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One of the major sources of greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The burning of these fossil fuels releases a large amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming. As a kind of renewable energy, the potential of biomass energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been paid more and more attention. Biomass energy comes from organisms such as plants, animals and microorganisms, which absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and convert it into biomass. Therefore, the utilization process of biomass energy is actually a carbon cycle process, and its carbon dioxide emissions are roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed during the growth process of plants, thus achieving carbon neutrality.
The role of biomass energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Firstly, biomass energy can replace some of the use of fossil fuels. Secondly, compared with fossil fuels, the carbon dioxide generated by the combustion of biomass energy is more easily absorbed and utilized by plants, so as to achieve carbon recycling. In addition, other greenhouse gases produced during biomass energy combustion are also relatively small. At the same time, the use of biomass energy can also promote the carbon sink function of the ecosystem. By growing and managing biomass energy crops, we can increase vegetation cover and soil carbon storage, thereby further enhancing the carbon uptake capacity of ecosystems.
Biomass energy effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels, realizing carbon recycling and promoting the carbon sink function of the ecosystem. With the continuous progress of technology and the promotion of applications, the role of biomass energy in coping with global warming will be more significant.
Compared with terrestrial biomass, Marine algae has the advantages of fast growth rate, strong photosynthetic efficiency, high carbohydrate content and no lignin, and is called the third generation of biomass resources. Among them, brown algae as the world's highest production of large-scale economic algae, its ecosystem accounts for about 25% of the world's coastline, annual output value of hundreds of billions of dollars, with huge economic value, widely used in food, medicine, agriculture and chemical industry and other fields. Organisms on Earth can produce more than 100 billion tons
of biomass through photosynthesis every year, of which about 40% is mainly from Marine algae, if 25% of its annual output is converted into usable biomass, it can meet the current global demand for fossil energy. As a result, in recent years there has been growing interest in Marine organisms as tools for CO2 removal, especially kelp, which is cheap and easy to grow. Kelp and others have played a key role in increasing ocean carbon sinks. Kelp converts CO2 into organic carbon in the kelp through photosynthesis, and when cultivated kelp is harvested, a large amount of carbon is fixed, thereby increasing the Marine carbon sink and playing a key role in mitigating global climate change.
Profile
Cooperation: Kelp carbon sequestration is one
of the key ways of blue carbon, but its use of carbon sequestration is
still an underdeveloped field. Algae in the ocean are the third generation
of biomass resources as the raw materials of the biological production
industry, and they are the largest treasure house of biomass resources
that has not been fully exploited on the earth. At present, the macroalgae industry
is mainly concentrated on food for human consumption, accounting for 83-90% of the
global seaweed value. Other applications are seaweed hydrocolloids (such as alginate,
agar, and carrageenan) extracted from algae. Chemical chemicals using algal biomass
resources as raw materials, Most of the research has focused on the production of
liquid biofuels such as ethanol and butanol, For example, Park et al. used the acid
hydrolysate of Gelidium amansii from wine yeast Brettanomyces custersii to produce
ethanol, In the hydrolysate, galactose as the main carbon source and glucose as the
secondary carbon source, The final yield of ethanol production through continuous
fermentation reached 0.38 g / g; Potts And others used the acid hydrolysate of Ulva
to produce n-butanol, Hydrolysis products have a sugar composition of 27% glucose,
57% arabinose, and 16% xylose, 4 g / L butanol was obtained from 15.2 g / L sugar.
In addition, there are a small number of studies using algae biomass to produce various
chemicals, such as hydrocarbon oil, carbon and silicon composite materials. Recently,
Nagarajan et al evaluated the lactic acid production capacity of green algae, red
algae and brown algae, and obtained lactic acid yields of 0.85 g / g, 0.94 g / g and
0.81 g / g, respectively. If the research and development of algae biomass can be
increased, it will certainly open up a new road for the transformation of China's
traditional manufacturing industry and the development of biological manufacturing industry.
Thus, we note that macroalgae, now dominated by kelp, are going more to food than to
biological manufacturing. Kelp has a broad prospect as the third generation of biomass
resources for biological manufacturing, so we hope to deeply study
the fermentation and utilization of biomass resources of large algae dominated by kelp.
Profile and Cooperation:In this regard, we selected yeast
cells as our chassis cells. This is because Saccharomyces cerevisiae has become an
important object in synthetic biology due to its mature gene manipulation system,
fast growth rate, relatively short fermentation cycle, suitable for high-density
fermentation, safety and robustness.
Therefore, we hope to build a yeast cell factory using synthetic biology technology,
expand the application of third-generation biomass resources, utilize the carbon fixed
by Marine algae, and promote the atmospheric carbon cycle. Microbes have a versatile
metabolism and are able to use multiple sources of carbon. The transformation of yeast
cells can enable yeast cells to decompose kelp and efficiently synthesize specific
products, converting biomass raw materials into various end products. This project
focuses on the transformation of yeast. On the one hand, the lyase gene is introduced
to enable it to decompose kelp and produce high-value organic matter such as brown
algal oligosaccharides. At the same time, the original mannitol metabolic pathway and
MVA terpene synthesis pathway of yeast cells are modified, and exogenous genes ndps1
and (R) -ls are introduced and the corresponding enzymes are expressed. Combined with
artificial regulation and modification of enzymes, yeast cells can produce terpenoids
such as limonene. Terpenoids have broad application prospects in food, medicine and
cosmetics. Terpene substances such as monoterpene pinene and limonene, hemiterpene
isopentanol and isopentanol can be used as fuel precursors, and
are expected to become advanced substitutes for gasoline and diesel fuel in the future.
Profile and Cooperation: China has nearly 3 million square kilometers of Marine land area, about 18,000 kilometers of continental coastline, kelp aquaculture area, is the first in the world. According to statistics, the total area of kelp planting is about 3 million hectares, and the output is about 27 million tons. Among them, China is the world's largest kelp production and consumption country, accounting for more than 90% of the world's total kelp production, and the output is increasing year by year. In addition, many places in China have put forward blue carbon pilot plans or the construction of blue carbon trading market, promoted the establishment of blue carbon investment and financing related systems and mechanisms, and vigorously supported the development of blue carbon projects. In January 2023, the industry standard of Marine Carbon Sink Accounting Method (HY / T 0349-2022) approved and released by the Ministry of Natural Resources was formally implemented. This means that blue carbon is being recognized and accepted by more and more people, and the development of blue carbon in China has entered a new period.
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