Integrated energy efficient microwave and unique fermentation processes for pilot scale production of high value chemicals from lignocellulosic waste
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Chemical Engineering
Abstract
To meet key climate change targets, while providing sustainable economic growth, the UK must develop a robust bioeconomy. This requires the valorisation of UK-specific and abundant waste lignocelluosic streams. Currently, the expense and inefficiency of the multi-stage acid pre-treated depolymerisation and enzymatic process has limited the growth in this sector. Recently, we reported an innovative one-step microwave (MW) process for the depolymerisation of bio-wastes. This key enabling technology achieves high sugar yields despite low energy inputs. While the inhibitors formed in the process limit the growth of most yeasts, the robust yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima (Mp) thrives on this feedstock to produce valuable 2-phenylethanol, arabinitol and lipids. This project aims to develop a pilot scale multi-product biorefinery by coupling these breakthroughs in low energy biomass treatment and unique fermentation to produce marketable compounds.
Planned Impact
As described in proposal submitted to IUK
Organisations
Publications
Abeln F
(2021)
The history, state of the art and future prospects for oleaginous yeast research.
in Microbial cell factories
Abeln F
(2020)
The role of temperature, pH and nutrition in process development of the unique oleaginous yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima
in Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
Abeln F
(2019)
Lipid production through the single-step microwave hydrolysis of macroalgae using the oleaginous yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima
in Algal Research
Abeln F
(2019)
Achieving a high-density oleaginous yeast culture: Comparison of four processing strategies using Metschnikowia pulcherrima.
in Biotechnology and bioengineering
Abeln F
(2020)
Semi-continuous pilot-scale microbial oil production with Metschnikowia pulcherrima on starch hydrolysate
in Biotechnology for Biofuels
Bouxin F
(2019)
Combining steam distillation with microwave-assisted pyrolysis to maximise direct production of levoglucosenone from agricultural wastes
in Green Chemistry
Bouxin FP
(2021)
Electrical conductivity of beech sawdust using graphite catalytic coating: unlocking the microwave-assisted thermolysis efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass.
in Sustainable energy & fuels
Chantasuban T
(2018)
Elevated production of the aromatic fragrance molecule, 2-phenylethanol, using Metschnikowia pulcherrima through both de novo and ex novo conversion in batch and continuous modes.
in Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology (Oxford, Oxfordshire : 1986)
Chuck Christopher
(2018)
Future, feedstock agnostic, biorefineries for the production of lipid and higher value products through an integrated microwave and biological process
in ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Dávila I
(2019)
Production and characterization of lignin and cellulose fractions obtained from pretreated vine shoots by microwave assisted alkali treatment.
in Bioresource technology
| Description | We have managed to demonstrate that with certain feedstocks (such as seaweed or DDGS) a microwave depolymerisation is as effective as the traditional technology of depolymerising through multiple unit operations. This is when coupled with the yeast M. pulcherrima. We have also clearly modelled the process economics and know the productivity range we would need to acheive to be able to produce the palm oil substitute and other products cost effectively. We have demosntrated both the MW and yeast on continuously on the pilot scale, and show that both technologies are very effective at this scale. The lipid productivity and inhibitor tolerance of the yeast was also not suitable in the wild type strains we were using, this has been addressed through directed evolution, we have also created a transgenic species, suitable for further valorisation of higher value products. Most significantly we have also demonstrated the effectiveness of the yeast as an antimicrobial agent, as well as a producer of a range of cellulazes and are commercializing this aspect with AB Vista (a subsidiary of AB Agri - our main project partner) |
| Exploitation Route | We are in contact with two private equity firms and a range of companies to help commercialise various aspects of the process including the yeast as a platform organism and the specific high value product line. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Transport |
| Description | Based on the findings from this project, we are working towards commercialisation in a number of areas. To exploit the antimicrobial nature of the yeast, the AB group have sponsered a further PhD and provided external testing to produce a yeast based probiotic system, to reduce antibiotic use. Excitingly, the high value fragrances and yeast based palm oil substitute investigated as part of this award are being commercialised with the Clean Food Group, London UK. The first products are expected to be in on the market in 2024 for non-food applications and 2025 for food. |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Description | BBSRC NIBB Business Interaction Voucher |
| Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/L013711/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 06/2017 |
| Description | British council Newton Fund Researcher Links Workshop Grant: 2018-RLWK10-10480 |
| Amount | £29,100 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2018-RLWK10-10480 |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2019 |
| Description | EPSRC - University of Bath Impact Acceleration Account |
| Amount | £56,400 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IAA-327 |
| Organisation | University of Bath |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2018 |
| End | 11/2018 |
| Description | EPSRC - University of York Impact Acceleration Account |
| Amount | £53,710 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | G0029701 |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | EU MSCA FIRE |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | #665992 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Department | Horizon 2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 10/2016 |
