Algal Biomass Organization Publishes Descriptive Language Guidelines for the Algae Industry for Comment

The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, has released a document, “Algal Industry Minimum Descriptive Language”. This is the first attempt to standardize language used in the algae industry with the aims of setting standards that will make comparison of technologies more valid and to aid Life Cycle Analysis. The current state of the industry is one in which the positives and negatives of a research development or technology can be provided in such a way that they cannot be compared. For example, different analytical methods produce different results from the same sample and there is no standard method. The measures themselves are not standard and can also be misleading; the dry weight of algae does not necessarily reflect its oil content. Variation in oil content between species, processing methods and microbial contamination mean that such data can be used to create an inaccurate picture of the output of the technology. The guidelines presented here set out a framework that can be used to clarify where such data fits into the wider picture of LCA, with commentary on measures and methods. The document is currently available for viewing here on the ABO website. ABO is requesting comment on the document; any comments or suggestions should be sent to technicalstandards@algalbiomass.org

Executive Director of ABO, Mary Rosenthal:

“The absence of common descriptive language has led to a lack of harmony among technologists, researchers, life cycle analysis specialists and entrepreneurs as they evaluate and promote algae technologies. This confusion has made it hard for others to truly capture, analyze and quantify algae technologies relative to one another. With a common language, such as the one we and many volunteer stakeholders have proposed, we hope to bring more clarity to the industry.”

The newly-released document was authored by the ABO’s Technical Standards Committee chaired by Jim Sears of A2BE Carbon Capture. The committee works to develop standards and best practices for the algae industry and facilitate the flow of information among industry stakeholders. More than 20 industry experts and organizations reviewed and commented on the document, including individuals from industry associations, national labs, companies and research institutions. It provides a set of metrics and variables for estimating and measuring the economic and environmental footprint and economic impact of an algal production facility, including all inputs and outputs.

ABO’s efforts at standardizing language for the algae industry come as the industry continues to demonstrate significant growth. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of algae-to-biofuel start ups more than tripled. A leading analysis of the algae industry projected that the industry would grow by nearly 50 percent annually over the coming decade.
Included in the document are guidelines for presentation of the total Carbon, Water, Energy, Consumables and Nutrient input, total labor needed and also the total infrastructure area. Guidelines are also presented for indirect algal outputs, solid and liquid waste, uncaptured gaseous emissions and algal constituent products. For each of these, general descriptions of the input, standard units for measurement over time (usually per year), descriptions of the source and the type of detail needed are given. Information presented for algal biomass R&D that adheres to these guidelines would build a detailed picture of the process. 

Investment in algal biomass has been good in recent years; Exxon put $600 million towards algal biofuel, the US Department of Energy invested $24 million and investors put $52 million towards Solazyme’s algal fuel research. Bill Gates’ venture capital firm Cascade investments, the Wellcome trust, ARCH and Venrock also put jointly put forward a total of $100 million to California based Sapphire Energy for algae research. This wave of investment shows recognition for the value of algal fuel in future by investors. However, is all of this money going to the best investments? LCA is one of the most useful tools in determining this, however differing methodologies cloud the issue. Standards for the minimum amount of information to be given in LCA would clarify the situation for investors. Efforts to implement standards would add integrity and legitimacy to what is a relatively young field of development within the young sustainable energy sector. Many other areas of sustainable energy already have standard methods for demonstrating the strengths of various technologies; this could signal the maturing of the algal biomass industry within the sustainable energy sector.