CAREER: Advancement of Microalgal Biotechnology via Quantitative Sustainable Design: An Integrated Research and Education Plan

主要研究者：客人，JeremyProposal编号：1351667机构：伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校标题：职业生涯：通过定量可持续设计微藻生物技术的进步：一个综合的研究和教育计划该项目将通过实验，建模和定量可持续设计（QSD）的整合推进微藻生物技术的前沿，并将利用这一框架，以改善教育和保留一个多元化的学生团体在环境工程。研究将采用微藻从废水中回收能量积极的营养物质，并将专注于克服关键的知识差距，这些知识差距限制了我们设计混合社区微藻生物过程的能力，这些生物过程可能会使这种转变触手可及。该研究的目标是（i）阐明可能设计的景观中微藻生物过程性能的机制，以及（ii）建立从废水中回收能量正营养素（氮和磷）的途径。微藻处理废水的混合群落实验将与建模相结合，以促进对关键设计参数如何影响工艺性能、微生物群落结构和功能的理解。这些调查结果将纳入质量可持续发展框架（包括生命周期评估、生命周期成本计算、敏感性和不确定性分析），以确定技术目标，并为微藻废水生物技术的发展指明前进道路。研究工作将与教育计划相结合，该计划旨在：（i）提高少数民族和女学生在初级和高级课程中的内在动力，通过一个有抱负的资源管理框架水平的环境工程课程，（ii）提高认识和能力，以浏览环境，经济和性能的可持续性标准之间的权衡工程系统。这些目标将通过开发两个在线课程模块来实现，这些模块将在UIUC，巴克内尔大学和帕克兰学院进行设计，测试和部署。模块将通过认知实验室设计，并将包括外部的、独立的形成性和总结性评估。目前，污水处理厂（WWTPs）的营养管理方法使用昂贵的能源密集型工艺，依赖细菌和化学品来去除氮和磷。这项研究将重新设想营养管理在污水处理厂利用本地微藻能源积极的生物养分回收。除了将废水的化学能增加2倍以上之外，这种方法还可以通过克服溶解有机氮的关键障碍来推进技术的限制，溶解有机氮是一种通常无法通过现有的营养物去除过程去除但可以被微藻快速吸收的N形式。该研究计划的核心理念是通过实验、建模和QSD的集成来加快微藻技术的开发。这一综合过程将阐明系统规模可持续性的分子级障碍，并寻求通过工艺设计克服这些障碍。这一方法将有助于设定技术绩效目标，并确定未来研究的关键领域，以实现长期采用和可持续性。研究活动将与教育活动相结合，通过关注环境工程的理想成果和开发可持续设计教育的新平台，提高对代表性不足的学生的吸引力和保留率。

PI: Guest, JeremyProposal Number: 1351667Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignTitle: CAREER: Advancement of Microalgal Biotechnology via Quantitative Sustainable Design: An Integrated Research and Education PlanThis project will advance the frontier of microalgal biotechnology through the integration of experimentation, modeling, and quantitative sustainable design (QSD), and will leverage this framework to improve the education and retention of a diverse student body in environmental engineering. Research will pursue energy-positive nutrient recovery from wastewater with microalgae, and will focus on overcoming critical knowledge gaps that limit our ability to design mixed community microalgal bioprocesses that might bring this transformation within reach. Objectives of the research are (i) to elucidate the mechanisms governing microalgal bioprocess performance across a landscape of possible designs, and (ii) to establish a path forward for energy positive nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) recovery from wastewater. Experiments with mixed communities of microalgae treating wastewater will be coupled with modeling to advance understanding of how key design parameters influence process performance, microbial community structure and function. These findings will be integrated in a QSD framework (including life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses) to identify technology targets and chart a path forward for microalgal wastewater biotechnology development.Research efforts will be integrated with an education plan designed (i) to increase the intrinsic motivation of minority and female students in introductory- and advanced-level environmental engineering courses through an aspirational resource management framework, and (ii) to increase awareness of and ability to navigate trade-offs among environmental, economic, and performance sustainability criteria for engineered systems. These goals will be achieved by developing two online course modules that will be designed, tested, and deployed at UIUC, Bucknell University, and Parkland College. Modules will be designed through cognitive labs and will include external, independent formative and summative evaluations.Current approaches to nutrient management at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) use costly, energy-intensive processes that rely on bacteria and chemicals to remove nitrogen and phosphorus. This research will re-envision nutrient management at WWTPs by utilizing native microalgae for energy-positive biological nutrient recovery. In addition to increasing the embodied chemical energy of wastewater more than 2-fold, this approach may also advance the limit of technology by overcoming the critical barrier of dissolved organic nitrogen, a form of N that is often unable to be removed by existing nutrient removal processes but which can be rapidly assimilated by microalgae. The core concept of the research plan is microalgal technology development can be expedited through integration of experimentation, modeling, and QSD. This integrated process will elucidate molecular-scale barriers to systems-scale sustainability and seek to overcome them through process design. This approach will enable the setting of targets for technology performance, and identify critical areas for future research to achieve long-term adoption and sustainability. The research activities will be coupled with educational activities to increase the attraction and retention of underrepresented students by focusing on aspirational outcomes of environmental engineering and developing a new platform for education in sustainable design.