FMRG: Bio: CAS: Distributed methane conversion into value chemicals via synthetic microbial consortia

甲烷是一种强有力的温室气体，每个分子的危害性是二氧化碳(CO2)的25倍。在全球范围内，有许多人类和自然来源的甲烷。因此，现场捕获甲烷并将其转化为“更高价值”化学品的技术将面临重大机遇。该项目的目标是设计新的生物反应器，能够有效地将甲烷转化为有价值的化学品。该项目团队将设计微生物体内的酶，使其能够执行复杂的化学反应。这些经过改造的微生物将被用来在反应堆内创建结构化生物膜，以进行大规模的化学反应。这些生物反应器随后将在相关的现场进行测试，如废水处理设施。致力于这个项目的跨学科团队结合了合成生物学、化学工程生物反应器设计、社会科学和未来潜在用户的专家来实施这项新技术。该小组还将研究如何以对社会和环境负责的方式传播这项技术。该项目包括一个重要的外联部分，特别侧重于让代表人数不足的群体参与STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)。该团队将与科学教师和他们的学生合作，开发和传播新的教育活动，使学生能够学习微生物学。新兴的厌氧、甲烷氧化、微生物系统有望实现现场甲烷转化，比现有的化工厂或好氧生物反应器更高效、更经济。该项目的主要目标是为模块化、易于扩展和可分布的厌氧/好氧生物反应器系统奠定基础，这些系统利用合成微生物联合体将甲烷转化为更高价值的化学品。该项目将通过以下方式对生物制造的未来产生重大影响：(1)以更可持续的方式捕获甲烷并将其转化为有价值的化学品，(2)减少温室气体排放，(3)开发新颖的、空间结构的合成微生物联合体来执行这些复杂的生物合成途径，(4)设计全面整合从基础科学到社会经济效益的所有方面的生物反应器，以及(5)开发能够合理设计和优化反应堆的生物物理模型。此外，该团队采取综合和整体的方法，在从蛋白质工程到现场集成的多个层面上系统地优化这项技术。与从生物反应器设计专家到社会科学家以及未来潜在用户(如废水处理厂、土著社区)的合作，将确保项目成功并负责任地传播成果和技术。该团队将教师、高中生和研究生以及博士后研究人员在分子生物学、微生物学和化学工程领域的教育和跨学科培训融为一体，我们的教师培训将产生乘数效应。该项目由化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统司和工程局的土木、机械和制造创新司、数学和物理科学局的化学部、社会、行为和经济科学局的多学科事务办公室和罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging per molecule than carbon dioxide (CO2). Around the globe there are many methane sources of human and natural origin. Thus, there is a significant opportunity for technologies that capture and convert methane on-site into ‘higher-value’ chemicals. The goal of this project is to engineer new bioreactors that can efficiently convert methane into value chemicals. The project team will engineer enzymes inside microbes than can execute complex chemical reactions. The engineered microbes will be used to create structured biofilms inside of reactors to run chemical reactions at a large scale. These bioreactors will then be tested at relevant field sites, such as a wastewater treatment facility. The interdisciplinary team working on this project combines experts from synthetic biology, chemical engineering bioreactor design, social sciences, and potential future users to implement the new technology. The team will also study how this technology can be disseminated in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. This project includes a significant outreach component, with a particular focus on engaging underrepresented groups in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The team will work with science teachers and their students to develop and disseminate novel educational activities that enable students to learn about microbiology.Emerging anaerobic, methane-oxidizing, microbiological systems hold promise for achieving on-site methane conversion more efficiently and more economically than existing chemical plants or aerobic bioreactors. The main project goal is to lay the foundation for modular, easily scalable, and distributable, anaerobic, and anaerobic/aerobic bioreactor systems that convert methane into higher-value chemicals utilizing synthetic microbial consortia. This project will have a significant impact on the future of biomanufacturing by: (1) capturing and converting methane into valuable chemicals in a more sustainable manner, (2) reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (3) developing novel, spatially-structured synthetic microbial consortia to execute these complex biosynthesis pathways, (4) designing bioreactors that holistically integrate all aspects from the basic sciences to the socio-economic benefits, and (5) developing biophysical models that enable rational reactor design and optimization. Moreover, the team takes an integrated and wholistic approach to systematically optimizing this technology at multiple levels, ranging from protein engineering to field-site integration. Collaboration with experts from bioreactor design to social scientists, and with potential future users (e.g., wastewater treatment plants, indigenous communities), will ensure project success and responsible dissemination of the results and technology. The team integrates education and interdisciplinary training of teachers, high-school and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers at the interface of molecular biology, microbiology, and chemical engineering, and our teacher training will have multiplier effects. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems and the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation in the Directorate for Engineering, the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Office of Multidisciplinary Affairs in the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, and the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.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.