SusChEM Collaborative Research: Biocomposite Biocatalysts formed by Desiccation of Living Cells on Porous Substrates for Recycling Gaseous Carbon to Fuels and Chemicals

[10072] Michael C. Flickinger，藻类每年捕获并回收大量的温室气体（ghg），如二氧化碳。该项目将开发制造含有高浓度非生长蓝藻或藻类的生物复合材料的方法，这些材料可以集中在纸上或纸内，或者制成多层材料并通过通道水合。这些人造叶子状的生物复合材料可用于收集阳光，并将温室气体碳回收为燃料和化学品。该项目将对藻类进行改造，使其能够耐受干燥，这样干燥的生物复合材料就可以在储存和运输时不丧失反应性，并在使用现场进行水合处理。在生物复合材料中使用不生长的干稳定蓝藻或藻类来捕获太阳能，将比使用悬浮在光生物反应器中的生长藻类需要更少的水，并且更有效地捕获温室气体。本项目将揭示在控制干燥过程中保持蓝藻和莱茵衣藻活力和反应性的分子机制。将开发方法来维持非生长藻类的光反应性，增强二氧化碳吸收，并显着延长其在复合材料中再水化时的催化寿命。这将通过以下方法进行研究：(i)优化生物复合纳米孔微观结构，包括通过工程微通道提供营养和回收气体；（ii）使用渗透保护碳水化合物玻璃优化生物保存，控制干燥率，并通过拉曼显微光谱和干燥胁迫诱导的报告器监测细胞周围和细胞内的临界残余结合水和自由水。（iii）将合成生物学应用于对干燥敏感的藻类，以设计从万氏多plodium vanderplanki到莱茵多plodium的海藻糖运输系统。这已经通过CHO TRET1细胞系证明，可以使海藻糖转运到CHO细胞中，从而增强干稳定性。研究团队包括一名生物复合材料方面的微生物生物技术专家，一名开创生物胶体活细胞组装的软物质专家，以及一名在有核细胞的无水生物工程和拉曼显微光谱监测的控制干燥速率方面具有专业知识的机械工程师。含有微通道和多层协同干稳定活细胞的生物复合材料为碳循环利用提供了新的途径。该项目将为工程师提供跨学科的STEM教育，他们将从事化学工程、纳米科学、机械工程、微流体学、合成生物学、无水生物学和反应动力学等多学科项目。该奖项由CBET部门的生物技术和生化工程项目颁发，由分子和细胞生物学部门的系统和合成生物学项目共同资助。

1510072 Flickinger, Michael C. Algae trap and recycle enormous quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide each year. This project will develop methods to fabricate biocomposite materials containing highly concentrated non-growing cyanobacteria, or algae, concentrated on or within paper or fabricated as multi-layered materials and hydrated through channels. These artificial leaf-like biocomposite materials could be used to harvest sunlight and recycle GHG carbon into fuels and chemicals. This project will engineer algae to tolerate drying so that desiccated biocomposites can be stored and shipped without loss of reactivity and hydrated at the site of use. Using non-growing dry-stabilized cyanobacteria or algae in biocomposite materials to trap solar energy will require significantly less water and is more efficient in trapping GHGs than using growing algae suspended in photobioreactors. This project will reveal molecular mechanisms for preserving the viability and reactivity during controlled drying of cyanobacteria and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Methods will be developed to sustain the photoreactivity of non-growing algae, enhance CO2 absorption and significantly extend their catalytic life embedded within composite materials when rehydrated. This will be investigated by approaches to (i) optimize biocomposite nanoporous microstructure, including providing nutrients and recovering gases by engineered microchannels, (ii) optimize biopreservation using osmoprotectant carbohydrate glasses, control desiccation rate and determine critical residual bound and free water surrounding and within the cells monitored by Raman microspectroscopy plus desiccation stress induced reporters, and (iii) apply synthetic biology to desiccation-sensitive algae to engineer the trehalose transport system from Polyplodium vanderplanki into C. reinhardtii. This has been demonstrated using the CHO TRET1 cell line to enable trehalose transport into CHO cells to enhance dry stabilization. The team of investigators include a microbial biotechnologist expert in biocomposites, a soft matter expert who pioneered biocolloidal live cell assembly and a mechanical engineer with expertise in the anhydrobiology engineering of nucleated cells and controlled drying rate monitored by Raman microspectroscopy. Biocomposite materials containing microchannels and layers of synergistic dry stabilized live cells could provide a new way for carbon recycling. This project will provide cross-disciplinary STEM education for engineers, who will work in a multidisciplinary project spanning chemical engineering, nanoscience, mechanical engineering, microfluidics, synthetic biology, anhydrobiology and reaction kinetics.This award by the Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Program of the CBET Division is co-funded by the Systems and Synthetic Biology Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology.