8/11/13: Algae Congress boosts budding industry

Alster Arcades (Alsterarkaden), Hamburg, Germany. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 7th International Algae Congress gets underway in Hamburg, Germany on December 3-4, with a special emphasis on applications for aquaculture and agriculture.

Held in the Hotel Hafen in central Hamburg, the meeting is an opportunity for algae experts from around the world to exchange their latest research, present innovative technologies and discuss the industrial dimension of the algae sector. The speeches, workshops and roundtable discussions are accompanied by a trade show providing a point of contact between the commercial and research worlds. 

Microalgae and aquatic biomass in general is well-known for its huge potential for the biofuels industry, and the Congress in Hamburg aims to extend this level of excitement to the food and feed sectors. It is currently estimated that the ocean’s natural production of microalgae totals at 1 000 billion tonnes dry weight, a thousand times more than that of macroalgae.

Commercial production of microalgae is at a very early stage, currently standing at just 100 000 tonnes. Basic research and pilot projects are being conducted all the time, and visitors to the event stand at a crossroads in this incredibly fast-changing industry. Frederika Gullfot of Sweden’s Simris Alg identifies the growth of strategic partnerships between algae companies as a key means of making industrial growth possible.

“There is a great commercial interest in algae products out there, but we algae companies are generally very small, often too small to do business with important customers such as the food sector. Their demands are simply too large for any of us to be able to supply on our own, and potentially great deals are lost by our commercial efforts being too scattered.”

Conference topics include production systems for algae, processing technology and its applications as a food and feed additive. Previous contributors to International Aquafeed, IFFO’s Andrew Jackson and Dr Ingrid Lupatsch of the UK’s Swansea University, will speak in a special double session on the potential applications and markets for algae in aquaculture nutrition and technology.

Algae industry movers and shakers will also be promoted with three show awards, for Lifetime Achievement, Innovation and Research, all assessed by experts from industry and academia. 2011’s inaugural Lifetime Achivement Award winner, Min Thein of Myanmar, is chairing the final conference session.

More information:
http://www.algaecongress.com/