A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Engineered biocatalytic architecture for enhanced light utilisation in algal H2 production
Tekijät: Kosourov, Sergey; Tammelin, Tekla; Allahverdiyeva, Yagut
Kustantaja: Royal Society of Chemistry
Julkaisuvuosi: 2025
Journal: Energy and Environmental Science
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: Energy and Environmental Science
Vuosikerta: 18
Numero: 2
Aloitussivu: 937
Lopetussivu: 947
ISSN: 1754-5692
eISSN: 1754-5706
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee03075c
Verkko-osoite: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/ee/d4ee03075c
Rinnakkaistallenteen osoite: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/477902007
Thin-layer photosynthetic biocatalysts (PBCs) offer an innovative and promising approach to the solar-powered generation of renewable chemicals and fuels. Thin-layer PBCs incorporate photosynthetic microbes, engineered for the production of targeted chemicals, into specifically tailored bio-based polymeric matrices. This unique integration forms a biocatalytic architecture that allows controlled distribution of light, nutrients, and substrates to the entrapped cells, optimising their performance. The research outlined in this study offers a systematic engineering approach to developing a biocatalytic architecture with improved light utilisation and enhanced photosynthetic conversion of captured light energy to molecular hydrogen (H2), an important energy carrier and fuel. This was achieved by entrapping wild-type green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its mutants with truncated light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna (Tla) complexes within thin-layer (up to 330 μm-thick) polymeric matrices under sulphur-deprived conditions. Our step-by-step engineering strategy involved: (i) synchronising culture growth to select cells with the highest photosynthetic capacity for entrapment, (ii) implementing a photosynthetic antenna gradient in the matrix by placing Tla cells atop the wild-type algae for better light distribution, (iii) replacing the conventional alginate formulation with TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibers for improved matrix stability and porosity, and (iv) employing a semi-wet production approach to simplify the removal of produced H2 from the matrix with entrapped cells, thus preventing H2 recycling. The engineered PBCs achieved a fourfold increase in H2 photoproduction yield compared to conventional alginate films under the same irradiance (0.65 vs. 0.16 mol m−2 under 25 μmol photons m−2 s−1, respectively) and maintained H2 photoproduction activity for over 16 days. This resulted in a remarkable 4% light energy to hydrogen energy conversion efficiency at peak production activity and over 2% throughout the entire production period. These significant advancements highlight the potential of engineered thin-layer PBCs for efficient H2 production. The technology could be adapted for biomanufacturing various renewable chemicals and fuels.
Ladattava julkaisu This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Julkaisussa olevat rahoitustiedot:
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. Anastasios Melis and his team for their work in developing the light-harvesting photosynthetic antenna mutants and for making them accessible to the research community through the Chlamydomonas Resource Center. We also thank Dr Fiona Lynch for her assistance with film imaging. This work was financially supported by the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation (project no. 201400050), the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Nanoplatform, project no NNF16OC0021626), the Kone Foundation (project no. 201608799), the NordForsk Nordic Center of Excellence “NordAqua” (project no. 82845), the EU FET Open Project FuturoLEAF under grant agreement no. 899576, and the Research Council of Finland (AlgaLEAF, project no. 322752 and 322754). The work is part of Research Council of Finland's Flagship Programme FinnCERES, Competence Center for Materials Bioeconomy. The research was performed in the PhotoSYN Finnish Infrastructure for Photosynthesis Research.
