PureBlue Water’s Post

Neil Bruce introduced the second session of the #BBNet annual conference. This one will look at Engineering biology for clean growth. Discovery and translational science are key fuels in the engine of innovation. This session focused on the science of engineering biology towards challenging feedstocks and production of industrially relevant chemicals. Gregg Beckham of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discussed strategies to address the heterogeneity of deconstructed lignin in order to access valuable products. By exploiting aromatic catabolic pathways that funnel complex mixtures towards centralised metabolic intermediates, it is possible to produce single products. Using an engineering biology approach, it is possible to target specific chemistries required for industrially relevant products. These products can be purified and elaborated to yield value-added products. This becomes very powerful when applied to performance-advantaged products (compared to established materials). This was a great presentation for me, as someone who spent long enough proving the old adage of making anything from lignin except money. Gregg himself reminded thecaudience of that. The longevity and familiarity of the phrase amongst lignin researchers reflects the challenges of volumes of lignocellulosic wastes produced globally, and the intractability of lignin to many approaches to valorisation. His work is one of a number of approaches he highlighted that are making real strides in the field. As Gregg pointed out, there must be a solution to lignin that doesn't rely on burning it, if we are to find uses in defossilisation of the chemicals industry. Next up, Philippe Soucaille of INSA Toulouse - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse discussed his work on production of active synthetic cellulosomes by engineering the biology of Clostridium acetobutylicum. The engineered strains offer highly active cellulosomes. This offers a route to valorisation of cellulosic feedstocks. The work will be spun out through a new business, Celluol. Katalin Kovacs of University of Nottingham presented her work on Cupriavidus necator for 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from CO2. This included deletion of catabolic pathways directing flux towards production and accumulation of 3-HP. An engineering biology strategy was also implemented in C. necator for production of mevalonate. She also gave a summary of her work in the EU project, ENGICOIN, as part of a consortium engineering strains to utilising CO2 and AD-derived VFAs for production of polymers. India Higgins of Department for Science, Innovation and Technology presented the Government's National Vision for Engineering Biology. This has been identified as one of five critical technologies for the UK. The cross-departmental plan is to invest £2bn over the next decade in a broad range of engineering technologies, along with networks to foster enabling regulatory and investment conditions.

Clean, green energy. Materials scientist Kyriakos Stylianou led a collaboration including graduate students Emmanuel Musa Nyela, Ankit Yadav and Kyle Smith in a recent discovery. The team’s research, funded by OSU alumni, proved successful in creating an astoundingly efficient photocatalyst for the production of hydrogen used in items like car fuel cells and refined plastics. To find out more about this discovery, check out the link down below! #cleanenergy #sustainability #research #lab #collegestudent #science #chemistry #GoBeavs #BeaverNation #OregonState #teamscience #osuscience #thisiswhatascientistlookslike

#PostdocFellowship #PlasticUpcycling #ResearchOpportunities at the #Bioelectrochemistry Lab of the #BiochemicalProcessEngineering research group at Luleå University of Technology (LTU) here is the link for the submission of application for #postdoc_fellow. Send in your application. #ResearchOpportunity #Sustainability #Bioelectrochemistry #PlasticsUpcycling #LTU https://lnkd.in/dWUqjdbB

