This proposed project seeks to establish an entirely new, scalable, solar energy driven microbial gas absorber technology by a novel combination of advanced photoreactive biocomposite materials, experimental thin film absorber design and modelling approaches. This is significant both for utilizing solar energy for gaseous carbon capture and the potential to significantly intensify the reactivity of photosynthetic microorganisms for gas clean-up via the development of a continuously operated, thin film bioreactor. Two versions of such a reactor will be developed: a spinning disk version and a spinning tube version. The reaction surface will be coated with a “microbial paper” containing a very high density of photosynthetic micro-organisms - a technology recently discovered at North Carolina State University (NCSU) [1]. Photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria and algae can be concentrated and immobilised within an adhesive paper-based nonwoven biocomposite material formed by controlled drying into defined thinness, adhesion and pore structure. When the paper is rehydrated and illuminated, the entrapped microbes can be photosynthetically active for 100s to 1,000s of hours.
This proposed project aims to demonstrate that thin, continuous and controllable liquid films flowing over the surface of a paper-based biocomposite material can intensify gas uptake and biotransformation by a high density of entrapped photosynthetic micro-organisms. A preliminary proof of concept project has highlighted promising potential for such a technology to be developed further to achieve bioprocess intensification of CO2 uptake [2]. If successful, this technology will enable many different types of microbial biotransformations of waste carbon gases at industrial scales with applications to valorization of not only CO2 but also syngas (CO), biogas (CH4), and volatile organic carbon (VOC) pollutants.
Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.
References:
- O.I. Bernal, C.B. Mooney, M.C. Flickinger, Specific Photosynthetic Rate Enhancement by Cyanobacteria Coated Onto Paper Enables Engineering of Highly Reactive Cellular Biocomposite ‘‘Leaves’’, Biotech. Bioeng. (2014) 111(10), 1993-2008.
- Ekins-Coward, T., Boodhoo, K, S. Velasquez-Orta, G. Caldwell, A. Wallace, R. Barton, and M. C. Flickinger, A microalgae biocomposite-integrated Spinning Disc Bioreactor (SDBR): Towards a scalable engineering approach for bioprocess intensification in light-driven CO2 absorption applications, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 58(15), 5936-5949 (2019).
Application enquiries:
Professor Kamelia Boodhoo
Professor of Intensified Chemical Processing
Email: [Email Address Removed]
Webpage: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/kameliaboodhoo.html#background
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