Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Use of CRISPR Cas9 technology for making methanol tolerant engineered Escherichia coli and Utilization of waste crude glycerol for the production of alka(e)nes. |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Ajay Kumar Chauhan, International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology, Delhi |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | ajaychauhan1408@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | The volatile market of conventional fuels like oil and gas is a major concern due to finite resources, overpopulation, land uses, and the rate of depletion. This leads to high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming. To reduce GHG emissions and find sustainable green bioenergy, efforts have been made worldwide to produce biodiesel, which generates a large amount of waste. Crude glycerol (CG) is a by-product of biodiesel industries and contains useful chemicals that support microbial growth and product formation. However, purification of CG is not cost-competitive, but it can be directly used for the production of valuable products. Biotechnologists are interested in the utilization of CG, as biodiesel production industries mainly rely on alkaline transesterification methods. The development of microbial-based biofuel and synthesizing alternate green energy is key to achieving this target. Suitably selected microbial species are engineered for synthesizing alkanes from sugar, using crude glycerol as an economical carbon source. E. coli strains have been engineered for the production of industrially important products, such as ethanol, lactic acid, succinate, butanol, etc. However, the presence of methanol in CG content can be toxic to the engineered E. coli strain. The proposed work aims to produce alkane for biodiesel industrial waste CG and develop first methanol-dependent crude glycerol utilization for the production of alkane. This strategy co-couples methanol utilization with CG for the production of alkane, scales up fermentation processes, and publishes after fermentation mass, energy balance, and patent filing. |
Organizations involved