Biological Gas to liquid for Chemicals and fuels

This project is about developing platforms that recycle waste-carbon feedstocks to valuable products (e.g. carbon monoxide/ carbon dioxide to fuels/ chemicals). Utilising a systems biology approach, this project aims to understand and overcome fundamental energy and metabolic limitations in gas-fermenting microbes. Gas fermentation recently had its first industrial-scale process implemented by LanzaTech, which employs an ancient carbon-assimilation pathway in a simple, robust, and efficient manner. By making use of the gas fermentation facilities at AIBN, we are able to quantify the metabolism of a model-acetogen, Clostridium autoethanogenum, using modelling and rational engineering of the system. Using modelling methods, coupled with ‘omics data (proteomics and metabolomics) we have recently expanded the understanding the bioprocess as well as investigated co-uptake of CO and CO2. Our future objectives focus on developing novel modelling tools and methods for phenomic investigation that facilitate industrially relevant improvements to the biological system.