Weiße Biotechnologie zur Wasserstoffsynthese
| White Biotechnology for hydrogen synthesis: Development of the procedural foundations to produce biogenic hydrogen in novel photobioreactors by an interdisciplinary research group - concepts for purification, storage and usage of hydrogen |
| Staff: | Dr.-Ing. habil. Wolfgang Lippmann Dipl.-Ing. Sara Grützner |
| Term: | 08/2012 - 12/2014 |
| Sponsoring institution: | European Social Funds (ESF) The Free State of Saxony |
| Conveyor signs: | 100098189 |
| Cooperation partner: |
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Kurzbeschreibung
| The turnaround to sustainable energy supply originating from renewable resources represents the biggest challenge the industrialized societies ever faced. Besides the finite nature of the fossil fuel supply and the increasing energy demand of the emerging markets and the impact of the generation and consumption of fossil fuels on climate and environment directs the economies to the exploration of renewable energy sources. Hydrogen is characterized by its high gravimetric fuel value. Further this fuel is free of carbon yielding in water as a combustion product. This means no climate damaging carbon dioxide is formed. Consequently the German National Academy of Sciences ‘Leopoldina’ recommended in its study ‘Bioenergy – Chances and Limits’ in 2012: “Considering the almost unlimited availability of water and sunlight, the production of hydrogen via photolytic cleavage of water could be an ideal energy source – renewable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.” The goal of this project is the development of novel bioreactor technology for the cultivation of bacteria as hydrogen producers. The efforts in this project should result in the implementation of a process where both green algae and purple non-sulfur bacteria are cultivated in one bioreactor system. The carbon hydrate equivalents formed by the green algae serve as electron donors for the photo-heterotrophic purple non-sulfur bacteria. The cultivation of the latter under illumination and in the absence of nitrogen leads to the production of hydrogen in combination with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide again will be bound by the Calvin cycle of the green algae. Consequently an extensive concept for the conversion of solar power into sustainable fuel is going to be developed. To achieve this new concepts of photobioreactors will be designed and evaluated. Here the supply of the microorganisms with light is of pivotal importance. This becomes challenging, if the production is scaled to pilot- or production-scale. To cope with this innovative fiber-optics will conduct the collected sunlight into the working volume of the reactor. High precision and tailor made sensors for the specific demands of these reactions allow deeper insights in the conversions taking place in the reactor. This allows the identification of production related process parameters that are critical for yields and productivities. By application of this knowledge a purposeful optimization of the processes can be performed. While still under development both, the processes and the equipment, the environmental friendliness, economic viability, and feasibility are analyzed. Due to the high penetration depth of the topic, based on the fundamental approach by an interdisciplinary research group, significant synergies are created which drive to innovations. |
more information:
Interdisciplinary research group "White Biotechnology for hydrogen synthesis"