Lýsing
Genus Thermoanaerobacter comprises bacteria isolated from hot springs around the globe including Iceland. They are efficient biofuel producers and have been observed to convert organic acids to their corresponding alcohols, although the exact underlying metabolic pathways responsible for the latter remain unknown. Recently, a number of Thermoanaerobacter spp. were grown in triplicate in the presence of 29 acids (C2-C7) using glucose as reducing potential. Cultures were incubated for 48 h after which reduced products were analyzed via gas chromatography and remaining glucose colorimetrically. All strains reduced butyric and isobutyric acid with each strain revealing a distinct substrate range. The effects of using mannitol, a macroalgae-sourced sugar, are currently being evaluated as it has a higher reducing potential than glucose and can be obtained from non-terrestrial biomass, including brown seaweed. Additionally, available genomes of Thermoanaerobacter spp. of interest have been manually searched for genes related to mannitol utilization revealing phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP): mannitol-dependent phosphotransferase systems (PTS) which should encode for the necessary enzymatic machinery needed to generate the reduction potential necessary for organic acid reduction. The end goal is to use Thermoanaerobacter spp. as whole-cell biocatalysts in the reduction of carboxylic acid rich anaerobic digestates prepared with aquaculture waste. This would present a promising green route towards the production of industrially important solvents and other chemical building blocks via waste stream valorization which is one of the pillars of circular economy. This talk will present results from the aforementioned organic acid reduction experiments, whole genome investigations, and broadly discuss how biotechnology plays a role in sustainable development.| Tímabil | 10 apr. 2026 |
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| Viðburðartitill | 6th Sustainability Conference: Annual international conference on sustainable and environmental issues at the University of Akureyri |
| Tegund atburðar | Ráðstefna |
| Staðsetning | Akureyri, ÍslandSýna á korti |
| Viðurkenning | Alþjóðlegt |