Researchers Create Microorganism for Algae Biomass to Produce Biofuel and Biochemical

Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed, BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals, BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production, Feedstock, Feedstocks, Korea, Process, R & D Focus, South Korea, Sustainability, University/College Programs

June 13, 2019

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(AZO CleanTech) … (T)he collaborative research team of POSTECH and Seoul National University created a new microorganism, which they christened as Vibrio sp. dhg. In their research, they effectively showed that Vibrio sp. dhg can be a capable microbial platform for the biorefinery of brown macro-algae which can substitute starch-crop biomass. Their study was published recently in the distinguished journal, Nature Communications on June 6^th, 2019.

On-going efforts on investigating the utilization of non-edible biomass are being done and brown macroalgae have been recommended as an alternative feedstock. Brown macro-algae grow two to three times quicker than the starch crops and only need seawater and light to grow. They are only eaten in a few countries like Korea. Due to these plus points, they seem to be a rational alternative option. However, no industrial microorganism is available that can easily metabolize polysaccharides such as alginic acid in algae and it was hard to formulate a process for utilizing algae as biomass.

To solve this issue, Prof. Gyoo Yeol Jung and his research team at POSTECH and Prof. Sang Woo Seo and his research group at Seoul National University effectively created a new microorganism, Vibrio sp. dgh that can quickly metabolize alginic acid in algae and genetic engineering methods enhanced for this new microorganism based on omics analysis. Furthermore, they succeeded in forming biorefinery processes that directly create 2,3-butanediol (raw material for plastics), lycopene (physiologically active substance), ethanol (biofuel), and other chemical products by artificially exploiting the metabolic pathway of Vibrio sp. dhg.

Particularly, the new artificial microorganism they learned has many benefits and great potential for future usage. For example, Vibrio sp. dhg can not only use brown macro-algae as biomass but also as other types of biomass more efficiently than the conventional industrial microorganisms (yeast, E. coli). Furthermore, their growth rate is two times faster and they change biomass more quickly. Thus, it is projected to be used for enhancing the efficiency of microbial fermentation process using not only algae but also conventional glucose-based biomass. READ MORE

New microorganism for algae biomass to produce alternative fuels (Science Daily)

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