CAREER: Unravel the Nature behind the Smart Polymer-Induced Microalgal Biomass Enrichment and Cell Wall Disruption

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Microalgae is one of the most studied biomanufacturing technologies for the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, food, and feed. However, biomass enrichment and intracellular product recovery are critical technical hurdles and cost contributors impeding the commercialization of microalgae biorefinery technologies. This proposal aims to develop an integrated research and education program that focuses on a bio-manufacturing technology for making biofuels and bio-based products. The long-term research goal is to establish a cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly cell harvesting and intracellular product recovery technology for producing renewable bioenergy and bio-products. The research results will be integrated with educational and outreach activities aimed at the university, K-12, and community levels. The main research goal of this CAREER project is to develop a new thermoresponsive polymer (TRP)-based technology for microalgal cell enrichment and intracellular product recovery to enable cost-efficient and environmentally friendly algae biorefineries. The proposed research will focus on: (1) establishing relationships between TRP features and algae enrichment; (2) understanding the fundamentals behind the interactions between TRP and algal cells; and (3) elucidating the mechanisms of TRP-induced algal cell disruption. The project will also aim at establishing the relationships between the properties of the polymers and their thermodynamic and kinetic phase behavior with algae harvesting efficiency. The proposed educational and outreach plan promotes diversity and includes plans for attracting underrepresented students to STEM fields, educating the public, and training the next generation of scientists and engineers in the field of biomanufacturing.This project is jointly funded by the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.