The Application of Polymers in Bioprocessing: Using First Principles Thermodynamic Methods to Predict Solute-Polymer Affinity in Partitioning Bioreactors

微生物继续被有效地利用来实现两个有用的目的：有毒有机废物的生物处理，以及从可再生原料中生物生产有价值的产品（如生物燃料、药品）。因此，我提出的研究主题包括环境工程和生物技术。无论应用如何，生物过程的有效操作总是受到对微生物的毒性的限制：高浓度的有毒污染物本身对负责其破坏的微生物有毒，并且，在生物过程中产生高浓度产物的愿望也导致产物对细胞的毒性。我们已经开发了一种技术平台，两相分配生物反应器（TPPBs），其中将水不混相材料（相）添加到含有细胞的水相中，以选择性地将有毒分子分配给生物修复应用中的微生物，或远离生物生产系统中的微生物，以消除这种毒性。目前，全球20多个国家的研究小组正在使用我们的TPPB技术平台。我们最近由NSERC博士资助的研究表明，廉价的聚合物（塑料）珠可以取代不混溶的液体溶剂作为TPPBs的隔离相；然而，我们所有的应用都涉及疏水（水不溶性）目标化合物，聚合物是通过反复试验选择的。然而，许多目标有毒污染物和重要的生物制品都是高度水溶性的，我们需要能够确定用于此类TPPB应用的有效聚合物。提出的研究目标是：利用最佳可用的热力学原理来预测哪些聚合物对这些目标分子具有亲和力；使用这种基本方法创建聚合物选择的通用指南，并证明这种预测方法在重要的环境和生物技术TPPB应用中的有效性。我们在创建和开发TPPB技术平台方面处于世界领先地位，并通过研究生研究在该平台上发表了大量文章。拟议的总干事工作将巩固和扩大在可持续技术方面的领导地位。**************

Microorganisms continue to be effectively utilized to achieve two useful purposes: the biotreatment of toxic organic wastes, and the bioproduction of valuable products (e.g. biofuels, pharmaceuticals) from renewable feedstocks. Accordingly, the theme of my proposed research encompasses environmental engineering and biotechnology. Regardless of the application, the effective operation of bioprocesses is invariably constrained by toxicity to the microbes: high concentrations of toxic contaminants are in themselves toxic to the microbes responsible for their destruction, and, the desire to generate high concentrations of products in bioprocesses also leads to product toxicity to the cells. We have developed a technology platform, Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactors (TPPBs), in which a water-immiscible material (phase) is added to the cell-containing aqueous phase to selectively partition toxic molecules either to the microorganisms in bioremediation applications, or away from the microbes in bioproduction systems to eliminate such toxicity. Research Groups in more than 20 countries around the world are now using our TPPB technology platform. Our recent NSERC DG-funded research was able to show that inexpensive polymer (plastic) beads can replace immiscible liquid solvents as the sequestering phase in TPPBs; however all of our applications involved hydrophobic (water insoluble) target compounds, and polymers were selected by trial-and-error. Many target toxic contaminants, and important bioroducts, however, are highly water soluble, and we need to be able to identify effective polymers for such TPPB applications. The objective of the proposed research is: to use best-available thermodynamic principles to predict which polymers have affinity for such target molecules; to create a universal guide for polymer selection using such a fundamental approach, and, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this predictive approach in important environmental and biotechnology TPPB applications. We are the world leaders in the creation and exploitation of the TPPB technology platform, and publish extensively on it though graduate student research. The proposed DG work will consolidate and expand this leadership position in sustainable technologies.**************