Objectives

PURPLECHEM aims to bioelectrochemically stimulate the growth of PURPLE
Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB) for the sustainable conversion of wastewater (urban, brewery and pharma) into value-added CHEMicals like bioplastic (PHB), CoQ, carotenoids and 5-ALA.

General activities

The emphasis of PURPLECHEM during the initial period (WP2) will be to conduct methods from microbiology, molecular biology and analytical chemistry to select PPB strains for optimal production of value-added chemicals from wastewater. Furthermore, methods from electrochemical engineering will be used in WP3 to design Memoria Científico-Técnica. Proyectos coordinados tipo A, B y RTA Pag 8 de 34 and construct photo-electrochemical bioreactors ready to stimulate PPB cultures either under direct or indirect (H2-based) control. In this context, bioelectrochemically-assistd and electrochemically-assisted bioreactor will be operated in order to produce valueadded chemicals (WP4). Molecular biology methods will be applied to characterize the microbial community including the expression of key genes involved in the synthesis of desired chemicals (WP5). Finally, the output of the project will be disseminated by an expert science communicator through WP6.

Expected impact

New knowledge will be generated in three branches after MET (microbiology, electrochemistry, and engineering). Purple phototrophic bacteria are already considered as one of the most versatile bacteria on earth; however, PURPLECHEM will give insights into the electroactive nature of this bacteria. Regarding electrochemistry, we expect to develop new electroconductive materials through functionalization in order to enhance the interaction between bacteria and electrodes. In this biotechnology context, new sources for generation of value-added chemicals will be developed. Thus, conversion of microplastic into bioplastic maybe a very interesting process where electrochemistry will play an important role. Moreover, in a pharma context, the use of electrodes to boost the microbial production of valuable added. Chemicals like CoQ, The impact will be verified through high-ranking peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and PhD graduations obtained in relation to the project. Morover, a complete communication plan will be devoted to maximize the outreach of the project.

PURPLECHEM will provide new options to address the pressing issue of industrial wastewater discharged into the environment, being in line with a number of European legislative initiatives aiming at preserving good environmental quality and preventing negative impact of environmental pollution on human health. Exploiting optimized electron flows by using MET in a number of configurations, the technologies will have a lower energy and CO2 footprint as well as less risks (e.g. toxic by-products) than comparable established physicochemical processes.

Grant PID2024-163018OB-C22 funded by: