Feedbacks from the British-French Algae Workshop in Partnership with Canada
This international workshop was organized to better understand the commercial opportunities and environmental challenges of using algal biomass across a range of market sectors. The workshop considered how the UK, French and Canadian science base together with industry can build on their knowledge and expertise in algal technology to establish new market opportunities in the emerging biofuel and biochemical industries, the food and feed sectors, the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors and for personal-care products.
There has been significant interest recently in the potential to use algae as a renewable feedstock for the production of liquid transport fuels. Whilst the algal biofuels industry is not yet operating at a commercial-scale, forecasts predict this sector will have a market value of $1.6 bn in 2015. Algal-derived bioproducts are already a multi-billion dollar industry, with existing markets in the food, nutraceutical, personal care and pharmaceutical sectors. There could also be significant opportunities to use algae in the animal feed and nutrition market, with increasing demand for meat and dairy products from emerging economies and the challenges facing the agriculture sector to meet the food requirements of a global population predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050.
The UK, France and Canada have an excellent science-base in algae research. Several innovative companies are also producing and using macro- and microalgae feedstocks and operate across a variety of market sectors. The workshop reviewed national R&D programmes and ongoing collaborations between the three countries and assessed current and future market opportunities for algae-derived products and processes. It also provided participants from the UK, France and Canada with an opportunity to network and make new business contacts. Breakout sessions facilitated discussions to identify areas where international collaboration can help accelerate the pace of technology development, and to identify business opportunities in European and North American markets where Canadian and UK/French companies can collaborate for mutual benefit.
Program and presentations
Thursday 8th December
13.00 Introduction and Aims
Welcome from the Canadian High Commission
Welcome by Serge Plattard, Science and Technology Counsellor to the French Embassy
Welcome by Tom Jenkins, Assistant Director, Biosciences KTN Introduction to the workshop
13.45 Algal RD&D Programmes and their Relation to Market Opportunities
13.45 Overview of UK R&DD landscape – Michele Stanley, Algal-Bioenergy Special Interest Group Director, Biosciences KTN
14.15 Overview of French R&DD landscape – Jean-Paul Cadoret (Ifremer)
14.45 Overview of Canadian R&DD landscape - Lee Thornton (Canadian High Commission)
15.30 Opportunities for International Collaboration and Mechanisms for Facilitation
Energetic Algae – Robin Shields, Swansea University
Jérôme Blancher – Pole de compétitivité Trimatec
16.30 Breakout Session 1 – identification of areas that would benefit through international collaboration and mechanisms by which projects could be constructed
Friday 9th December
08.40 Industrial activity and capacity for pilot-scale demonstration
Towards an integrated algae biorefinery – Green Stars: Olivier Bernard (INRIA)
Development of platform technologies to support algal biotech industrialisation – Andrew Spicer, Spicer Biotech
Steve Martin, Pond Biofuels
Technologies of macro algae production - Jean-François Sassi (CEVA)
Exploring opportunities in algal applications and challenges in production – Dr Jerry Lewis, Centre for Process Innovation
France – open-access industrial facilities for scale-up, EIMA Project: Pierre Calleja
11.25 Breakout Session 2 – identification of industry needs and collaboration opportunities to develop new markets in Europe and North America
13.30 Feedback from breakout session and close