October 21, 2010
3rd Algae World Asia- A world of possibilities from algae
Organised by the Centre for Management Technology, the 3rd Algae World Asia conference was held from October 19-20 at the Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore.
The conference offered an opportunity for companies and researchers to discuss the technological aspects of producing algae for animal and human nutrition, as well as potential commercial applications in different areas. This year, more than 80 participants from research agencies and diverse industries ranging from cosmetics to life science attended the conference.
Key topics of the conference included: practical experiences in algae production, using algae for carbon capture and waste water treatment, algae technology development in Asia Pacific, as well as current and future development of algae-based bioenergy.
Some of the key presentations were: "Succeeding in the algae business- Moving away from ''or'' to ''and''" by Vitor Verdelho Vieira, Chief Development Officer, AlgaFuel SA; "Commercial production of microalgae in Korea and its alternative markets & applications" by Dr. Mi-Kyung Kim, Chief Development Officer, EcoPhycoTech Ltd; and "China: Genetic foundations of robust oil production in microalgae- New generation genomics technologies for algal feedstock development" by Dr. Wang Dongmei, Team Leader Algae Energy, Functional Genomics Group, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology.
Global challenges in algae production included maintaining the productivity rates in large scale, costs with water and nutrients, as well as biomass valorisation, according to Vitor Verdelho Vieira, Chief Development Officer, AlgaFuel SA. In order to succeed in the algae business, he emphasised the need to move away from "or" to "and", which means adopting an integrated system as the best technological solution.
Successfully held in Singapore, Rotterdam, Bangkok and Brussels since 2008, Algae World is recognised as an important platform for knowledge exchanges among the academic, commercial and investment communities.
"It''s interesting to have people coming all over the world. I get to meet algae producers, as well as academics," said Matthew Caspari, managing director of Aurora Algae Pty. Ltd. "It''s a new experience, learning about the Asian market."
Interest in algae would likely grow due to its wide range of product possibilities- it is already currently used in areas such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and feed- and algae fuel companies are looking forward to the possibilities of synergistically producing both fuels and co-products for increased economic benefits. In the foreseeable future, the challenge is to make algae commercially viable for large-scale production.