XPRIZE Carbon Removal Challenge
What we do
Why Algae
The Problem
Societal: Communities are stifled by unemployment and few high paying jobs as exemplified by 46% of the world’s population living on less than $5.50 per day. Malnutrition and hunger continue to be a huge problem as exemplified by 25% of the world’s children suffering from stunting.
Environmental: Food demand is skyrocketing due to population growth and increasing incomes in developing nations. As world food demand grows, continuing to rely solely on traditional agriculture will lead to catastrophic ecosystem failures.
The Solution
Large-scale algae farming with Global Algae Innovations' suite of advanced technologies.
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1 algae farm would attract $1 billion in investment and provide a full spectrum of high paying jobs to a rural community while supplying oil and healthy protein for people and livestock or aquaculture.
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2 algae farms would restore the Salton Sea.
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8 algae farms would restore the Colorado River flow.
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13 algae farms would restore the ocean ecosystems.
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30 algae farms would restore the ocean ecosystems while tripling our aquaculture fish production.
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400 algae farms would restore the entire deforested area of the Amazon rainforest used for protein production (250 million acres).
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900 algae farms would restore the entire deforested area of Southeast Asian rainforest used for palm oil (50 million acres).
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1,500 algae farms would reduce GHG emission by more than 10 Gt/yr.
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7,000 algae farms would provide 25% of the global fuel supply and protein for feed and food to support 10 billion people, while reducing GHG emissions by 13 Gt/yr and restoring the world’s forests, savannahs, grasslands, rivers, lakes, watersheds and oceans.
Company's story
Develop innovative technology to improve quality of life for all people;
Create genuine, supportive, & family-oriented work environments;
Support personal growth and fulfilled lives through life-enriching
experiences, learning opportunities, and community service projects;
Build mutually beneficial relationships with our partners;
Serve our local and global communities;
Drive change to better the world.
Our Facilities
The company’s state-of-the-art algae laboratory and farming operations are located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. GAI operates a 33-acre farm including 8-wetted acres of algae ponds. The company’s corporate headquarters and algae equipment manufacturing facility are located in Southern California. GAI manufactures the Zobi harvester® and other specialty algae equipment in Santee, CA.
Global Algae is a family-owned company guided by Christian values. Global Algae was founded in 2013 by Dr. David Hazlebeck with the mission to change the world through technology, service, and compassion. Our vision is to harness the unparalleled productivity of algae to provide food and fuel for the world, dramatically improving the environment, economy, and quality of life for all people. To achieve this vision, large-scale algae farming needs to be economically viable and energy efficient, so radical advances were necessary in every step of the algae production process. Therefore, the company’s efforts have been focused on research and development to lower the cost and energy use in algae farming. The research and development has been very productive, leading to demonstration of over 60 innovations in algae cultivation, harvesting, and processing, including eleven major breakthroughs. These new technologies make Global Algae ready to scale NOW.
Our NEXT Step
Our next step is to scale up by building Farm 160, a new 160-acre algae farm with our complete technology package including advancements ranging from new high oil production algae strains to state-of-the-art extraction. Farm 160 will produce algae oil for biofuels, polymers, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); protein for food, and feed trials; as well as Spirulina for the nutraceutical market.