16.9.2024
Scientists turn sunlight into alcohol
Scientists have long explored the potential of using naturally produced biomass as fuel and realised that the long-term supply of this commodity is limited. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new advanced technologies inspired by nature, but more efficient than nature itself. Researchers at Åbo Akademi University will convert solar energy into butanol for use by industry.
Butanol is a naturally occurring substance that is formed during alcohol fermentation and other microbial processes. Butanol is used in industry, for example as a solvent in various types of varnishes, paints and adhesives. Researchers at Åbo Akademi University, together with a project consortium, will develop materials and methods that make it possible to use photosynthetic microbes to convert solar energy and carbon dioxide into butanol.
Instead of growing microbes in an aqueous solution as is normally done, the researchers in the project will use a fixed platform where the microbes and materials work together to make the process more efficient. Improving the way light and carbon dioxide are handled in this way will increase butanol production while making the process more efficient. The method will also make it easier to separate the butanol from the rest of the product. The researchers will build a laboratory-validated prototype, TRL4, which will allow the technology to be easily scaled up for future use.
– We will introduce a new technology where photosynthetic cell factories continuously produce butanol directly from the sun. The process will cover the whole chain from collecting light and carbon dioxide to separating the butane from the biomassbutanol. The focus will be on using the resources as efficiently as possible and our contribution is to design bio-based 3D matrix in service of cell ,factories, says Chunlin Xu, Professor of Fibre and Biopolymer Chemistry at Åbo Akademi University.
The S2B project is interdisciplinary and led by Professor Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne at the University of Turku, other partners besides Åbo Akademi University are the University of Nantes, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stichting vrije universiteit, Lappeenrannan- Lahden teknilinen yliopisto and Erdyn consultants sarl. The project is funded with €4 million from the EU’s Horizon Europe research initiative, of which Åbo Akademi University’s share is €450,000.
For further information:
Chunlin Xu
Prof. Fiber and Biopolymer Chemistry
Laboratory of Natural Materials Technology
Åbo Akademi University16
E-mail: cxu@abo.fi
https://research.abo.fi/en/persons/chunlin-xu