Alltech opens Kentucky algae plant
Animal nutrition company Alltech has opened its $200 million algae plant in Winchester, Kentucky that is going to produce in April.
Alltech Algae is a state-of-the-art algae fermentation facility that was acquired in 2010 from Martek Bioscience Corporation for approximately $14 million and has been renovated in the past few months to begin in April as one of the largest algae production sites in the world.
“For Alltech, algae fermentation presents the latest technological frontier from which we expect incredible opportunities in the areas of food, feed and fuel to arise,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech.
“We have already been working in this area for several years and see it playing a major role in both human and animal health and nutrition. I am confident that this will be one of the key pieces that will help our company pass the $1 billion revenue threshold in 2015,” Dr. Lyons continued.
President of Alltech, Dr. Pearse Lyons cuts the ribbon at Alltech Algae in Winchester alongside his wife Deirdre (center), (from left) Judge Executive Branham, Mayor Burtner, Secretary Hayes, and Alltech’s CFO Nathan Hohman.
Algae conference
A ribbon cutting ceremony at the plant was attended by Kentucky local and state government officials as well as the 60 global attendees of the first Annual Algae Conference hosted by Alltech in Lexington, Ky. last week.
“The Commonwealth of Kentucky and Alltech have a longstanding partnership that has created hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in investment in Kentucky,” said Secretary Larry Hayes of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
“We are proud to play a role in making Alltech’s newest Winchester operation possible and look forward to witnessing the technological advances Alltech will make in its state-of-the-art algae fermentation facility.”
Value-added products
The primary focus of the facility will be the development of products derived from algae. The algae will be used for value-added feed products, algae-derived bio-fuel and for the production of ethanol.
Algae capture CO2 and release it as pure oxygen. It also creates 70% of our atmosphere’s oxygen, more than all forests and fields combined.
Algae are the fastest growing plants in nature and have the ability to convert large amounts of carbon dioxide into oxygen, a characteristic that makes it particularly interesting in today’s environmentally conscious world.
