Integrating biochemistry of storage carbon metabolism of algae and plants to produce biofuels and bioproducts, is needed to removing key barriers that currently limit overall carbon efficiency, photosynthetic efficiency and ultimately productivity in the context of limiting resources. Addressing critically needed improvements in biomass, bioproduct and biofuel productivity is a priority and one that is guided by supporting economic and sustainability principles. Exploiting pathways for the integration of engineering approaches with fundamental biochemistry of photosynthetic organisms may help to unravel the contentious water-food-energy-environment nexus that algae inhabit. Despite significant technical progress in the past 5-6 years, economical and sustainability challenges are still accompanying the future development of an algae-based bioeconomy, driving the development of combined biofuels and bioproducts pathways. This presentation will cover results from a number of recent projects that each support different aspects of a conceptual algae biorefinery, with each project addressing one of the main identified barriers to future deployment. In particular, a fractionation approach that generates feed streams for upgrading strategies to bioproducts among which a sustainable supply of oleochemical replacements for typical petrochemical feedstocks, such as polyurethane polymers and fatty acids for surfactants will be discussed.

Perspective on renewable bioenergy from algae for chemical production in the water-energy-environment nexus

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.