🌍📣 COUNTLESS partner introductions – Universiteit Utrecht 🌿 One of our scientific partners in COUNTLESS is Utrecht University 🏫, a leading Dutch research institution with a strong focus on advancing sustainable chemical processes through its Institute for Sustainable and Circular Chemistry (https://lnkd.in/eVNvkps7) 🔄. Here, researchers focus on (re)designing, synthesizing and investigating molecules and materials for circularity and sustainability 🌱. They add their expertise in rapid lignin characterization and chemometric approaches to the project: combining machine learning 🤖 with information-dense and easy-to-acquire infrared spectra 🌈 predicting key lignin properties (molecular weight, functional groups, and polydispersity). They can also monitor reactions with online spectroscopy 🔬. The team will develop rapid feedstock and product analysis with infrared spectroscopy - essential to deal with the large amounts of lignin which will be processed by the LignoValue Pilot Plant 🏭. They will also contribute to the implementation of real-time process monitoring in the LignoValue Pilot Plant with infrared spectroscopy and digital tools 🛠️, aiming to improve process efficiency from a technical and sustainability point of view 🌍. 📅 Stay tuned as we introduce all our project partners over the coming weeks. 🌐 Read more about the project: https://lnkd.in/eFwKpT_T 🌲 #bioeconomy #lignin 🍃 #COUNTLESS_Project #sustainability🌳 Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) VITO Bloom Biorenewables Braskem CLIB - Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie Daren Labs Fibenol ifeu - Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg gGmbH Kastamonu Entegre SOPREMA Entreprises Universiteit Utrecht VTT

Bio4MatPro INSIDE: The Project BL3: 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬𝟒𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is part of 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝟒𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐏𝐫𝐨 area 2, which focuses on key technologies to enable innovations for a sustainable circular economy and a biological transformation of industries via a modular, biocompatible and scalable production technology. Through the application of selective protein engineering, a variety of functional building blocks can be developed and combined into bifunctional assemblies. These can be employed to functionalize component surfaces and replace conventional coating materials. By utilizing bifunctional assemblies, previously untapped economic and ecological potential can be uncovered and utilized. The use of bifunctional assemblies as a coating material could result in a significant reduction in environmental pollution. Furthermore, the Rhenish mining area and the entire surrounding area are expected to benefit in terms of structural change. To make this possible, the interactions between materials and surface structures with the bifunctional assemblies need to be investigated. BL3's objective is to contribute to the development of a green bioeconomy by delivering safe and sustainable materials and technologies that are scalable from both a production and biotechnological perspective. The project BioBricks4Production is funded by the German ministry for research and education (BMBF) as one of the 23 projects currently running at the competence center Bio4MatPro. The participating project partners are Institute of Biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University, EPS (Chair of Entrepreneurship) Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Manufacturing Technology Institute – MTI der RWTH Aachen. #bio4matpro #biologicaltransformation #biotechnology #bifuntionalassemblies #functionalization #manufacturingtechnology #greenbioeconomy

⚡ A fully-funded PhD position is offered by the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC) as part of #MSCA NANAQUA project! Supervised by Maite Moreira, this chemical and environmental engineering project will focus on conducting a Life-Cycle Sustainability Analysis of nanomaterials used in water treatment technologies. 💫 Key focus areas include: - Using process modeling & material flow analysis tools like SuperPro Designer and Aspen Plus to scale up lab findings. - Performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate resource efficiency, pinpoint environmental hotspots, and conduct sensitivity analyses. - Conducting a Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to assess the economic feasibility while considering market trends. - Assessing the social impact of these new technologies, ensuring they bring tangible benefits to communities. 🚀 This is your chance to contribute to cutting-edge research that combines nanotechnology and sustainability to address global environmental challenges. 🌎 ➡ ➡ ➡ Apply now and join a dynamic international team: https://lnkd.in/dU2W6T7b #Sustainability #WaterTreatment #Nanomaterials #EnvironmentalImpact #PhDOpportunity #MSCA #Innovation #LifeCycleAssessment #LCA

💧💡🔬Flinders University #nanotechnology researchers have produced a range of different types of #gold nanoparticles by adjusting water flow without the need for toxic #chemicals. #water #waterscarcity #watercrisis #tech #watertech #startup #innovation #future #sustainability #environment #technology #investment #capital #research #unitednations #climatechange #metalrecovery https://lnkd.in/g9JnvZwn

The University of Liverpool has reported a significant advancement in engineering biology and clean energy. A team of researchers has developed an innovative light-driven hybrid nanoreactor that merges natural efficiency with cutting-edge synthetic precision to produce hydrogen—a clean and sustainable energy source.

