Harnessing the power of algal-bacterial structures to convert wastes to value-added products

为了发展可持续的进程和减缓全球变暖，我们开发固定二氧化碳并将其转化为有用产品的技术至关重要。微藻有着巨大的前景，因为它们可以比植物生长得快得多，利用废水，而且不占用耕地。利用这些优势需要在非无菌条件下运行的可靠工艺，并已针对生物膜和/或生物膜等结构中的藻类和细菌混合群落的使用进行了优化。 我们的研究计划专注于使用在工程环境中运行的混合微生物群落来增强处理废物的生物过程，并将其转化为增值产品。我们已经从以细菌为基础的过程扩展到包含藻类的系统，并从二氧化碳中获取碳，从光中获取能量。这项提案将支持确定并最终利用生物膜结构中利用藻类和细菌的生物过程所依据的基本动力学、物理化学和生物学机制。具体目标是：(1)探索各种物理化学因素在提高微藻系统处理废水性能方面的作用，同时生产增值生物产品；(2)研究藻类-细菌生物膜要素，如生物量生长动态、营养吸收和组成如何提高藻类生产力；(3)通过群落分析量化物理化学因素对混合微生物种群和商品化生物反应器重现性的影响；(4)调查藻类收获/再生长对藻类生产力和系统优化的各种支持材料的影响；(5)利用微藻加强废物处理；六)开发一种新型的光生物反应器，最大限度地提高生物质生产力和养分吸收，并可在田间部署。这项研究将极好地利用生物地带的独特能力，这是多伦多大学的一个创新的协作生物工程研究机构。结果将被用来模拟生物膜，并为生物反应器和相关的生物过程开发出现实世界应用的最佳设计。 这项创新工作将使我们能够通过认识到藻类/细菌结构对所有大规模藻类系统至关重要，从而更充分地利用微藻的优势。我们将开发和利用新的工具来了解这些不同和复杂社区的行为、结构和动态，这些特征不仅对优化它们的使用非常重要，而且对于将重点放在最大限度地减少它们的形成的情况也是如此。参与该项目的HQP将对现代生物工艺工程和生物技术、环境工程和可持续工艺有深入的了解。

To develop sustainable processes and mitigate global warming, it is critical that we develop technologies that fix carbon dioxide and convert it into useful products. Microalgae hold tremendous promise since they can grow much faster than plants, utilize wastewaters and do not take up arable land. Harnessing these advantages requires reliable processes that operate under non-sterile conditions, and which have been optimized for use with mixed communities of algae and bacteria in structures such as biofilms and/or bioflocs. Our research program focuses on using mixed microbial communities operating in engineered environments to enhance bioprocesses that treat wastes and convert them to value-added products. We have expanded from bacterial-based processes to systems that incorporate algae and derive their carbon from carbon dioxide and energy from light. This proposal will support identifying and ultimately exploiting the fundamental kinetic, physico-chemical, and biological mechanisms that underpin bioprocesses that utilize algae and bacteria within biofilm structures. The specific objectives are: i) To explore the role of various physiochemical factors in enhancing microalgal system performance for treating waste water, while producing value-added bioproducts; ii) To investigate how elements of algae-bacteria biofilms, such as biomass growth dynamics, nutrient uptake, and composition increase algal productivity; iii) To quantify the influence of physiochemical factors on mixed microbial populations and the reproducibility of commodity-scale bioreactors through community analysis; iv) To investigate the effect of harvesting/re-growth of algae on various support materials for algae productivity and system optimization; v) To utilize microalgae to enhance waste treatment; vi) To develop a novel photobioreactor that maximizes biomass productivity and nutrient uptake that can be deployed at the field scale. The research will make excellent use of the unique capabilities of BioZone, an innovative collaborative bioengineering research facility at the University of Toronto. The results will be used to model the biofilm and develop an optimal design for a bioreactor and associated bioprocess for real world applications. This innovative work will enable us to more fully exploit the advantages of microalgae by recognizing that algal/bacterial structures are critical to all large-scale algae systems. We will develop and utilize new tools for understanding the behaviour, structure, and dynamics of these diverse and complex communities, characteristics that are not only important for optimizing their use but also for situations in which the focus is on minimizing their formation. HQP involved in this program will develop a deep understanding of modern bioprocess engineering and biotechnology, environmental engineering and sustainable processes.