The production of biofuels from photosynthetic microorganisms has significant potential, but also has considerable scientific and technological challenges for scale up, including water and nutrient use, cost-efficient cultivation and harvesting, and development of microorganisms that are robust and productive at process scale. Due the recently revived interest in the potential of algae for the production of renewable liquid transportation fuels, a variety of research, development, and demonstration activities are now underway by the private sector. Although these efforts provide an important stimulus toward the development of an algal biofuels industry, they largely have short term commercialization goals. Basic research at the level of the biochemistry, biophysics, ecology, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology of these microorganisms, as well as complimentary bioprocess engineering research, has the potential to resolve scientific and technological barriers to productivity and scalability, and hence accelerate the drive to commercialization. Furthermore, there are parallel research and development activities underway in several countries around the world, and the facilitation of new collaborations would enable synergism with respect to both basic and applied research in this area.
This workshop will identify the current research gaps underlying the scalable production of biofuels from photosynthetic microorganisms, primarily microalgae and cyanobacteria, from the perspective of fundamental bioscience and bioprocess engineering. The workshop will engage 12 scientific experts in topics fundamental to the use of algae and cyanobacteria for biofuels production. The complimentary follow-up workshop in Germany with 4 US participants will provide an international perspective. These workshops will also suggest research priorities that have the potential to make the greatest impact for advancing the fundamental science and engineering needed to facilitate the nascent algal biofuels industry, and nurture the development of future photosynthetic biorefineries.
Broader Impacts
A report will be submitted to NSF summarizing the conclusions and high priority research needs for algal and cyanobacterial biofuels. In addition, a manuscript on these workshop outcomes will be submitted for publication in a research journal. It is anticipated that new networks and partnerships will arise from the activities associated with both workshops, many of them multidisciplinary and some involving teams of German and US researchers. Travel support will be offered to four junior researchers to benefit their professional development. Efforts will be made to attract applications for these travel grants from members of underrepresented groups.
The production of biofuels from microalgae and cyanobacteria has enormous potential because of the higher productivity of these organisms compared to plants, the relative ease of genetic manipulation, and the lack of requirement for arable land. Despite those advantages, there are also considerable challenges. A variety of research, development, and demonstration activities are underway to capitalize on this opportunity and solve the problems. However, basic research at the level of the biochemistry, biophysics, ecology, and systems and synthetic biology of these microorganisms have been overlooked in the drive for commercialization. Furthermore, there are parallel research activities underway in several countries around the world. The goal of this project was to hold two workshops to identify key basic research needs and to developing bi-national collaborations. Two workshops were held, one in Arlington, VA and the other in Frankfurt, Germany. The US workshop was held on November 21, 2011. The event was divided into two parts. In the morning, 12 invited speakers, chosen for their expertise in different facets of algal biotechnology, presented their thoughts on basic research needs. In the afternoon, the PI moderated a discussion among the presenters and the young researchers to coalesce the group's thoughts on important basic research needs. The second workshop was held in Frankfurt, Germany on August 13-14, 2012. Six US and thirteen German researchers participated. On the first day, the events and outcomes of the US workshop were presented, and then each of the workshop participants presented their work and thoughts on important basic research needs. On the second day, the participants divided into three subgroups (photosynthesis and metabolic engineering, cultivation, and downstream) to have more focused discussions. The entire group then listened to presentations of the conclusions of each subgroup. After lunch, the group considered potential collaborations and funding mechanisms. Both workshops led to energetic discussions among the participants of a type that would not occur at a typical conference. The groups identified important research needs and organized them into topic areas. The group at the US-German workshop also developed arguments to motivate algal agriculture and ways of explaining the large potential of algae to produce not only fuels but also food and non-fuel chemicals. The group agreed that the algae industry would need to pursue a phased development, in which companies would start by producing low-volume, high-margin products, and eventually transition to high-volume, low-margin products (fuels) as technologies were developed, experience gained, and production technologies lowered. A manuscript presenting these perspectives is in preparation. A website (http://projectsweb.engr.colostate.edu/NSFalgaeworkshop/index.html) was created with slides from all of the presentations from the US workshop.
