European Algae Biomass Association
Encyclopedia
The European Algae Biomass Association (EABA), established on June 2, 2009, is the European association representing both research
and industry
in the field of algae technologies
.
production and use, including biofuel
s uses and all other utilisations. It aims at creating, developing and maintaining solidarity and links between its Members and at defending their interests at Europe
an and international level. Its main target is to act as a catalyst for fostering synergies among scientist
s, industrialists and decision makers in order to promote the development of research, technology
and industrial capacities in the field of algae
.
In this perspective EABA intends to constitute a basis for:
The association is headquartered in Florence, Italy
.
EABA has 58 founding members and the EABA total membership reached 79 members in December 2010.
biomass for 2nd generation biofuels
, assessing the overall sustainability
of algae biofuels.
AquaFUELs promotes critical thinking
and reasoning are necessary to draft the lines of future developments in this field, with a view to understanding the place of algae among renewable energy
sources in the EU, with a careful eye to sustainability and social implications.
AquaFUELs aims to draw the detailed, comprehensive and concrete picture of the actual status quo of EU and international initiatives on algae biofuels. Based on this work, AquaFUELs will successively elaborate an overall assessment on the technology, and identify major research and industrial needs.
The surveys and assessments produced by AquaFUELs will address the full life cycle analysis
- from collection to fuel use - in terms of environmental, economic and social sustainability. A major mean to reach project goals will be the coordination of a critical mass
of ongoing research activities, that will be actively involved in the preparation of surveys as well as in the elaboration of the assessment studies and identification of future needs. Creating and maximizing synergies among these initiatives is the major project result.
The project provides support to the establishment of the European Algae Biomass Association, which promotes mutual interchange and cooperation in the field of algae biomass research, production and use.
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
in the field of algae technologies
History
EABA was founded during its inaugural conference on June 1-2nd, 2009 at Villa La Pietra in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Objectives
The general objective of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA) is to promote mutual interchange and cooperation in the field of algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
production and use, including biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
s uses and all other utilisations. It aims at creating, developing and maintaining solidarity and links between its Members and at defending their interests at Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and international level. Its main target is to act as a catalyst for fostering synergies among scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s, industrialists and decision makers in order to promote the development of research, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and industrial capacities in the field of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
.
In this perspective EABA intends to constitute a basis for:
- Establishing a permanent liaison with EUEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and EU Member States’ Institutions - Defining and expressing a common position on EU issues (legislationLegislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, product specifications, tradeTradeTrade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
and sustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
standards, etc.), acting as a technology neutral platform - Representing the European algae industry and scientific community at international level
- Spreading scientific information and knowledge about algae and biofuelBiofuelBiofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
s production - Making research and industry alive in public debate
- Promoting investmentInvestmentInvestment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
and financial support in the field of algae - Helping the structuring and planning of research and industrial development on algae
- Fostering scientific freedom as well as responsibility
- Studying all economic and technical problems which may impact the sector in the
- European Union and related countries and studying all the direct and indirect environmental, social and economic effects of production and use
- Breaking scientific boundaries on Algae
- Promoting the exchange of scientific information and the publication of sound articles
Membership and Structure
EABA’s president, Prof. Mario Tredici, is serving a 2-years term since his election on June 2, 2009. The EABA Vice-presidents are Mr. Claudio Rochietta, (Oxem, Italy), Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos (University of Ghent, Belgium) and Mr. Marc Van Aken (SBAE Industries, Belgium). The EABA Executive Director is Mr. Raffaello Garofalo.The association is headquartered in Florence, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
EABA has 58 founding members and the EABA total membership reached 79 members in December 2010.
AquaFUELs
AquaFUELs is a European research project focusing on establishing the state of the art on research, technological development and demonstration activities using algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
biomass for 2nd generation biofuels
Second generation biofuels
Second generation biofuels - also known as advanced biofuels - can be manufactured from various types of biomass.Biomass is a wide-ranging term meaning any source of organic carbon that is renewed rapidly as part of the carbon cycle...
, assessing the overall sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
of algae biofuels.
AquaFUELs promotes critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
and reasoning are necessary to draft the lines of future developments in this field, with a view to understanding the place of algae among renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
sources in the EU, with a careful eye to sustainability and social implications.
AquaFUELs aims to draw the detailed, comprehensive and concrete picture of the actual status quo of EU and international initiatives on algae biofuels. Based on this work, AquaFUELs will successively elaborate an overall assessment on the technology, and identify major research and industrial needs.
The surveys and assessments produced by AquaFUELs will address the full life cycle analysis
Life cycle assessment
A life-cycle assessment is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave A life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to-grave analysis) is a technique to assess environmental impacts...
- from collection to fuel use - in terms of environmental, economic and social sustainability. A major mean to reach project goals will be the coordination of a critical mass
Critical mass
A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The...
of ongoing research activities, that will be actively involved in the preparation of surveys as well as in the elaboration of the assessment studies and identification of future needs. Creating and maximizing synergies among these initiatives is the major project result.
The project provides support to the establishment of the European Algae Biomass Association, which promotes mutual interchange and cooperation in the field of algae biomass research, production and use.
Cooperation With Other Organisations
EABA is a candidate member of the European Renewable Energy CouncilEuropean Renewable Energy Council
The European Renewable Energy Council was founded in 2000 by the European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations. EREC is located in the Renewable Energy House in Brussels, a monument protected building with 100% renewable energy supply for heating and cooling.EREC acts as a...