EFRI-PSBR: Cyanobacterial Biorefineries

技术影响--化学工业的一个有用的长期愿景是综合使用现代生物技术和化学催化来设计系统，在这些系统中，日常燃料和化学品由可再生资源生产。该奖项授予威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的布赖恩·F·普夫莱格、克里斯托斯·马拉维利亚斯、凯瑟琳·D·麦克马洪、撒切尔·W·鲁特和安德鲁·格林伯格教授，旨在开发和评估一种利用蓝藻来生产支持以光合作用为基础的化学工业的化合物的生物精炼策略。它将展示从二氧化碳和阳光中生产高价值商品化学品的方法，这些方法将取代目前基于石化的工艺。指导建立这种基于光合作用蓝藻的可持续化学经济的关键基本问题包括：1)生命系统应该制造什么化学物质，即最终产品或价值的中间体，以优化基于光合作用的化学工业？2)蓝藻可以产生目标化合物的速度和比例是多少？3)什么工艺参数是有效地将光合作用生物反应器从实验室扩大到工业规模的关键？光合作用生物精炼厂的可行规模是否有限制？4)光合作用生物精炼厂能否与废物修复(如城市污水处理)相结合，以同时满足可持续发展和环境目标？该奖项详细介绍了支持他们的光合作用生物精炼愿景的基础科学和技术方面的一些关键特征，并由NSF的新兴前沿研究和创新计划颁发。更广泛的影响--从长远来看，拟议的工作将有助于化学工业从化石燃料转向可再生碳资源的结构调整。此外，建立光合作用生物炼油厂是实现能源安全和维护国防的一条途径。成功的商业光合作用生物精炼厂的部署可以产生可持续的燃料和化学品来源，而不会改变目前的农业做法。公共政策研究所提出了许多独立的战略，包括a)将技术经济分析和生命周期评价整合到CBE流程设计和实验室课程中；b)为大学实验室的本科生提供独立的学习和研究经验；c)指导一个跨学科的本科合成生物学研究团队(IGEM)；d)为高中学生和教师提供暑期研究经验；e)通过现有的成功的威斯康星大学麦迪逊项目从代表性不足的群体中招生。

Technical Impacts-A useful long term vision of the chemical industry integrates the use of modern biotechnology and chemical catalysis to engineer systems where everyday fuels and chemicals are produced from renewable resources. The vision of this award, made to Professors Brian F. Pfleger, Christos Maravelias, Katherine D. McMahon, Thatcher W. Root and Andrew Greenberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is to develop and evaluate a biorefinery strategy using cyanobacteria to produce compounds that support a chemical industry based on photosynthesis. It will demonstrate methods for producing high-value commodity chemicals from CO2 and sunlight that will replace current petrochemical-based processes. Key fundamental questions that will guide the establishment of such a sustainable chemical economy based on photosynthetic cyanobacteria include: 1) What chemicals, i.e. final products or intermediates of value, should be made by living systems to optimize a chemical industry based on photosynthesis? 2) At what rate and fraction of theoretical yield can cyanobacteria produce target compounds? 3) What process parameters are critical to effectively scale up photosynthetic bioreactors from the laboratory to industrial size? Is there a limit to the feasible size of a photosynthetic biorefinery? 4) Can a photosynthetic biorefinery be integrated with waste remediation (e.g. municipal wastewater treatment) to simultaneously meet sustainability and environmental objectives? This award details a number of key features in the fundamental science and technology supporting their photosynthetic biorefinery vision, and is made through the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program at NSF. Broader Impacts- In the long term the proposed work will contribute to restructuring the chemical industry away from fossil fuels and towards renewable carbon sources. In addition establishing photosynthetic biorefineries is a route for achieving energy security and maintaining national defense. Deployment of successful, commercial photosynthetic biorefineries could generate a sustainable source of fuels and chemicals without altering current agricultural practices. Impact on education and outreach has many individual strategies proposed by the PIs, including a)Integrating technoeconomic analysis and LCA into CBE process design and lab courses; b)Providing independent study and research experiences for undergraduates in the university labs; c) Mentoring an interdisciplinary undergraduate synthetic biology research team (iGEM); d) Providing summer research experiences for high-school students and teachers; and e) Recruiting students from underrepresented groups through successful, existing UW-Madison programs.