Bioengineered carbon sequestration: exploiting enzymes to enhance direct air capture of CO2 by microalgae
Microalgae consume CO2 and convert it by photosynthesis into biomass and useful bioproducts. How can we optimize their ability to capture CO2 directly from the air?
Project type:
BSc, MSc, PUK
Keywords:
Microbiology; Biochemistry; Biology; Biotechnology
Project description:
The rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 levels necessitates exploration of multiple mitigation strategies. One such strategy involves using photosynthetic microbes that convert CO2 directly into biomass and therefore constitute a promising tool for sequestering atmospheric CO2. However, the cultivation of microalgae using air as the source of CO2 leads to limitations in photosynthesis due to the suboptimal levels of CO2 in air.
To address this challenge, we aim to investigate how the addition of carbonic anhydrase enzyme to aquatic cultures can be exploited to enhance CO2 capture and microbial growth when the microalgae rely on air as the source of CO2. Our objective is to improve rates of CO2 capture from the air as well as rates of microalgal growth. We will grow photosynthetic microbes in liquid media and determine the CO2 transfer rate from air to the liquid phase, rates of microbial growth, and the biomass composition.
Contact:
Niels-Ulrik Frigaard (nuf@bio.ku.dk). The project will be carried out at the Section for Marine Biology in Helsingør.
Read more:
Xu et al. (2021) Direct air capture of CO2 by microalgae with buoyant beads encapsulating carbonic anhydrase. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering 9: 9698–9706
Lane (2022) Barriers to microalgal mass cultivation. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 73: 323–328
Novozymes: Capturing emissions from industry with biotechnology.
https://www.novozymes.com/en/sustainability/impact/accelerate/carbon-capture
https://www.novozymes.com/en/solutions/carbon-capture