Conversion of solar energy and CO 2 into hydrocarbon feedstock for - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Conversion of solar energy and CO2 into hydrocarbon feedstock for fuel production using photobiological

• rganisms (AquaFEED)

Nordic Energy Research SES 2050 Kick-Off Helsinki October 12, 2011 Patrik Jones, University of Turku Bioenergy group

Rationale

• Photobiological organisms are well-suited for

conversion of solar energy into hydrocarbon feedstock

• Terrestrial biomass has limitations in terms of solar

energy conversion efficiency and land use

• Aquatic photobiology has potentially greater overall

conversion efficiency but remains largely untested

• Can aquatic photobiology complement terrestrial

biomass for hydrocarbon fuel production?

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Concept

3 PSI/II

Synthetic pathway Biomass Glycogen

CO2

Light CO2

Feedstock CO2

Ferment plant Photo- Bio- Reactor

FUEL

CO2 Light

FUEL

FEEDSTOCK

Objectives and Goals

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Cyanobacteria cultivation

Extraction, Hydrolysis Algae cultivation

Fermentative fuel synthesis

Direct fuel synthesis

Evaluation of target process PS genetic engineering Materials development WP1 Strain evaluation, Fuel production (WPL TY1) Combinatorial Engineering and Evaluation Engineering native CO2 Engineering synthetic CO2

Adaptive evolution

Combine best CO2 strategies Understanding regulation WP2 Optimization photosynthesis (WPL TY2) WP3 Optimization CO2-metabolism(WPL UU1) WP4 Optimization carbohydrate metabolism (WPL KU) Engineering carbohydrate flux Characterization

• f PS/materials

Reference system

Challenges I

• Biology has evolved for it’s own purpose, not for our

(humans) purpose

• Metabolism of the entire cell and communities

depend on concerted action and interaction between thousands of genes, proteins and metabolites – most

• f which we know nothing about
• To reengineer biological organisms for our purpose is

therefore a substantial challenge

• Still, many examples exist where only minor

engineering have resulted in biotechnologically useful strains

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Challenges II

• The economic feasibility of utilizing photobiological

systems in commercial production of low-value end- products is still to be demonstrated (as far as aware)

• This project targets improvement in the overall solar

energy and carbon conversion efficiency of a solar- glycogen-fuel production-chain

• The limit in conversion efficiency, of the entire

process, at which economic feasibility is reached is currently unknown. We hope to provide at least part

• f the solution towards such

an answer within this project

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