Monash Engineering is pushing the boundaries of catalyst technology through innovative research into liquid metals 🧪🔬 Led by Dr Md. Arifur Rahim, PhD, this project focuses on developing liquid metal-based artificial nanozymes—nanomaterials that mimic natural enzymes but offer far greater efficiency. Imagine a catalyst that can increase reaction rates by up to 10,000 times! Supported by an $883,000 Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, this research has the potential to transform industrial processes, such as converting CO2 into valuable chemicals, and improve medical and environmental applications by enhancing enzyme performance. This research holds immense promise for advancing various industries and improving environmental sustainability. Australian Mining Review #Researchcommercialisation #Innovation http://srkr.io/6044PNE

We selected six appealing papers for this edition of our Scientific Highlights, reflecting the broad scope of research at out institute. #HIMSSciHigh 1. THE THREE PARADIGMS OF SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY Chris Slootweg presents an integrated view of a fully sustainable future chemistry by bringing together the three underlying paradigms: green chemistry, circular chemistry, and safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD). Journal: One Earth Read more: https://lnkd.in/eW4EzU6Z 2 HOW A FORMYL GROUP MAKES MOLECULAR MOTORS MORE EFFICIENT With advanced time-resolved laser spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, Molecular Photonics researchers contributed to the development of more efficient molecular motors in the group of Nobel laureate Ben Feringa (University of Groningen). Journal: Nature Chemistry Authors: Jinyu Sheng, Wojciech Danowski, Andy Sardjan, Jiaxin Hou, Stefano Crespi, Alexander Ryabchun, Maximilian Paradiz Domínguez, Wybren Jan Buma, Wesley Browne, Ben L. Feringa Read more: https://lnkd.in/eE_Rqirp 3 HOW CAN RENEWABLE SYNGAS BECOME COST-COMPETITIVE IN 2050? Research in Sustainable Energy Technology shows that syngas can be replaced by renewable H2 and/or CO in essentially all industrial applications. For the majority, this will be cost competitive when natural gas prices are at least around 3 €/GJ, and carbon taxes increase from 90 €/tCO2 today to 300 €/tCO2 in 2050. Journal: ChemSusChem Authors: Remko Detz, Marit Beerse, Nicole Meulendijks, Pascal Buskens, Bob van der Zwaan Read more: https://lnkd.in/dNuMv24g 4 EFFICIENT AND RAPID CROSS-COUPLING OF ARYL BROMIDES WITH ALKYL BORANES In a cooperation between the groups for Flow Chemistry and Homogeneous, Supramolecular and Bio-inspired Catalysis, a novel metallo-photocatalytic procedure was developed to couple aryl bromides with alkyl boranes, derived from abundantly available olefins with high regioselectivity. Journal: Nature Communications Authors: Ting Wan, Luca Capaldo, Jonas Djossou, Angela Staffa, Felix de Zwart, Bas de Bruin, Timothy Noel. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7NdmtDS 5 NOVEL MS HYPHENATED SEPARATION METHODS FOR COMPLEX MIXTURES OF PEPTIDES AND PROTEINS The Separation and Mass Spectrometry group published two articles describing the use of advanced separation methods to study complex mixtures of peptides and proteins. One paper describes an advanced 2D LC method, and the other reports on nanoflow native ion exchange.  Journal: Analytical Chemistry Authors: Rick van den Hurk, Bart Lagerwaard, Nathan Terlouw, Mingzhe Sun, Job Tieleman, Anniek X. Verstegen, Saer Samanipour, Bob Pirok, and Andrea Gargano (paper1) Ziran Zhai, Despoina Mavridou, Matteo Damian, Francesco Mutti, Peter Schoenmakers, and Andrea Gargano (paper2) Read more: https://lnkd.in/ejExtsBq