H2020Индивидуална стипендия2022–2024

ATMESPHERE · Advanced Technology for Microbial Electro-Synthesis of Platform cHemicals and Efficient in-situ Recovery via Electrodialysis

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2022-02-01 → 2024-05-29
Финансиране от ЕС: 160 932 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Микробният електросинтез позволява на специфични бактерии да превръщат въглеродния диоксид и възобновяемата електроенергия в капроева киселина за хранителната и химическата индустрия. Този процес помага за намаляване на промишлените емисии и преминаването към кръгова икономика.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Advanced Technology for Microbial Electro-Synthesis of Platform cHemicals and Efficient in-situ Recovery via Electrodialysis

The intensive use of fossil fuels caused the raise of atmospheric CO2 levels. High (>400 ppm) CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are resulting in environmental problems including global warming, and in an increased frequency and severity of extreme weather event. To counteract these issues, EU committed to cut by 40% its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The achievement of such ambitious target is linked to a switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy and chemicals. This is driving carbon-intensive industries such as paper, food, energy, cement, and oil refining industries, towards the circular economy concept, in which side- and waste-streams, including CO2 streams, are a feedstock for fuel and/or chemical production. Indeed, CO2 is a building block for synthesising a wide array of chemical and energy-rich products through (bio)technological routes. Biological processes, in which enzymes or microorganisms are employed to convert CO2 into products, are inherently circular, enable carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative balance, and demand less energy than chemical processes. Among these biological processes, microbial electrosynthesis (MES), in which specific bacteria convert CO2 and renewable electricity to green chemicals and fuels, is a promising technology to contribute reducing industrial CO2 emissions, and at the same time enable circular economy. However, to date, the adoption of MES in industry is hindered by sub-optimal production rates, yields and product purity. The ATMESPHERE project aimed to develop a novel, multi-step process for the production, extraction and purification of caproic acid, a platform chemical that finds application in the food and chemical industry, from CO2. Overall, the ATMESPHERE project reached the planned objective by developing (i) a bioelectrochemical platform for CO2 capture and utilization, (ii) a fermentation platform for further upgrading MES products such as ethanol and acetic acid to caproic acid, and (iii) a downstream processing method to concentrate and purify the final products. Technologies such as those developed in ATMESPHERE will contribute to the paradigm shift towards resource recovery and circular economy, leading the way towards a “green” industrial revolution. This will drastically reduce waste generation and pollution in comparison with the traditional, linear economic model, with clear benefits for the well-being of the whole society.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Reduction of carbon emission to the atmosphere has become a key target to preserve the planet from its dramatic effects. The EU aims to become the first climate-neutral bloc by 2050, but development of novel carbon capture technologies, and a shift towards sustainable production of chemicals, are required to reach such ambitious goal. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES), in which CO2 is biologically converted to carboxylates and/or alcohols, enables reduction of carbon emissions whilst producing green chemical products. To date, acetate is the main compound produced from CO2 via MES, whereas more valuable caproate has been only produced at low concentrations due to product toxicity and thermodynamic limitations. The “atMESphere” project aims to push MES towards commercialisation by implementing a novel, resilient and sustainable biorefinery concept for selective production, extraction and concentration of caproate from CO2. In a first stage, the operation conditions in MES cells (including microbial consortia, pH, H2 partial pressure, and carbon availability) will be investigated and fine-tuned to obtain, for the first time, selective, high-rate caproate production from CO2. Then, a novel two-stage purification process, comprising of extraction through silicone membrane and concentration by shock electrodialysis, will be developed and integrated to the optimised MES cell, through a recirculation loop, to achieve selective separation of caproate, which has several applications in the energy, food and chemical industry. This project is highly interdisciplinary, involving tools, approaches and expertise from engineering, microbiology, electrochemistry, biotechnology, and membrane technology, and the experienced researcher will receive high-quality training on both scientific and horizontal skills. Dissemination, communication and exploitation activities have been planned to reach the most diverse audiences, and ensure commercial relevance of the proposed technology.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA · GironaКоординаторИспания