| End | 09/2019 |
| Description | UoB public engagement seed funding (tier 1) |
| Amount | £500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Bath |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 04/2017 |
| Title | Dataset for "Elevated production of the aromatic fragrance molecule, 2-phenylethanol, using Metschnikowia pulcherrima through both de novo and ex novo conversion in batch and continuous modes" |
| Description | 2-phenylethanol (2PE) is a fragrance molecule predominantly used in perfumes and the food industry. It can be made from petrochemicals inexpensively, however, this is unsuitable for most food applications. Currently, the main method of production for the bio-derived compound is to extract the trace amounts found in rose petals, which is extremely costly. Potentially fermentation could provide an inexpensive, naturally sourced, alternative. In this investigation, 2PE was produced from the yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima, optimised in flasks before scaling to 2L batch and continuous operation. 2PE can be produced in high titres under de novo process conditions with up to 1,500 mg/L achieved in a 2L stirred bioreactor. This is the highest reported de novo titre to date, and achieved through high sugar loadings coupled with low nitrogen conditions. The process successfully ran in continuous mode also, with a concentration of 650 mg/L of 2PE being maintained. The 2PE production was further increased by the ex-novo conversion of phenylalanine and semi-continuous solid phase extraction from the supernatant. Under optimal conditions 14,000 mg/L of 2PE was produced. The work presented here offers a novel route to naturally sourced 2PE through a scalable fermentation with a robust yeast highly suited to industrial biotechnology. In this dataset the underlying data is presented including calibration curves. Files are named according to the figure that they are related to in the original paper. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Description | Application of products |
| Organisation | Pladis |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We will be working with Pladis to apply our products (palm oil substitute and protein) to their products. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This will be a long term research driven collaboration to put our yeast based products in real food (biuscuits and confectionary). If successful this would be a key end user for further oil production |
| Impact | Ongoing at this point |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Business implementation stategy and planning |
| Organisation | Accenture |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We are sharing research data and product specification |
| Collaborator Contribution | Accenture are producing a full implementation strategy for when the palm oil product is ready. Including Environmental legal assessment, science and business innovation and the implementation plan |
| Impact | Full business implementation strategy |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Development of natural Flavours and Fragrances |
| Organisation | Create Flavours |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We are working to develop both a simpler route to two natural F&F compounds using the yeast cultured on lignocellulose |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have applied for development/scale up funding together, Create Flavours have given £20k to support the research and development of this process which they will then commercialise if appropriate yields and performance are achieved. |
| Impact | We aim to produce an F&F product commercially that fit the legislative requirements for a natural product. We aim to finish the development work over the next 2 years, funding permitting and then move to a scaled up production facility by 2023. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Development with Agricutural firm |
| Organisation | AB Agri Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | This is an ongoing collaboration with AB group including AB Vista and AB Mauri to further test and then commercialise the yeast for a bulk application |
| Collaborator Contribution | We have completed lab testing at the University of Bath and have determined the key activity on the lab scale for further development. Our partners are completing the further testing in more realistic situations and full scale trials are underway |
| Impact | We aim to have a full commercial product in the market by 2024 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | IB catalyst cross over collaboration |
| Organisation | University of York |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This is a cross over collaboration with the IB catlayst funded project MaxBio |
| Collaborator Contribution | In this project we will use the modified barley from MaxBio and apply our pretreatment and fermentation to this. It is hoped that this could lead to a truely optimised production process platform |
| Impact | This is a collaboration between plant scientists, chemists and biochemical engineers. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Private equity funding |
| Organisation | Cooper Ventures Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Ashley Cooper is working with us to raise funds to commercialise the yeast product. He has a n extensive track record in funding renewable technologies and healthcare tech. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Ashley is advising us on the type of data and presentation of the results to attract investors into a spin out entity. He will then make introductions and help us look for investment. At this point Ashley is providing his services pro bono. |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Article on palm oil substitute in Geographical |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview and article in the magazine Geographical |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://geographical.co.uk/ |
