Process Design for the Biocatalysis of Value-Added Chemicals from CO₂
Project # 42126

Primary Performing Organization
University of Georgia Research
Foundation

This project will explore a biological reaction as a means of achieving what promises to be a practical way to convert CO₂ into value added chemicals. An advantage to such a process would be its potential to use flue gas directly in the succinic acid production process, and as a result avoid the need for CO₂ capture and transportation. The anticipated future application of the project will result in the synthesis of other chemical products from CO₂, such as formic acid, malic acid, and fumaric acid.

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	System to supply gas mixtures into fermentor in order to determine the effect of gas phase composition on succinate production and CO2 sequestration.

The analytical objectives of this project are to:

• Modify the bacterial strain to make it suitable for industrial applications;
• Evaluate succinic acid production as a function of CO₂ mass transfer;
• Determine the effect of other process variables in the gas stream;
• Determine the effect of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide and other potential inhibitors in the flue gas;
• Optimize the fermentation to achieve and maintain a high cell density which supports succinic acid production; and
• Develop a reactor design that optimizes CO₂ mass transfer and produces succinic acid at high rates and yields.

This research will form the basis of a bio-refinery approach for the production of value-added chemicals from CO₂ and serve as a niche process for CO₂ sequestration.

Contact:
Project Manager: Dawn Deel, dawn.deel@netl.doe.gov

Related Papers and Publications:

• Process Design for the Biocatalysis of Chemicals Fact Sheet