Theme: Microbes as Biorefinery

Microorganism-mediated biosynthesis has long been appreciated as a means for generating products of commercial value. Of special interest are photosynthetic microorganisms that can produce renewable biofuel and microorganisms that can harvest electricity from waste products. We are developing high-throughput single-cell resolution microfluidic systems that can accelerate the research and development of engineered microorganisms for these applications.

Microalgae for Scalable Biofuel Production

Microalgae have demonstrated potential as a sustainable renewable energy solution. However, significant improvements in oil production, biomass growth, metabolic control, processability, energy efficiency, and ultimately cost-effectiveness will be required. We are interested in developing and utilizing high-throughput microfluidic platforms that can accelerate research in understanding algal molecular biology related to metabolic processes directly affecting biomass growth and composition. and the information can be applied to increase biosynthesis of energy-related molecules. Microfluidic lab-on-chip devices have the capability to precisely manipulate many samples in parallel down to single cell resolution, and integrate various functionalities required for a set of experimental procedures into a single user-friendly platform. Such systems can be used for high-throughput microorganism screening of everything from growth conditions to alterations in gene expression. Application of these devices and analyses to photosynthetic microorganisms could rapidly reveal critical information needed for improving the production of bioproducts. For example, the feasibility of producing transportation grade hydrocarbons from microalgae is strongly dependent on identifying optimal algal growth conditions, understanding and manipulating algal gene regulation, predicting process scalability, and estimating nutrient and water use. Coupling the development of novel high-throughput analysis platforms combined with metabolic engineering of microalgae to pilot-scale growth and life cycle assessment will result in unique strategies towards scalable biofuel production.

Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF) Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI)


Click here to see the TAMU Engineering News article.
Click here to read the NSF press release for the 15 EFRI grants for fiscal year 2012.
Click here to see our "Micro-laboratory for microalgae"program as part of the photosynthetic biorefinary (PSBR) category.
Our NSF EFRI grant news made it to the local newspaper The Eagle. Click here for the story.

- H. Kim, T. P. Devarenne, and A. Han, "A High-Throughput Microfluidic Single-Cell Screening Platform Capable of Selective Cell Extraction," Lab on a Chip, Vol. 15, pp. 2467-2475, 2015.
- H. S. Kim, T. L. Weiss, T. P. Devarenne, and A. Han, “A Microfluidic Photobioreactor Array Demonstrating High-throughput Screening for Microalgal Oil Production,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 14 (8), pp. 1379-1482, 2014, published as front cover.
- J. Park, J. Wu, M. Polymenis, and A. Han, “Microchemostat Array with Low Dilution Volume Fraction for Population Controlled Microbe Culture,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 13, pp. 4217-4224, 2013
- A. Han, H. Hou, L. Li, H. S. Kim, and P. de Figueiredo, "Microfabricated Devices in Microbial Bioenergy Sciences,"Trends in Biotechnology, Vol.31, pp. 225-232, 2013.

 

Microbial Electrocemical Systems for Energy Harvesting and Water Utilization
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are “green energy” devices utilizing microbial metabolism to directly generate electricity from organic substrates, and have generated excitement in environmental and bioenergy communities due to their potential for coupling wastewater treatment with energy generation. Biogas such as biomethane and biohydrogen generated from organic waste are another “green energy” sources of great interest. Recent developments in bioelectrochemical systems such as Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) that allow electrochemically active microbe-mediated methane and hydrogen generation have the potential for economic and high purity biogas generation. We are interested in developing high-throughput screening MFC and MEC arrays, developing hybrid MFC-MEC systems for self-sustainable generation of high-purity biogas as a clean combustible fuel source, and nanomaterial-based anodes and cathodes as highly efficient and low-cost next-generation electrodes in these microbial electrochemical systems.

Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF)


- S. Carreon-Bautista, C. Erbay, A. Han, and E. Sanchez-Sinencio, “Power Management System with Integrated Maximum Power Extraction Algorithm for Microbial Fuel Cells,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 30 (1), pp. 262-272, 2015.
- C. Erbay, X. Pu, W. Choi, M. –J. Choi, Y. Ryu, H. Hou, F. Lin, P. de Figueiredo, C. Yu, and A. Han, “Control of Geometrical Properties of Carbon Nanotube Electrodes Towards High-Performance Microbial Fuel Cells,” Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 280, pp. 347-354, 2015.
- C. Erbay, S. Carreon-Bautista, E. Sanchez-Sinencio, and A. Han, “High Performance Monolithic Power Management System with Dynamic Maximum Power Point Tracking for Microbial Fuel Cells,” Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, pp. 13992-13999, 2014.
- A. Han, H. Hou, L. Li, H. S. Kim, and P. de Figueiredo, "Microfabricated Devices in Microbial Bioenergy Sciences,"Trends in Biotechnology, Vol.31, pp. 225-232, 2013.
- H. Hou, X. Chen, A. W. Thomas,C. Catania, N. D. Kirchhofer, L. E. Garner, A. Han, and G. C. Bazan, "Conjugated Oligoelectrolytes Increase Power Generation in E. Coli Microbial Fuel Cells," Advanced Materials, Vol. 25 (11), pp. 1593-1597, 2013.
- H. Hou, L. Li, C. U. Ceylan, A. haynes, J. Coope, H. H. Wilkinson, C. Erbay, P. de Figueiredo, and A. Han, "A Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cell Array that Supports Long-Term Multiplexed Analyses of Electricigens,"Lab Chip, Vol. 12 (20), pp. 4151-4159, 2012.
- H. Hou, L. Li, P. de Figueiredo, and A. Han, “Air-cathode microbial fuel cell array: A device for identifying and characterizing electrochemically active microbes,” Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Vol. 26 (5), pp. 2680-2684, 2011.
- H. Hou, L . Li, Y. Cho, P. de Figueiredo, and A. Han, "Microfabricated Microbial Fuel Cell Arrays Reveal Electrochemically Active Microbes," PLoS One, Vol. 4 (8), e6570, 2009.

 

Support for the NanoBio Systems Lab.