NEXUS-BIO · Net-zero Photosynthetic Biorefinery for Selective Biosurfactant and Bioemulsifier Valorization

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Project objective

Surfactants are ubiquitous in modern industrial applications, ranging from personal care products and household cleaners to agriculture and oil recovery. However, over 60% of commercial surfactants are derived from petrochemical sources, contributing to environmental toxicity, poor biodegradability in aquatic living beings, leading to long-term harm to ecosystems. Moreover, the increasing global demand for eco-friendly surfactants, coupled with the urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil-derived chemicals, has spurred interest in bio-based alternatives. Microalgae, as photosynthetic microorganisms, present a promising green alternative for sustainable bio-surfactant production due to its high lipid content and ability to thrive in diverse environments. In this respect, the present proposal NEXUS-BIO aims to demonstrate an integrated approach to producing bio-surfactants from algal biomass, combining cultivation optimization, green extraction methods, and biosurfactant synthesis to achieve a circular bioeconomy model. However, the low economic performance due to higher production cost are the main voids in scaling up this technology for real-life applications. To overcome productivity and processing barriers, NEXUS-BIO will combine three innovations: (i) strain optimization of freshwater algae with high lipid and biosurfactant content; (ii) quorum-sensing (QS) modulation using signal molecules to trigger biosynthetic pathways and natural flocculation, boosting yield and easing harvesting; and (iii) low-energy downstream processing to recover biosurfactant at industrial purity. These strategies in a CO2-driven algal biorefinery aim to achieve the viable yield of biosurfactant in a selected strain of 2.5–5.0 g/L, paving the way for industrial deployment. Therefore, the development of a closed-loop biorefinery concept integrating algae for biosurfactant production with valorization of biomass into high-value bioproducts, aiming for a net-negative carbon footprint.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE · LondonCoordinatorUnited Kingdom

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101275570