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Exploring the microbial potential for bioelectrochemical production of value-added chemicals from CO2
This project has been evaluated by Formas as “outstanding” with regards to its societal relevance and importance. It deals with some of our societies’ biggest concerns; sustainability in producing our society’s chemicals and fuels from non-oil-based sources, and reduction of our net CO2 emissions.
The overall aim of this project is to investigate the potential of various promising microbes for using CO2 as the carbon source and electric current as the energy source to produce valuable products (e.g. higher alcohols). This project is part of a bigger project recently funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas, aiming to develop a novel technology for producing valuable chemicals and fuels from greenhouse CO2 and “green” electricity.
This project has been evaluated by Formas as “outstanding” with regards to its societal relevance and importance, as it is dealing with some of our societies’ biggest concerns; sustainability in producing our society’s chemicals and fuels from non-oil-based sources, and reduction of our net CO2 emissions.
The student will have a hands-on experience on bioelectrochemical systems, a novel and rapidly evolving concept that employs electroactive microorganisms as “catalysts” to accelerate reduction/oxidation reactions with electrodes as electron donors or acceptors. A tremendous potential lies in the cathodes, where cathodophilic microorganisms have the ability to accept electrons and convert CO2 and other low-value industrial compounds into fuels and commodity chemicals with high energetic and commercial value. This process, also known as microbial electrosynthesis, is opening up new potentials for improving sustainability in the chemicals and fuels industries, as electricity produced from renewable resources can be used to fix carbon into desired bio-products.
**University:** Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
**Department/ Division:** Biology and Biological Engineering/ Industrial Biotechnology
**Duration:** 4.5 or 9 months (30 or 60p; MSc. Thesis project)
The overall aim of this project is to investigate the potential of various promising microbes for using CO2 as the carbon source and electric current as the energy source to produce valuable products (e.g. higher alcohols). This project is part of a bigger project recently funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas, aiming to develop a novel technology for producing valuable chemicals and fuels from greenhouse CO2 and “green” electricity.
This project has been evaluated by Formas as “outstanding” with regards to its societal relevance and importance, as it is dealing with some of our societies’ biggest concerns; sustainability in producing our society’s chemicals and fuels from non-oil-based sources, and reduction of our net CO2 emissions.
The student will have a hands-on experience on bioelectrochemical systems, a novel and rapidly evolving concept that employs electroactive microorganisms as “catalysts” to accelerate reduction/oxidation reactions with electrodes as electron donors or acceptors. A tremendous potential lies in the cathodes, where cathodophilic microorganisms have the ability to accept electrons and convert CO2 and other low-value industrial compounds into fuels and commodity chemicals with high energetic and commercial value. This process, also known as microbial electrosynthesis, is opening up new potentials for improving sustainability in the chemicals and fuels industries, as electricity produced from renewable resources can be used to fix carbon into desired bio-products.
**University:** Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
**Department/ Division:** Biology and Biological Engineering/ Industrial Biotechnology
**Duration:** 4.5 or 9 months (30 or 60p; MSc. Thesis project)
In the lab, the student will be trained to operate bioelectrochemical reactors, collect and analyze the data, and evaluate their performance and efficiency in producing the desired products (primarily alcohols) from CO2. A number of defined microbial cultures (pure and mixed) will be used under different operating conditions (e.g. redox mediators, electrode potentials), and relevant electrochemical and analytical techniques (e.g. voltammetry, chromatography) will be applied for performance assessment.
In the lab, the student will be trained to operate bioelectrochemical reactors, collect and analyze the data, and evaluate their performance and efficiency in producing the desired products (primarily alcohols) from CO2. A number of defined microbial cultures (pure and mixed) will be used under different operating conditions (e.g. redox mediators, electrode potentials), and relevant electrochemical and analytical techniques (e.g. voltammetry, chromatography) will be applied for performance assessment.
This project is available to students of the http://idealeague.org partner universities. The successful candidate will have a background relevant to at least one of the following areas:
- Chemical Engineering
- Electrochemistry
- Biological Engineering
- Biotechnology
Knowledge of electrochemical techniques (e.g. cyclic voltammetry), analytical techniques (e.g. HPLC, GC, IC), and microbial handling techniques is an advantage, but adequate training will be provided in all cases.
**Contact person:** Nikolaos Xafenias (email: xafenias@chalmers.se; Office location:
Campus Johanneberg, Kemigården 4, room 6019)
This project is available to students of the http://idealeague.org partner universities. The successful candidate will have a background relevant to at least one of the following areas:
- Chemical Engineering - Electrochemistry - Biological Engineering - Biotechnology
Knowledge of electrochemical techniques (e.g. cyclic voltammetry), analytical techniques (e.g. HPLC, GC, IC), and microbial handling techniques is an advantage, but adequate training will be provided in all cases.
Each year the IDEA League offers the students of its partner universities over 180 monthly grants for a short-term research exchange. In general, these grants are awarded based on academic merit. For more information visit http://idealeague.org/student-grant/