--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--
September 21, 2011
Contact: Tatiana Brailovskaya, Director of Communications, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; (207) 633-9633; tbrailovskaya@bigelow.org
and
Jim Stark at 402.315.1630 or e-mail at jim.stark@gpreinc.com; www.bioprocessalgae.com
From Biomass to Biofuel: Bigelow Laboratory Signs Master Professional Research Services Agreement with BioProcess Algae, LLC
WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME -- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has signed a long-term Master Professional Research Services Agreement with BioProcess Algae, LLC (Portsmouth, RI), a national leader in producing algal biomass for human nutrition, animal feeds, and biofuels.
“BioProcess Algae is actively pursuing development of a wide range of sustainable bioproducts derived from microalgae,” said Dr. Toby Ahrens, Senior Scientist at the company. “Our current focus is on providing cost-competitive products to the feed and fuel industries. We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Bigelow Laboratory to optimize algal strains for production and downstream processing for a variety of applications.”
“BioProcess Algae’s use of our service facilities, such as the J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Aquatic Cytometry, will be beneficial in selecting algal cultures for biomass production,” said Dr. Nicole Poulton, Research Scientist at the Laboratory.
“Bigelow’s core capabilities in algae isolation and cultivation are a perfect technical fit for BioProcess Algae’s ongoing development efforts,” said Mark Bloom, Director of Corporate Alliances and Technology Transfer at the Laboratory. “This Master Agreement streamlines the sponsoring of Bigelow-based research projects by BioProcess Algae.”
BioProcess Algae designs, manufactures, and operates integrated systems that enable efficient, economical cultivation of algae biomass and secreted metabolites. A joint venture between Clarcor (NYSE: CLC), BioProcessH2O LLC, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc., and NTR plc, the company is based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and is currently running a demonstration plant at the Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa. Grower Harvester™ bioreactors have been tied directly into the plant's CO2 exhaust gas since October 2009.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences an independent, non-profit center for global ocean research, ocean science education, and technology transfer. The Laboratory’s research ranges from microbial oceanography to the large-scale biogeochemical processes that drive ocean ecosystems and global environmental conditions. A recognized leader in Maine's emerging innovation economy, the Laboratory is spurring significant economic growth in the state through construction of a major Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay. The Laboratory’s Office of Corporate Alliances and Technology Transfer serves as a bridge between discovery science and commercialization partners. ####