| Description | Conference Keynote by Chris Chuck |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote talk at the Marine Biomass as Renewable Energy conference, Glasgow |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Conference talk by A. Fan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 7th Asia-Oceania Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry, increased academic interest in the work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Conference talk by Sophie Parsons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the Marine Biomass as Renewable Energy in Glasgow, March 2018 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | GUardian article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Featured article on the palm oil substitute in the Guardian newspaper |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/sep/29/algae-yeast-quest-to-find-alternative-t... |
| Description | Invited Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited Lecture in Cape Town, SA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Invited Lecture series in New Zealand by Prof Clark |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture series at the University of Auckland, Massey University and the Ferrier Research Institute |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Invited Seminar at National Renewable Energy Lab, Dept of Energy USA by Chris Chuck |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar on this work at NREL the main DoE renewable energy site |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited lecture at University of Ghent by Prof. james Clark |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk about microwave chemistry and the goals of the Mp2 project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited lecture by A. Fan at the 5th G2C2 Annual Workshop and Symposium, 27th July 2017, Melbourne, Australia. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture on microwave technology |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited presentation by A. Fan to new industrial partner |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to Norke Skog Boyer, Tasmania, Australia |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at Chengdu CAS by Prof. James Clark |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture on microwave chemistry including Mp2 project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at Shandong University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk about microwave chemistry and the progress of the IB catalyst project to date |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at Sichuan University by Prof. James Clark |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture on microwave chemistry and progress with the IB Catalyst project to date. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk by Prof. James Clark At Wageningen University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invite talk about microwave chemistry and presenting the IB catalyst project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk by Prof. James Clark at Solvay China Research Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk about microwave chemistry and industrial application |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Keynote talk at Cell Ag 2018 by Chris Chuck |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Talk to delve into the future of food at the Cell Ag network annual conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation at the Accenture Innovation Awards |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | I gave an invited talk at the annual Innovation awards, a celebration of innovation involving many major companies and 1000s of delegates |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Presentation by A. Fan at RACI/17th Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) - Health Safety and Environment Chemistry, July 2017, Melbourne, Australia. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation on the microwave depolymerisation of biomass |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Presentation by J. Remon at 2nd Green and suistainable chemistry conference, Berlin |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Paper titled: T. Li, J. Remón, Z. Jiang, V.L. Budarin, J.H. Clark. Microwave-assisted bamboo fractionation using a novel acid-catalysed organosolv process. 2nd Green and suistainable chemistry conference. 14-17 Mayo 2017, Berlin, Germany. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Presentation by J. Remon at 2nd Green and suistainable chemistry conference, Berlin |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Paper given: - T. Li, J. Remón, P.S. Shuttleworth, Z. Jiang, V.L. Budarin, J.H. Clark. Production of bio-oil and bio-char by doping-free, microwave-assisted, pressurised pyrolysis of hemicellulose. 2nd Green and suistainable chemistry conference. 14-17 Mayo 2017, Berlin, Germany. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Public lecture for the City of Bath |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture on the impact and technological solutions for palm oil deforestation. This was part of the Minerva series hosted by the University of Bath, advertised for people living in the region |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Renewable Biomass conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the RRB conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk at Bristol Zoological Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | invited talk to discuss the grant and what we are attempting, and how this can aid conservation generally |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk at Elsevier Green and Sustainable chemistry conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at a conference on the concept of the work |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk at the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Stockholm Sweden by Dr. J. Remon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Paper presented : J. Remón, L. Zhou, J. Fan, D. Macquarrie, V.L. Budarin, J.H. Clark. Production of high purity lignin from rapeseed meal using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process. 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Two invited lectures at the University of Cape Town by Prof. James Clark |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture detailing the project and its progress to date |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |