The projects involving transfer the findings of the basic research into their industrial (practical application:
SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME Grant agreement no.: FP7 – 241301/2 (http://www.aquafuels.eu)
(Barter agreeement)
Algae and other aquatic biomass (OAB) are emerging as one of the most promising sources for biofuels production. The cultivation, transformation and final use of aquatic biomass recently attract the interest of the scientific community, the biofuel industry as well as of an increasing number of stakeholders at European and international level. This is first of all related to the ability of algae and aquatic biomass to improve biofuel production sustainability performance. Indeed, one of the most critical aspects of biofuels sustainability is the way in which feedstock are produced, especially with respect to their CO2 balance, land and water use, competition with food production, and to this respect algae can provide a sensitive outlet thanks to potential impressive yields that they can achieve and less land requirements.
Combustion carbon dioxide from municipal waste incinerator will be converted into microalgal biomass. Controlled enhancement of algal starch and lipids synthesis enables exploitation of the biomass as a raw material for biofuels production.
Carbon dioxide is the only compound affecting the environment, which cannot be removed from the flue gases by current methods. Worldwide attention is being paid to this gas because of its negative effect on global warming. New ways leading to a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions generated by combustion of waste are very important.
During our previous investigation carried out in the range of EUREKA BIOFIX project, we proved that reducing carbon dioxide emissions via photosynthetic biofixation into fast growing freshwater microalgae of the genus Chlorella is very efficient. The running tests even surpass our expectation concerning the utilization of the municipal waste incinerator flue gas for photobioreactor carbon dioxide supply. On the basis of our current results, the knowledge obtained during the long-term expertise concerning microalgae, and up-to-date worldwide discussion on biofuels, we see as a consistent consequence to focus our effort on the exploitation of the microalgal biomass for biofuels purposes.
During the proposed project the cultivation procedure will be modified in order to produce microalgal biomass with a high content of starch or oil. Such cultivation requires modification of production conditions in order to enhance a biosynthesis of reserve compounds (starch eventually lipids) of the microalgae. The starch-enriched biomass will be subsequently treated in order to obtain fermentable sugars for bioethanol production. Also the lipid fraction will be separated and utilized for biodiesel production. This down stream processes includes optimization of cell disintegration, starch and cellulose hydrolysis, ethanol fermentation, lipid extraction, and esterification etc. Not least, the advantageous utilization of protein-rich biomass residues will be investigated.
Czech partners:
Termizo a.s., Liberec, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Fuel Research Institute, Prague.
Foreign partners:
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Institute of Biotechnology, Wadenswill, Switzerland
Project title:
Establishment of basic technologies to create bioenergy from algae and other aquatic microorganisms, including growth rate control and metabolic network construction based on genome analysis and function modification"
This research area aims to create new basic technologies for bioenergy production using algae and other aquatic microorganisms. Some algae and other aquatic microorganisms have high lipid or carbohydrate content, produce various hydrocarbons, and show high growth capability. These properties can be applied to innovative technologies for bioenergy production.
Specifically, research proposals should focus on improvements in the efficiency of energy production through the elucidation of the physiological functions and metabolic pathways of algae and other aquatic microorganisms, which are effective bioenergy producers, using advanced scientific technologies from the fields of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and cell analysis. Moreover, the results of proposed research may also benefit various other technologies related to the production of useful chemicals and water treatment using algae and other aquatic microorganisms.
Challenging research themes in broad areas including biology, chemistry, and engineering are welcome for the future realization of innovative technologies leading to bioenergy production.
Project title:
Program of support of projects international cooperation ASCR 2009-2011
Algal cells normally grow to many times their original size and undergo during cell cycle multiple rounds of S phase and mitosis to produce daughter cells of uniform size. During G1 phase the cells attain several Commitment points, the control points, which are the formal equivalent of Start in budding yeast and are analogous to the Restriction point of mammalian cells. Mat3 mutants produce small daughter cells and show defects in two size-dependent cell cycle controls: They initiate the cell cycle at a below-normal size, and they undergo extra rounds of S phase/mitosis. This finding represents a novel link between cell size control and cell cycle control. Indeed, precise control of cell size is a fundamental but poorly understood property of cells. Size homeostasis is achieved by coordinating cell growth and cell division. Theoretically, coordination can be achieved by independent regulation of growth and division, or by means of cell size checkpoints. It has been shown that attainment of a particular cell size can govern cell cycle progression in yeast. It is not fully understood in any organism how cell size is perceived and integrated into the cell cycle machinery.
The connection of known CDK substrate to cell size control therefore provides a nice model for study the cell size regulation by changes in the phosphorylation patterns of Rb.
As stated above, the progress of eukaryotic cells through the cell cycle is controlled by complexes of cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) with cyclins. The functional changes of target molecules by specific phosphorylation at corresponding phase of the cell cycle are the main mechanism of this control. While yeasts, mammalian and higher plant cells are intensively studied, the information on mechanisms of control of the cell cycle of unicellular algae are very rare. The aim of the research is to find and identify the proteins phosphorylated in vitro by cyclin-CDK complexes and to connect the phosphorylation of proteins to the enigma of cell size control
GAČR
Collaborators:
Prof. Tsunetane Kuroiwa Rikyo University Tokyo Japan webova stránka
Prof. Shigeyuki Kawano Tokyo University, Kashiwa Japan webova stránka
Dr. Kazuyoshi Kuwano Fakulty opf Fisheries, University of Nagasaki, Japan webova stránka
Prof. Dr. Karin Kovar, Institute of Biotechnology, Switzerland (http://www.ibt.zhaw.ch/ or http://www.biotechnologie.ch )
Prof. Dr. Ranka Junge, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Centre Ecological Engineering, Wädenswil, Switzerland (http://www.lsfm.zhaw.ch)
Prof. Teixeira, Portugal
Assoc. Prof. Ing. Tomáš Brányik, Department of Fermentation Chemistry and Bioengineering, Institute of Chemical Technology Praha, Czech Republic (http://www.vscht.cz/kch/index-en.html)
Ing. Petr Novák Termizo,a.s. Liberec
Ing. Karel Kostelník, BCS Ingeneering, a.s. Purkyňova 79a, Brno, Czech Republic (http://www.bcs-eng.cz/index.php?lang=cz&sekce=o_nas&item=1)
Prof. Mario Tredici, University of Florence, Italy (www.co2captureandstorage.info/networks/Biofixation.html )
Mr Raffaelo Garoffalo, Vernon European Biodiesel Board, Brusel, Belgiím (http://www.aquafuels.eu)
for other key person see (http://www.aquafuels.eu/consortium/58-key-personnel.html)
Culture Collection of Autotrophic Organisms (CCALA)
Dr. Pavel Přibyl, Institute of Botany, ASCR Třeboň, Czech Republic , http://www.butbn.cas.cz/ccala/index.php?page=sf
Assoc. Prof. Vladislav Cepák, Institute of Botany, ASCR, Třeboň, Czech Republic webova stránka
Institute of Microbiology
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic