Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 31, 2015
Algae are made into many different materials, products and ingredients. The National Algae Association’s next Algae Production Networking Workshop will focus on Nutraceutical - Omega 3 EPA/DHA, the highest value product made from algae. The Workshop will highlight best practices in inoculation, commercial cultvation, harvesting and extraction methods for the commercial production of haematococcus pluvialis for astaxanthin and other algae for co-products. Wastewater usage, cleaning wastewater, sequestration of CO2 at coal-fired and cement plants will be included in discussions. Since lighting systems are a major factor in growing algae in indoor algae biomanufacturing, experts will compare LED and non-LED lighting and be leading presentations and discussions on benefits and costs.
Due to the US government's continued support for algae fuel research and disregard for the initial mission of the Department of Energy's Biomass Program to commercialize and deploy algae for fuels in the US, commercial algae producers have temporarily moved away from algae-based fuels or took their technologies to foreign countries that are more supportive of commercialization and deployment efforts than the US. Algae farmers in the US today are focusing on higher value algae products until funding becomes available for commercial production at US-based algae fuel biorefineries. Most commercially-minded algae researchers, algae producers and equipment companies are focusing on new algae farming and biomanufacturing opportunities for higher value products like nutraceuticals Omega 3 EPA/DHA, cosmetics, feeds, food, ingredients and bioplastics.
The National Algae Association's next Algae Production Networking Workshop will be held at Kessil Lighting in Richmond, CA on April 23-24, 2015. In keeping with industry trends, NAA's workshops cover topics ranging from algae farming and indoor algae biomanufacturing for nutruceuticalsf Omega 3 EPA/DHA, cosmetics, food, feeds and bioplastics, to co-products made from wastewater and opportunities for sequestration of CO2 in business models. In addtion to a tour of Kessil Lighting, some of the presentations will include:
Matt Julius, St. Cloud State University: "Stop seeing red while making HP turn red. Practical tips for the growth of Haematococcus pluvialis"
Brian Goodall, Valicor: “Quo Vadis Commercial Algae Production”
Robert Henrickson, Smart Microfarms: "Opportunities in Scalable Algae Microfarms" Emerging production, supply chains, products and marketing
Fritz Chess, Eden Labs: "Extraction and Fractionation of Astaxanthin with Supercritical CO2"
Darryl Cotton, Inda-Gro: "Utilizing Submersible Induction Lamps for Increased Levels of Algae Production"
What should you expect from an NAA Workshop? Collaboration and open, honest conversation about commercial algae production from people who are doing it, not talking about it and not dreaming about the latest, greatest new algae research technologies that are not out of the lab yet or projects that can’t be verified. The algae production industry today is being built by legitimate private industry with private investment, not the next research grant.