Electrochemically assisted syngas fermentation

Research Project, 2019 –

Extensive energy system changes will be necessary to replace fossil fuels. It is expected that the demand for food, bio-energy and other bio-based products will increase dramatically, and that organic
residues and lignocellulosic plants will be important to meet the growing demands of biomass production. Microbial fermentation processes are already used today to produce fuels and commodity chemicals, and offer promising new opportunities for tomorrow. The use of syngas as a feedstock (containing mainly CO, CO2 and H2), together with the application of electrochemical methods, would make it possible to convert all the carbon in a broad range of feedstocks to targeted products. However, such an approach is to date relatively unexplored. The most pressing challenge to address before gaseous substrates can be used in industrial microbial fermentation processes is related to the poor mass and energy transfer between the gas, the microbes and the electrodes. Addressing this issue requires knowledge of multiphase flow,
fermentation technology and electrochemistry. The purpose of this project is to initiate an interdisciplinary collaboration at Chalmers to help make electro-fermentation of syngas a competitive sustainable alternative for producing chemicals of the future. A theoretical model for mass transfer intensification will be developed and, to fully use the potential of syngas fermenting organisms, electro-fermentation will be developed aiming for a tool to allow efficient redox and energy metabolism.