Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) discharges represent approximately 90% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Together with GHG, waste gases, such as carbon monoxyde, toxic gases and siloxanes are daily discharged from anthropogenic activities to the surrounding environment. CH4, CO2 and waste gases have far-ranging negative environmental and health effects. They cause climate change, contamination of the atmosphere and water bodies, and promote emergent human diseases, such as respiratory problems, cancer, and the spread of infections. However, due to the current industrial scenario and the growing world population, GHG and waste gases are increasingly produced.
Technologically, cell platforms fed with gases can be the most cost-effective option to eliminate them and to create chemicals necessary for human necessities and industrial development. CH4, CO2 and waste gases are almost free, require to be eliminated and are non-hazardous. There are hundreds of microorganisms out there able to use those gases and produce in exchange compounds that are very useful for our society. However, most current developed waste conversion processes are still not profitable due to the utilization of a small number of model microorganisms and the production of low-price compounds. Sectors that usually produce high valuable chemicals, such as the medical and pharmaceutical industry, still relay on the use of expensive feedstock, that in many cases competes with the food market.
ENHANCEMENT intends to shed light in a new industrial direction developing bio-factories that can produce interesting chemicals for the pharmaceutical and medical market with GHG and waste gases using novel bacteria. To this aim, we will look at currently overlooked microbes and strategies with the aim of abating the two most important GHGs, CO2 and CH4, as well as toxic waste gases. The target compounds will be molecules called ectoines. They have a retail value of €1200 kg-1 and possess outstanding chemical properties that make of them a target product in the pharmaceutical and medical market. Thus, in this project, novel bacteria that can abate GHG and waste gases will be implemented to produce compounds with high economic and social value.
