{"id":71509,"date":"2019-07-10T17:05:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T15:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=71509"},"modified":"2019-07-05T08:34:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T06:34:14","slug":"10-05-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=71509","title":{"rendered":"Israelis at the forefront of fast-growing algae market"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/israel21c.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"30%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/israelis-at-the-forefront-of-fast-growing-algae-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Israelis at the forefront of fast-growing algae market<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Ben Yishai Danieli <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Several Israeli companies are taking advantage of the country\u2019s ideal environmental conditions for algae farming.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-x-large size-x-large wp-post-image aligncenter\" title=\"Algae research in a laboratory. Image via Shutterstock.com\" src=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/shutterstock_1397482955-1000x657.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><em>Algae research in a laboratory. Image via Shutterstock.com<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">For thousands of years, consuming algae has been part of the native diets of Africa<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000080;\">Central America, South America and Southeast Asia. But today, algae are much more than a wrap for sushi \u2013 they are also used to produce a wide range of products such as food additives, natural pigments, chemical-free fabric dyes, biodegradable plastics and biofuels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israel has exponentially expanded the country\u2019s knowledge and presence in the algae industry by spearheading research,including developing\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/is-2016-the-year-of-the-algae\/\">algal-based technologies<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Global forecasts are expecting accelerated economic growth in the sector due to a variety of new products and use for different industries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to\u00a0<em>Research and Markets<\/em>, the value of the global algae products market was $3.4 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $5.6 billion to $6.09 billion by 2025. This forecast growth is due to increasing consumer awareness of the health benefits of algae products and new trends in the production of renewable energy from algae.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algatech.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Algatech<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, a large Israeli company for algae production, which is selling micro-algae to various industries around the globe, was recently sold for $100 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Market expected to double<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">There is significant value in growing algae since they do not require much land. Algae are very diverse and can be grown in freshwater, brackish water and saltwater environments. Unlike plants that have elements of waste such as stalks, stems and branches, algae use all of their plant material for the final product, leaving no agricultural waste.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Many new algae-based products are on the market:nutritional supplements, gels for cosmetics, pigments for microscopy, and food, as well as dietary supplements such as astaxanthin and beta-carotene (sold for thousands of dollars per kilogram) and Omega 3-6 fatty acids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">More than 10 Israeli companies specialize in algae farming,employing about 200 workers. The three most prominent are a direct result of the commercialization of knowledge developed at Ben-Gurion University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nqb5UEgsH4k\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Greener fashion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In the fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world, it is common to use various materials that cause health and environmental problems to produce clothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cFast fashion\u201d has impacted the environment, workers and the economy. In addition, every year, about 27 million tons of cotton are grown worldwide, accounting for 2.5% of the cultivated land and 13% insecticide use around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Algae, on the other hand, do not require agricultural land or pesticides and would decrease the industry\u2019s waste production substantially. In recent years, new developments for the fashion industry have included algae-derived materials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The German designer studio\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/greenstilettos.com\/algae-me-beautiful\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>two square meter<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0is using a combination of cotton and algae. On an even more significant note, the EU is supporting the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/life\/project\/Projects\/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&amp;n_proj_id=5017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>SEACOLORS<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0project, which promotes the use of natural dyes using algae\u2019s natural pigmentation technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Production costs for these fibers and pigments are still high when compared to conventional alternatives. However, technological advances and increase in demand are meant to reduce the gap over the next few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Green energy from the sea<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies has become increasingly important. According to a market study published last year, one of the most successful upcoming innovations is the growth of algae to produce biofuels, a clean substitute for fossil fuels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">This study predicts an increase in the demand for algae biomass, an essential ingredient to produce biofuel, due to increased awareness of greenhouse gas emissions. Opportunities in the algae market are expected to grow worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">A recent study by Leor Korzen, a PhD student at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with other institutes, examined algae-produced bioethanol. Korzen grew algae near a commercial bream farm on the Israeli Mediterranean shore. Results show that the combination of the two led to increased algal growth and cleaner, less contaminated waters \u2013 a win-win situation for the marine environment and the energy sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Algae instead of plastic<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Plastic waste is one of the most significant environmental issues worldwide, accumulating in landfills and oceans, and harming marine life. Plastics break down into very small pieces called microplastics, which are often swallowed by marine animals and thus enter the food chain. Experts estimate that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the oceans will be greater than the amount of fish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Algae are considered a useful raw material to make\u201cbio-plastics\u201d \u2013biodegradable plastic substitutes \u2014 that are elastic, cheap, durable and eco-friendly. Agar is now used in the pharmaceutical and food industries as a substitute for vegetarian gelatin. Recently, various designers began to use agar for making plastic alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Dr. Alexander Golberg and Prof. Michael Gozin from Tel Aviv University have created\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/new-sustainable-way-to-create-plastics-from-seaweed\/\">biopolymers<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(natural macro molecules, which are the building blocks of plastics) with the help of living organisms in seawater. In this process, single-celled microorganisms produce biodegradable polymers after ingesting multi cellular seaweed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe process of production for biodegradable plastics requires essential resources such as agricultural land and fresh water. A country like Israel, where the consumption of plastics is high, will not allocate large areas and expensive water to produce bio polymers,\u201d says Golberg.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cOur process will enable countries that suffer from a shortage of fresh water like Israel, and even China and India, to move to biodegradable plastic,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Blue-and-white algae<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Although algae companies in Israel are not yet engaged in all these promising directions, the industry is growing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe approach of producing a number of products from the same raw material for different applications is called bio-refinery,\u201d explains Dr. Adi Levy, scientific director of the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and the author of <a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moag.gov.il\/yhidotmisrad\/fishery\/Mariculture\/Documents\/seaweed_industry.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>The review document of the algae industry in Israel<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0for the Ministry of Agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe approach strives to use various components of the algae (such as pigments materials antioxidants oxidation, proteins, fatty acids, carbohydrates and more) to exploit the benefits and resources invested in raising it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Two years ago, the first algae growers\u2019 convention was held in Israel. Last year, 16 companies and entrepreneurs in Israel announced a formal association to regulate the industry\u2019s activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.algatech.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\">Algatech<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000080;\">, founded in 1998 in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel, is one of the few businesses in the world that has managed industrial-scale production of microalgae. Algatech exports its products to companies in more than 35 countries in the nutrition, cosmetics, and food and beverage industries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The company grows algae in greenhouse-like glass tubes, a process operated entirely on renewable energy, mimicking nature by using solar energy and recycled wastewater, with the only waste being oxygen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe desert\u2019s harsh and stable climate, its high, year-round light intensity, and clean, unpolluted air are critical to successful and sustainable algae production,\u201d an Algatech official said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Last month, Solabia Group, a French producer of natural ingredients in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and microbiology industries,acquired Algatech in a deal estimated at $100 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Contributed by<a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/en\/\">\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Zavit: Israel\u2019s Science and Environment Agency<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israelis at the forefront of fast-growing algae market Ben Yishai Danieli Several Israeli companies are taking advantage of the country\u2019s ideal environmental conditions for algae farming. Algae research in a laboratory. Image via Shutterstock.com For thousands of years, consuming algae has been part of the native diets of Africa, Central America, South America and Southeast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71509"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71529,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71509\/revisions\/71529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}