17-ERACoBioTech: Sustainable production of added value chemicals from SynGas-derived methanol through Systems and Synthetic Biology approaches

社会面临的最大挑战之一是未来从非石化资源中可持续生产化学品和燃料，同时减少温室气体排放。木质纤维素的顽固性解构为原料的目的是使经济发展的生物为基础的过程极具挑战性。这就产生了使用低成本、丰富的单碳（C1）原料的概念。这里的重点是使用C1气体，如CO/CO2和CH4，这些气体来自工业过程中的废物，厌氧消化或通过气化任何含有生物质的废物（农业/林业残留物和城市固体废物）或通过改造页岩气而故意形成的合成气（合成气）。这种做法并非没有问题。反应器中气体向液相的传质限制了反应器的设计和性能，而在有氧底盘的情况下，H2和O2的额外存在是潜在的爆炸性的。相反，作为液体，甲醇在发酵罐中没有传质问题，而且更容易储存和运输。它可以由许多可持续的原料制成，包括生物质、城市生活垃圾、沼气、废二氧化碳，甚至可再生电力。因此，使用甲醇作为原料来制造化学品和燃料的情况是令人信服的。在这个名为BIOMETCHEM的项目中，我们将利用在为一种被称为石灰质真杆菌（Eubacterium limosum）的细菌开发有效遗传系统方面取得的进展，以获得能够从生物质衍生的甲醇中生产增值产品的工程菌株。过程菌株将通过跨学科方法的结合来衍生，包括系统生物学（INSA，图卢兹大学），合成生物学（UNOTT，诺丁汉大学），代谢工程学（ULM，乌尔姆大学），酶学（UFRA，法兰克福大学）和甲醇发酵开发（所有合作伙伴）。负责任的研究创新（RRI）实践将通过诺丁汉合成生物学研究中心（SBRC）的专职社会科学家的参与，嵌入到工作计划中。生命周期分析（LCA）和技术经济分析（TEA）将由诺丁汉大学与庄信万丰合作进行。BIOMETCHEM将引领基于气化（合成气）生物质残留物和废物或工业副产品（FT废物流）的甲醇原料的新的可持续生产和转化过程的发展。这将产生新的增值产品，分别适用于制药/食品添加剂工业和化学工业。最终，所取得的发展将导致新的可持续工业过程。此外，通过整合资源和专业知识，BIOMETCHEM将三个不同国家（法国、德国和英国）的研究合作伙伴与不同但互补的科学和技术专业知识联系起来，从而最大限度地利用资源并分担风险、成本和技能。与会者代表了欧洲在无氧代谢，特别是C1原料方面的一些领先专家。它们的专门知识和资源的合并提供了与世界其他地区竞争所需的临界质量。

One of the greatest challenges facing society is the future sustainable production of chemicals and fuels from non-petrochemical resources while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The recalcitrance of lignocellulose to deconstruction for feedstock purposes is making the economic development of biologically-based processes extremely challenging. This has led to the concept of using low-cost, abundant one-carbon (C1) feedstocks. Here the focus has been on using C1 gases, such as CO/CO2 and CH4, sourced as a waste from industrial processes, anaerobic digestion or deliberately formed as synthesis gas (syngas) through the gasification of any waste containing biomass (agricultural/ forestry residues and municipal solid waste) or by the reformation of shale gas. Such an approach is not without its issues. The mass transfer of gases into the liquid phase in reactors places constraints on reactor design and performance, while in the case of aerobic chassis the additional presence of H2, and O2 is potentially explosive. In contrast, as a liquid, methanol does not suffer from mass transfer issues in fermenters and is more easily stored and transported. It can be made from many sustainable feedstocks, including biomass, MSW, biogas, waste CO2, and even renewable electricity.The case for using methanol as a feedstock to make chemicals and fuels is, therefore, compelling. In this project, BIOMETCHEM, we will exploit the progress made in developing effective genetic systems for a bacterium known as Eubacterium limosum to derive engineered strains able to produce the value-added products from biomass derived methanol. Process strain will be derived through a combination of interdisciplinary methodologies, including systems biology (INSA, University of Toulouse), synthetic biology (UNOTT, University of Nottingham), metabolic engineering (ULM, University of Ulm), enzymology (UFRA, University of Frankfurt), and methanol fermentation development (All Partners). Responsible Research Innovation (RRI) practices will be embedded within the programme of work through the participation of dedicated Social Scientists from the Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC) at Nottingham. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) will be undertaken by Nottingham in partnership with Johnson Matthey. BIOMETCHEM will lead to the development of new Sustainable production and conversion processes based on methanol feedstocks derived from gasified (syngas) biomass residues and wastes or from industrial by-products (FT waste streams). This will lead to new value-added products, useful in the pharmaceutical/food additive industries and the chemical industry, respectively.Ultimately, the developments made will lead to new sustainable industrial processes. Moreover, by combining resources and expertise, BIOMETCHEM connects research partners in three different countries (France, Germany and UK) with different but complementary scientific and technological expertise, thereby maximising resources and sharing the risks, costs and skills. The participants represent some of Europe's leading experts in anaerobic metabolism, and in particular C1 feedstocks. The amalgamation of their expertise and resources provides the critical mass needed to compete with the rest of the world.