Microbial oils / Iris Cornet

Engineering solutions for the conversion of harmful phenolic wastewater into oil

To enable zero waste processes by 2050, wastewater treatment plants will be transformed into resource recovery facilities. This means that the solids and solutes present in the wastewater will be converted into useful products. The current research focuses on the development of a new reactor technology for the microbial production of fatty acids from phenolic pollutants in the wastewater. In this way, the water is purified and the waste products are given a second life as fat in biodiesel and soaps, among others.

FWO-SB project Waut Broos

Strain and process optimisation towards improved very-long chain fatty acid production

Bacteria can be very useful for the production of various chemicals, such as very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). This class of valuable molecules can be used for various applications in diverse sectors, including the pharmaceutical and agricultural sector. In this project, a novel and sophisticated engineering approach is employed to control the expression of the VLCFA pathway, whilst downregulating the production of unwanted compounds, to maximize the yield. However, an optimized microorganism in suboptimal conditions will not deliver the maximal yield. Therefore, the fermentation process is optimized towards a 22 L-scale process. Hereto, important parameters are altered in multiple fermentation trials to obtain a favourable environment for growth and VLCFA production. Furthermore, different carbon sources will be explored towards VLCFA synthesis from waste resources.

Partner: VUB