ENHANCEMENT · EXPLORING NEW HALO-AUTOTROPHIC PATHWAYS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL COST-EFFECTIVE DUAL METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE ELIMINATION TECHNOLOGY
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-10-01 → 2022-09-30
- EU contribution
- €187,572
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
EXPLORING NEW HALO-AUTOTROPHIC PATHWAYS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL COST-EFFECTIVE DUAL METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE ELIMINATION TECHNOLOGY
Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) discharges represent approximately 90% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Together with GHG, waste gases, such as carbon monoxyde, toxic gases and siloxanes are daily discharged from anthropogenic activities to the surrounding environment. CH4, CO2 and waste gases have far-ranging negative environmental and health effects. They cause climate change, contamination of the atmosphere and water bodies, and promote emergent human diseases, such as respiratory problems, cancer, and the spread of infections. However, due to the current industrial scenario and the growing world population, GHG and waste gases are increasingly produced. Technologically, cell platforms fed with gases can be the most cost-effective option to eliminate them and to create chemicals necessary for human necessities and industrial development. CH4, CO2 and waste gases are almost free, require to be eliminated and are non-hazardous. There are hundreds of microorganisms out there able to use those gases and produce in exchange compounds that are very useful for our society. However, most current developed waste conversion processes are still not profitable due to the utilization of a small number of model microorganisms and the production of low-price compounds. Sectors that usually produce high valuable chemicals, such as the medical and pharmaceutical industry, still relay on the use of expensive feedstock, that in many cases competes with the food market. ENHANCEMENT intends to shed light in a new industrial direction developing bio-factories that can produce interesting chemicals for the pharmaceutical and medical market with GHG and waste gases using novel bacteria. To this aim, we will look at currently overlooked microbes and strategies with the aim of abating the two most important GHGs, CO2 and CH4, as well as toxic waste gases. The target compounds will be molecules called ectoines. They have a retail value of €1200 kg-1 and possess outstanding chemical properties that make of them a target product in the pharmaceutical and medical market. Thus, in this project, novel bacteria that can abate GHG and waste gases will be implemented to produce compounds with high economic and social value.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Nowadays, CH4 and CO2 emissions represent approximately 90% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory worldwide, and their share is expected to increase due to their industrial and organic-based nature as well as the increasing world population. The European Union, due to the urgent need to maintain global average temperatures 2ºC below pre-industrial levels, has developed clear targets in the Horizon H2020 climate actions based on building a low-carbon, climate resilient future as well as greening the economy. This situation requires intensive research on novel, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly bio-technological strategies for GHGs treatment focused on creating a climate-neutral scenario and a green economy. In this context, the ENHANCEMENT project fulfill these requirements with the simultaneous bioconversion of both CH4 and CO2 into the most expensive compound produced by microorganisms – ectoine (14,000 $ kg-1) – using halophilic ectoine producers from the genus Halomonas. This is the first and only technology that can abate both GHGs simultaneously, resulting only in water, cells, and resting metabolites with a high market value. However, the market uptake of this biotechnology requires: 1) unravelling the metabolic pathways that allow the members of the Hallomonas genus to transform CH4 and CO2 simultaneously into ectoine, and 2) testing the biotechnological potential of this new platform capable of creating value out of GHG mitigation through its implementation under discontinuous and continuous operation in high mass transfer bioreactors. In this context, the ENHANCEMENT project represents a multi- and inter-disciplinary investigation focused on achieving the Horizon H2020 goals through developing a sustainable GHG bioeconomy. Moreover, it will also strengthen the applicant’s curriculum and provide her with the soft skills required to take the next step of her scientific career towards becoming an R3 – Experienced Researcher.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY · WageningenCoordinatorNetherlands
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union