ESCAPE 2.0: Establishing a scalable bioprocess reactor platform for cathodic obligate anaerobic electrobiosynthesis

微生物电合成(MES)允许利用电能，从而利用电子作为微生物生产化学品的反应物。由于其在自养生物过程中的潜力，特别是用于阴极MES的严格厌氧微生物(也称为电自养微生物)在过去的十年中吸引了人们极大的研究兴趣。到目前为止，重点仍然是调查微生物催化剂和可能的生物生产路线和产品。然而，对于MES，没有建立共同的生物工艺基础设施，并且使用了各种各样的反应器，不允许进行比较。在大多数实验室规模的系统中，生理应激源，例如来自阳极释放的氧气，会导致有害影响，从而降低MES性能。因此，迫切需要一个功能强大、可扩展的生物工艺基础设施，为MES的工业化实施铺平道路。因此，ELEASE 2.0项目(为阴极专性厌氧电合成建立可扩展的生物处理反应器平台-项目2.0阶段)的目标是利用在第一个资助阶段获得的关于电动自养梭菌LJungdahlii生理应激的知识，开发一种用于高性能MES的多功能和可扩展的电生物反应器。为了进行这项研究，HKI和UFZ合作伙伴在微生物电化学和技术方面建立了共同的卓越基础。因此，Escape 2.0被分为两个联合工作包和每个合作伙伴的三个单独工作包。主干形成了反应器特定的和反应特定的性能参数和指标的连续镜像，以允许建立电生物反应器平台，该平台为电自养的MES提供了广泛的过程窗口。永达力--作为一种模式产乙酸菌和一种很有前途的厌氧生物生产平台--将成为电动自养菌种的典范。随后将对催化剂进行深入的生理应力表征，然后开发特定的生物传感器，并通过合理设计的分子和过程工程扩展永安大理的产品结构。电生物反应器的组件(例如电极反应)以及结构(例如，乳酪或气体回收)将采用基于模拟和实验相结合的方法进行设计和设计。电生物反应器将使用包括完全碳平衡和电子平衡的电动自养模型进行基准测试。最后，Easure 2.0将产生1-L甚至3-L规模的电生物反应器，允许严格厌氧MES在不同操作模式(例如，间歇或流动模式)下运行和深度生理特性。最终的电生物反应器还将与其他电营养素一起进行测试，并将提供给SPP财团的其他合作伙伴。

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) allows utilizing electric power, hence electrons, as reactants for the microbial production of chemicals. With their potential for autotrophic bioprocesses, especially strict anaerobic microorganisms for cathodic MES (also known as electroautotrophs) have attracted significant research interest in the last decade. To date, the focus still is on the investigation of the microbial catalyst and possible bioproduction routes and products. However, for MES no common bioprocess infrastructure is established and a wide variety of reactors that allow no comparison is used. In most lab scale systems, physiological stressors, e.g. from oxygen evolving at the anode, lead to detrimental effects and hence a lower MES performance. Therefore, a functional and scalable bioprocess infrastructure is urgently needed for paving the way of MES to industrial implementation. Consequently, the goal of the project ESCAPE 2.0 (Establishing a scalable bioprocess reactor platform for cathodic obligate anaerobic electrobiosynthesis – project phase 2.0) is to work with the knowledge gained during the first funding phase on the physiological stress of the electroautotroph Clostridium ljungdahlii and develop a versatile and scalable electrobioreactor for high performance MES. For conducting this research, partners HKI and UFZ build on their shared excellent foundation on microbial electrochemistry and technology. Thereby, ESCAPE 2.0 is divided into two joint work packages and three individual work packages for each partner. The backbone forms the continuous mirroring of reactor-specific and reaction-specific performance parameters and indicators to allow establishing an electrobioreactor platform that provides a wide process window for MES by electroautotrophs. C. ljungdahlii – as a model acetogen and a promising anaerobic bioproduction platform – will serve as a example electroautotroph. A deep physiological stress characterization of the catalyst will be performed followed by the development of specific biosensors, as well as an expansion in C. ljungdahlii product profile via rational-designed molecular and process engineering. Components (e.g. electrode reactions) as well as architecture (e.g. chicanes or gas-recycling) of electrobioreactors will be designed and engineered in a combined modelling- and experimental-based approach. The electrobioreactors will be benchmarked using the model electroautotroph including full carbon and electron balances. Finally, ESCAPE 2.0 will lead to electrobioreactors at 1-L or even up to 3-L scale that allow the operation and deep physiological characterization of strictly anaerobic MES at different modes of operation (e.g. batch or flow-mode). The final electrobioreactors will also be tested with other electrotrophs and will be made available for other partners from the SPP consortium.