Novel Bioprocesses for Biopolymers, Nanoparticles and Biofuels Production

该提案的主要目标是开发使用可再生原料的新型生物工艺，以经济地生产商业上重要的生物聚合物、纳米颗粒和生物燃料。1. 生物聚合物。微生物生物聚合物是无毒的可生物降解的聚合物，来源于可再生原料。它们是碳中和和环境可持续的。该项目的目标是通过开发使用可再生原料和低成本产品纯化的新型生物工艺来最大限度地降低生物聚合物生产的总成本。生物聚合物-聚谷氨酸和细菌纤维素将在受控生物反应器系统中使用特定的细菌培养物进行研究，以实现最佳的细胞生长和最大的生物聚合物产量。这两种生物聚合物都具有生物相容性，并具有独特的物理和机械性能。这种物理化学特性的结合使它们非常适合应用于生物制药，化妆品和食品工业。2. 用于控制药物递送的纳米颗粒。纳米技术是一门迅速发展的新兴技术，对自然科学和工程的发展产生了深远的影响。纳米技术和生物技术的相互作用在新的工业过程和产品的发展中起着重要作用。生物聚合物纳米颗粒用于给药系统，与传统的自由给药系统相比，它具有良好的生物相容性，并将副作用降到最低。生物聚合物纳米颗粒在治疗癌症和其他疾病方面具有良好的临床应用潜力。研究人员将研究两种药物，一种是抗癌药物阿霉素，另一种是用于红细胞生成的促红细胞生成素。3. 生化丁醇生物燃料。生物丁醇是一种生物燃料，从农业和林业废弃物等非食用植物材料中提取。生物丁醇的燃料价值是汽油的93%。使用炼油厂现有的分配系统来生产汽油-丁醇混合物很容易运输。从植物菊芋中提取的玉米芯和非食品级糖将用于使用一种具有发酵细菌的新型生物反应器系统生产生物丁醇。最终目标是将生物丁醇生产成本降至最低。4. 环烷酸的生物降解。阿尔伯塔省北部的阿萨巴斯卡油砂矿床作为原油的重要来源，对加拿大经济具有重要的战略意义。从沥青砂中提取原油的主要挑战之一是产生大量废水，这些废水储存在尾矿池中。一种主要的污染物是环烷酸（NA），它很难处理，对人类和水生生物有很高的毒性。一种新型纤维生物反应器系统将用于生物降解工业废水中的NA，利用来自尾矿库的原生细菌培养物。主要目标是开发一种新的生物降解NA的生物工艺，该工艺也可以应用于从Athabasca焦油砂中加工原油的炼油厂。

The main objective of this proposal is to develop novel bioprocesses using renewable raw materials, for the economic production of commercially important biopolymers, nanoparticles and biofuels. 1. Biopolymers. Microbial biopolymers are non-toxic biodegradable polymers, derived from renewable raw materials. They are carbon neutral and environmentally sustainable. The objective of this project is to minimize the total cost of biopolymer production by developing novel bioprocesses which use renewable raw materials and low-cost product purification. The biopolymers gamma-polyglutamic acid and bacterial cellulose will be investigated using specific bacterial cultures in a controlled bioreactor system to achieve optimal cell growth and maximum biopolymer production. Both biopolymers are biocompatible and have unique physical and mechanical properties. This combination of physicochemical properties makes them ideally suited for applications in the biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. 2. Nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery. Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging technology which has a profound influence on the development of natural sciences and engineering. The interaction of Nanotechnology and Biotechnology plays an important role in the development of new industrial processes and products. Biopolymer nanoparticles are used in drug delivery systems, which offer excellent biocompatibility and minimize the side effects, compared to the conventional, freely delivered drug systems. Biopolymer nanoparticles have excellent potential for clinical applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Two drugs will be investigated for encapsulation in biopolymer nanoparticles, the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin, and erythropoietin used for red blood cell production. 3. Biobutanol biofuel. Biobutanol is a biofuel, derived from non-food plant materials such as agricultural and forestry wastes. The fuel value of biobutanol is 93% of gasoline. It is easy to transport using current distribution systems in oil-refineries to produce gasoline-butanol mixtures. Corn cobs and non-food grade sugars from the plant jerusalem artichoke will be used for the production of biobutanol using a novel bioreactor system with fermenting bacteria. The ultimate objective is to minimize the cost of biobutanol production. 4. Biodegradation of naphthenic acids. The Athabasca tar sands deposits in Northern Alberta are of strategic importance to the Canadian economy, as an important source of crude oil. One the main challenges for crude oil extraction from the tar sands is the generation of large volumes of waste waters, stored in tailing ponds. A major pollutant is naphthenic acids (NA), which are difficult to treat and highly toxic to humans and aquatic life. A novel fibrous bioreactor system will be used for the biodegradation of NA present in industrial waste waters, using native bacterial cultures from the tailing ponds. The main objective is to develop a novel bioprocess for biodegradation of NA, which can also be applied in oil refineries that process crude oil from Athabasca tar sands.