ACHEMA 2018

•••25••• Innovationen Using light as a “fuel” Biocatalytic production with photosynthesis B iotechnological production of chemicals using enzymes coupled with the photo- synthesis of microalgae is the topic of the new EU project “PhotoBioCat”. Graz Uni- versity of Technology in Austria is the pro- ject coordinator. A carpet of blue-green algae can literally “cloud” the summer’s swimming pleasure at the lake. This is caused by a few strains of photosynthetically active microalgae, also known as cyanobacteria. Other harmless strains of cyanobacteria have great poten- tial for biotechnological applications and for this reason are much sought-after. In the EU project “PhotoBioCat” internation- al doctoral students under expert guidance use light as a “fuel” to accelerate enzymatic reactions by means of cyanobacteria. It is hoped that this will make the biocatalytic production of chemicals considerably more sustainable. The recently launched project is coordinated by a team led by Robert Kour- ist, head of TU Graz’s Institute of Molecular Biotechnology. The project PhotoBioCat has two main areas of focus. In one area, the use of cyanobacteria as bio- catalysts for light-driven biotechnological applications is being examined and tested in a range of industrially relevant model re- actions. Chemicals for polymers, cosmet- ics and medicines are being increasingly technologically produced using enzymes to accelerate reactions. The second area of focus of the project will be on raising the efficiency by which light energy is harvest- ed and can be passed on to enzymatic reac- tions (in vitro, in other words without living carrier organisms, such as cyanobacteria). Microalgae have been growing and thriving in glass tubes and flasks in a controlled way at TU Graz for several weeks, and of course, not without reason. “A sub-area which we will look into very carefully in PhotoBioCat is growing algae for biotechnological use on an industrial scale. Cyanobacteria can be grown in special algae labs and irradi- ated with light. But after a certain degree of growth, the cells shade each other. The light has less effect, the algae cannot ex- ploit their photosynthetic potential to the full and valuable reaction activity is lost,” explains project leader Robert Kourist. The PhotoBioCat project Light-driven sus- tainable biocatalysis training network is being funded to the tune of three million euros in the EU Framework programme Ho- rizon 2020 Marie Sklodowksa-Curie actions – European Joint Doctorates. Photosynthetically active microalgae have great potential for biotechnolo- gical applications. Photo: Lunghammer / TU Graz Project manager Robert Kourist with Sandy Schmidt and Hanna Büchsenschütz, both in the project team of “PhotoBioCat” Photo: Lunghammer / TU Graz DIGMESA - THE LIQUID FLOW SENSING SOLUTION 35 YEARS SWISS & ORIGINAL HALLE 11.1 STAND F16