EFRI-PSBR: The Diatom-based Photosynthetic Biorefinery

知识价值-藻类生物燃料生产的可持续性一直是最近生命周期分析研究和资源分析研究的主题，这些研究得出结论，藻类生物燃料生产必须与通过分布式或整合的生物处理路线生产的副产品相结合，这需要水和营养物质的循环利用成为可行的系统。该项目授予俄勒冈州立大学的Gregory L. Rorrer、Debra Gale、Christine J. Kelly、Bettye L. Maddux、J. Antonio Torres和Robert Durst教授，其总体目标是利用藻类的生物合成能力，在可扩展的光生物反应器系统中制造独特而有价值的副产品和先进的生物燃料。为了证明这种综合方法，该研究将利用光合作用、生物矿化硅藻独特的生物合成能力，灵活地制造三种不同的产品流：用于生物医学和食品应用的n -乙酰氨基葡萄糖生物聚合物（几丁质）微纤维及其单体氨基葡萄糖，用于化学品和液体运输燃料的脂质或萜类化合物，以及具有一系列独特性能和应用的金属氧化物纳米材料。该项目将侧重于生物过程工程系统方法，以指导硅藻微藻在单一生物体内三种有价值产品流的细胞生物合成。待评估的一个示例配置包含三个培养阶段，每个阶段都采用单独的喂养策略，旨在刺激特定产品的生物合成。这是由美国国家科学基金会新兴前沿研究与创新项目（EFRI）颁发的奖项之一。更广泛的影响——实现化学品和能源的可持续生产将是21世纪的重大挑战之一。像藻类这样的光合微生物可以捕获太阳能，驱动二氧化碳减少为能量密集的分子。然而，为了使藻类生物燃料具有商业可行性，还需要副产品。以硅藻为基础的生物炼制概念可以超越氨基葡萄糖、生物燃料和金属氧化物纳米材料作为主要产品。然而，这是一个极好的模型系统，可以促进对光合作用生物炼制的基础科学和工程理解，特别是关于光合作用藻类培养系统中的生物过程工程和潜在的细胞过程，这些过程需要在可扩展的背景下协调多种有价值产品流的灵活生物合成，而不仅仅是生物燃料。pi将利用拟议的EFRI项目提供多种教育和推广机会，旨在将光合生物炼制概念带给广大受众，并吸引生物科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体。具体而言，一个由俄勒冈州立大学协调的研究型暑期住宿夏令营将为来自代表性不足的群体SESEY的高中生提供支持，为另外四个与藻类生物燃料相关的学生团队提供支持。基于光合生物精炼厂的设计项目模块也将被纳入本科生物工程顶点设计课程。俄勒冈州立大学现有的项目，包括大学援助移民项目，将用于从代表性不足的群体中招募四名本科生进行夏季研究体验。最后，将开发一门名为“在生物科学学院中导航”的大学水平课程，为生物科学和生物工程领域代表性不足的群体的研究生和博士后提供专业发展。

Intellectual Merit- The sustainability of algal biofuels production has been the subject of recent life cycle analysis studies and resource analysis studies, which conclude that algal biofuel production must be coupled with production of co-products though distributed or consolidated bioprocessing routes which require water and nutrient recycling to be viable systems.The overall goal of this project award made to Professors Gregory L. Rorrer, Debra Gale, Christine J. Kelly, Bettye L. Maddux, J. Antonio Torres and Robert Durst, all of Oregon State University, is to harness the biosynthetic capacities of algae to make unique and valuable coproducts in addition to advanced biofuels in scalable photobioreactor systems. To demonstrate this integrated approach,the research will harness the unique biosynthetic capacities of photosynthetic, biomineralizing diatoms to flexibly make three diverse product streams: N-acetyl glucosamine biopolymer (chitin) microfibers and its monomer glucosamine for biomedical & food applications, lipids or terpenoid hydrocarbons for chemicals and liquid transportation fuels, and metal oxide nanomaterials with a host of unique properties & applications. This project will focus on bioprocess engineering systems approaches to guide the cellular biosynthesis of three valued product streams by diatom microalgae, all within a single organism. One example configuration to be evaluated incorporates three cultivation stages, each carried out at a separate feeding strategy designed to stimulate biosynthesis of a given product. This is one of the awards made by the Emerging Frontiers of Research and Innovation Program (EFRI) at the National Science Foundation.Broader Impacts- Achieving the sustainable production of chemicals and energy will be one of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Photosynthetic microorganisms such as algae can capture solar energy to drive the reduction of CO2 to energy-dense molecules. However, coproducts are also needed to enable the commercial viability of algal biofuels. The diatom-based biorefinery concept can extend beyond glucosamine, biofuel, and metal oxide nanomaterials as the major products. However, this is an excellent model system to advance fundamental science and engineering understanding of photosynthetic biorefineries, particularly with respect to the bioprocess engineering and underlying cellular processes in photosynthetic algal culture systems needed to orchestrate the flexible biosynthesis of a diversity of valued product streams, not just biofuels, in a scalable context. The PIs will use the proposed EFRI project to deliver multiple education and outreach opportunities, designed to bring photosynthetic biorefinery concepts to a broad audience, and to engage under-represented groups in the biosciences and engineering. Specifically, a research-based summer residential camp for high school students from under-represented groups called SESEY, coordinated through OSU, will be enhanced to provide support for four additional student teams on algal biofuel related topics. Design project modules based on photosynthetic biorefineries will also be incorporated into undergraduate bioengineering capstone design courses. Existing programs at OSU, including the College Assistance Migrant Program, will be used to recruit four undergraduate students from under-represented groups for summer research experiences. Finally, a university-level course titled Navigating the Academy in the Biosciences will be developed to provide professional development of graduate students and post-docs from underrepresented groups in the biosciences and bioengineering.