Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The goal of the proposed research is to develop biologically-based technologies that can capture waste CO2 while producing a high-valued product. The revenue from the sale of the high-valued product could be used to offset the cost of the CO2 capture. Thus, this technology would provide financial incentives for companies to reduce their CO2 emissions. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, would be the biological component of the CO2 capture system, and we will demonstrate the production of a high-valued product through the production of enzymes. However, our proposed technology could also be used to produce bioplastics and biodiesel.There are two main components to the proposed research. One is the development of closed bioreactor designs suitable for industrial plants emitting hot effluent that is rich in CO2. The other main component of the proposed research is the development of cyanobacteria that can produce recombinant enzymes. Although almost any enzyme could be made in these systems, we will initially focus on enzymes, such as cellulases, that can contribute to biofuel development.