Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Welcome video

    • Meet the teachers

    • Learning objectives

    • Good practices to use this platform

    • How to obtain your course certificate
  • 2

    1. Biological carbon fixation, refined over evolution

    • Welcome video

    • Describe how carbon is fixated

    • Introduction to biological carbon fixation

    • Microbial CCU: key microbial pathways and microorganisms
  • 3

    2. Acetogenesis: leveraging the most efficient natural carbon fixation pathway for CCU

    • Introduction to Acetogenesis

    • Acetogens, carbon fixation biocatalysts

    • Intermezzo: The principles of microbial metabolism

    • The Wood-Ljungdahl pathway

    • Alternative substrates in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway

    • Alternative products in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway

    • Exercise 1: Fixating CO₂

    • Exercise 2: Industrial scenarios

    • Exercise 3: Syngas Mixture

    • Exercise 4: Comparative Analysis of Carbon Capture Strategies

  • 4

    3. Process engineering for gas fermentations

    • Learning objectives

    • Basics of industrial microbial bioprocesses and fermentation

    • Exercise: industrial biotechnology for CO₂ conversion

    • Industrial biotechnology for CO₂ conversion

    • Improving gas mass transfer in fermentations

    • Industrial examples
  • 5

    4. Case Study - PHA production from CO₂

    • Learning objectives

    • The need for sustainable biodegradable plastics

    • Direct routes for production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates from CO₂

    • Indirect routes for production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates from CO₂

    • Industrial examples of PHA production from gases

    • Summary
  • 6

    5. Case Study - (In)direct production of microbial protein from CO₂

    • Introduction to (in)direct production of microbian protein

    • Open question: Protein and CO₂

    • Alternative protein sources

    • Exercise: carbon footprint of conventional protein sources

    • Why should we be interested in microbial protein?

    • Fundamentals of microbial protein production

    • How is microbial protein produced at industrial scale now, and how can we produce it from CO2?

    • How can microbial protein production be coupled to carbon capture and utilization?

    • Hotspot: coupling carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to microbial protein (MP) production

    • What are the different unit operations considered?

    • Hotspot: Simplified process flow diagram

    • Main factors contributing to the electricity needs for microbial protein production as a food source

    • What is the most energy-intensive step when coupling CCU to MP?

    • Calculation of protein productivity in a bioreactor

    • Test knowledge: Efficiency of direct and indirect microbial protein production

    • A taste of Tomorrow
  • 7

    6: Case Study - Steelanol: Conversion of steel mill gases to ethanol

    • Introducing Steelanol

    • The Steelanol technology

    • Hotspot: Steelanol

    • Virtual tour

    • Impact & Milestones

    • Challenges & Opportunities

    • Follow Steelanol
  • 8

    Conclusion

    • Concluding video

    • Help us to improve this course

    • Thanks to our sponsors
  • 9

    Evaluate this course (for testers)

    • How this evaluation is structured

    • Evaluate this course

Instructors

Project Manager

Heleen De Wever

Heleen De Wever is a distinguished expert in Applied Biological Sciences, earning her PhD in 1995. As the Project Manager at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) since 2001, she specializes in bioprocess intensification and the innovative utilization of CO2-rich off-gases through biotechnological methods. Heleen leads the Biotechnology team at VITO's Separation and Conversion Technology unit, focusing on research lines such as high cell density fermentations, in-situ product recovery, and tailoring biomass for specific applications. Her dedication lies in showcasing industrial biotech advancements for a sustainable biobased economy and driving collaborative projects with industry and academia to optimize novel process concepts.

Professor

Ramon Ganigué

Prof. Ramon Ganigué, based at the Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology at Ghent University, is a distinguished expert in environmental biotechnology. With a PhD in Environmental Engineering, he specializes in the treatment and valorization of diverse waste streams, encompassing both industrial and municipal sources. His research extends to mitigating sewer corrosion and odours, crucial in urban sanitation. Additionally, Prof. Ganigué delves into cutting-edge biological processes for converting CO2 into high-value products, with a focus on syngas fermentation and microbial electrosynthesis. His work embodies a commitment to sustainable solutions for environmental challenges.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Myrsini Sakarika

Myrsini Sakarika is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biotechnology at Ghent University where she obtained her PhD in Bioscience Engineering at CMET, Ghent University (Belgium). Her research efforts focus on resource recovery from agro-industrial side-streams by employing applied microbiology and chemical engineering. She wants to develop processes to upgrade recovered resources into more sustainable alternatives of currently existing products of the food, pharma/nutraceutical, fertilizer, and chemical industries, with main focus on the production of microbial protein for food applications. The last years, she is working on the coupling of abiotic and biological processes, such as carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and microbial protein, to increase the sustainability of these bioproducts. Her ultimate goal is contributing to more sustainable (and cruelty-free) production of goods from recovered resources.

Professor

Siegfried Vlaeminck

Professor Microbial Cleantech and Environmental Systems Analyses for Water, Nutrients, Food and CO2 University of Antwerp - Department of Bioscience Engineering