Bacterial biofilms as sustainable catalytic materials studied in customized microfluidic bioanalytical flow-cells

在定制微流体生物分析流通池中研究细菌生物膜作为可持续催化材料

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06708
• 负责人: Greener, Jesse
• 金额: $ 5.76万
• 依托单位: Université Laval
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=748679
• 关键词: Bacterial; biofilms; sustainable; catalytic; materials

The 12 principles of green chemistry offer a roadmap to move chemical industry to a sustainable paradigm. Catalysis is one of the major pillars of the green chemistry initiative, whereby reusable materials speed up reaction times, while reducing waste and reaction energy requirements. However, production of inorganic catalysts faces challenges due to volatility in raw material prices. As well, the unsustainable methods for raw material extraction can reduce their overall sustainability. Another approach can be found in living bacteria, the same biological catalysts that have driven Earth's geochemistry for billions of years and which have been used by humanity for centuries for production of food and beverages. Recently, so-called "whole-cell catalysis" has become an active area of research due its suitability for sustainable chemistry. Bacteria hold the potential for low-cost synthesis of fine chemicals, including chiral molecules and pharmaceuticals, natural food additives, and have applications in bioremediation and energy. In particular bacterial biofilms are promising because they can self-produce; their protective extracellular polymeric matrix can mitigate challenges related to harsh chemical environments; they have a preference for surface attachment, eliminating reaction steps associated with product/catalyst separation; and they are suitable for efficient flow reactor setups. After six years developing state-of-the-art microfluidic tools and methods to control bacterial biofilms, this proposal lays out a bold research and training plan to develop biofilms into propose-driven biocatalytic materials. We will direct our efforts to create the analytical tools required to better study biocatalytic reactions and utilize them in the development of applications in bioenergy. Our plan is outlined in three themes, (1) studies of bacterial catalysis reaction kinetics (2) applications to better performing microbial fuel cells, and (3) new characterization tools for next-stage biocatalysis development. This is a highly multidisciplinary research program, involving concepts in chemistry, microbiology, physics and engineering. Microfluidics is a constant theme in this program due to its unique ability to control and harness the potential of living biofilms as sustainable biomaterials. The training environment will bring together highly qualified personnel from a broad background where they will work together in a state-of-the-art CFI-funded laboratories amongst a growing network of bioanalytical researchers at Laval University. The successful implementation of this research program will boost Canadian expertise and the economy in key areas related to catalysis, microfluidics, and life-science analytics worth over $100B worldwide. Moreover, it addresses growing social awareness-and demand-around the need to implement new sustainable technology to rapidly reduce the environmental impact of pollution and waste.

绿色化学的 12 条原则为化学工业迈向可持续发展范式提供了路线图。催化是绿色化学倡议的主要支柱之一，可重复使用的材料可以加快反应时间，同时减少废物和反应能源需求。然而，由于原材料价格波动，无机催化剂的生产面临挑战。此外，不可持续的原材料提取方法也会降低其整体可持续性。另一种方法可以在活细菌中找到，这种生物催化剂推动了地球化学数十亿年，并且几个世纪以来一直被人类用于生产食品和饮料。最近，所谓的“全细胞催化”由于其适用于可持续化学而成为一个活跃的研究领域。细菌具有低成本合成精细化学品的潜力，包括手性分子和药物、天然食品添加剂，并在生物修复和能源领域有应用。特别是细菌生物膜是有前途的，因为它们可以自我产生；它们的保护性细胞外聚合物基质可以减轻与恶劣化学环境相关的挑战；他们偏爱表面附着，从而消除与产物/催化剂分离相关的反应步骤；它们适用于高效的流动反应器设置。 经过六年开发最先进的微流体工具和方法来控制细菌生物膜，该提案制定了一项大胆的研究和培训计划，将生物膜开发成提案驱动的生物催化材料。我们将努力创建更好地研究生物催化反应所需的分析工具，并将其用于生物能源应用的开发。我们的计划分为三个主题：（1）细菌催化反应动力学研究（2）在性能更好的微生物燃料电池中的应用，以及（3）用于下一阶段生物催化开发的新表征工具。这是一个高度多学科的研究项目，涉及化学、微生物学、物理和工程学的概念。微流控技术因其独特的控制和利用活生物膜作为可持续生物材料潜力的能力而成为该计划的永恒主题。培训环境将汇集来自广泛背景的高素质人员，他们将在拉瓦尔大学不断壮大的生物分析研究人员网络中，在 CFI 资助的最先进的实验室中一起工作。 该研究计划的成功实施将提升加拿大在催化、微流体和生命科学分析相关关键领域的专业知识和经济，全球价值超过 100B 美元。此外，它还解决了社会日益增长的意识和需求，即需要实施新的可持续技术来快速减少污染和废物对环境的影响。