An expert in fibre and polymer science will lead a new interdisciplinary research collaboration that aims to uncover new biology-based methods for CO2 management and sustainable fertiliser production.
- The project, called the Biocatalyst Interactions with Gases (BIG) Collaboration, is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF).
- Led by North Carolina State University (NC State), the collaboration team will receive 50 million Danish Kroner (DKK), or approximately $6.5 million in funding over five years.
- The research collaboration is between NC State and the Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, DTU)
- The BIG Collaboration will be led by Wilson College of Textiles Associate Professor Sonja Salmon. Salmon earned her PhD in fibre and polymer science and bachelor’s degree in textile chemistry. She is a recognised expert on carbon capture science and technology, with more than two decades of industry research experience.
The project: The project team will investigate and create new types of biological catalyst systems that are capable of carrying out fundamental chemical reactions required within two critical research areas: CO2 management for greenhouse gas reduction and nitrogen fixation for fertiliser production.
- Nitrogen, the most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere, must be converted to water soluble ammonium salts before most crops can use it as an essential nutrient –– making this conversion critical for a sustainable food supply. However, converting nitrogen to ammonia by current industrial methods is very energy-intensive.
- The project team aims to develop new enzyme-based approaches that will lower the energy requirement for ammonia production.
- Similar approaches –– using different enzymes –– will also be investigated to improve the rate at which CO2 gas is converted into small water-soluble compounds, like bicarbonate and formate.
- The goal is for these complementary approaches to help advance technologies that will minimise industrial CO2 emissions while creating useful precursors for cement, fuels, chemicals and fertilizer.
- Studying these life-essential biocatalysed gas reactions will lead to new innovations that contribute to global sustainability solutions.
