomass producer, have signed a contingent commercial algae oil off-take agreement. Algae oil is one of the alternatives being researched by Neste Oil for use as a feedstock for producing NEXBTL renewable diesel in the future. Continue Reading →

The European Union has recently adopted an ambitious strategy for developing the Bioeconomy. In this context, microalgae represent an emerging biological resource of great importance for its potential applications in different fields, in particular as a new source of valuable nutrients for human and animal consumption. A new JRC report provides an in-depth review of microalgae production systems, markets, R&D developments and product pipeline, and unveils the experts’ opinion on Europe’s present and future challenges in the sector. Continue Reading →

Chemikern und Biologen der Universität Konstanz gelang die Umwandlung von Algenöl in höherwertige chemische Rohstoffe über die sogenannte isomerisierende Alkoxycarbonylierung. Damit bereiten sie die Grundlage für eine Nutzung von Algen als chemischer Grundstoff für eine große Bandbreite von Materialien und Produkten, noch über die Verwendung der Alge als Ersatzstoff für Rohöl hinaus. Die Forschungsergebnisse wurden aktuell im Wissenschaftsjournal „Angewandte Chemie“ veröffentlicht. Continue Reading →