Projects
Impact of in-line product extraction on microbiome and performance of carboxylate platform fermentations Ghent University
The depletion of fossil resources is driving the development of new chemical production process based on renewable feedstocks. The carboxylate platform allows the conversion of industrial and agricultural organic wastes to short- and mid-chain carboxylates as intermediate feedstock chemicals. Organic acids are first hydrolyzed and fermented to short-chain organic acids, which can be subsequently converted to mid-chain fatty acids. These ...
From molecule to bioplastic: new catalytic routes to bio-based monomers. KU Leuven
Utilization of renewable feedstocks for the chemical industry is becoming ever more important in view of decreasing fossil resources and increased pressure on our environment. In this respect, biomass is a promising candidate to serve as a sustainable source of organic carbon for the production of industrial chemicals. Lactic acid (2-hydroxypropanoic acid) can be considered to be a model of an over-functionalized biomass-derived molecule. It ...
Demonstration of circular biofertilisers and implementation of optimized fertiliser strategies and value chains in rural communities KU Leuven
The RUSTICA projects provides a technical solution to convert organic residues from the fruit and vegetable sector into
novel bio-based fertiliser products of high quality that address the needs of modern (organic) agriculture. The project’s
ambition goes beyond the simple recovery of nutrients, and also includes the developments of economically viable and
environmentally sustainable alternatives to mineral fertilisers with the ...
Production of bio-detergents rhamnolipids by a non-pathogenic host Ghent University
Biosurfactants, surfactant molecules originating from microbial synthesis and/or renewable resources, have been proven to be a valuable alternative to the (petro)chemical based variants widely used today. Due to the structural variability of these molecules, a wide variety of (potential) applications ranging from household usage to pharmaceuticals have been identified. Thanks to their biological degradability and production ...
Metal-organic frameworks as catalysts for bio-inspired reactions KU Leuven
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of nanozymes. A variety of biological reactions can be catalyzed by MOFs to mimic natural enzymes. They can act as peptidases, (per)oxidases and lipases, but also catalyze the formation of bonds like esterification or amidation. The almost endless possible combinations of inorganic nodes combined with specific organic linkers create an enormous platform to tune the MOF catalysts and ...
Electrocatalytic N-functionalisation of olefins towards aziridines and amines KU Leuven
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, mankind has been progressively manufacturing a wide array of goods that led to an unprecedented growth in prosperity and quality of life. In response to the mounting ecological and social challenges, the 20th century witnessed the emergence of environmental movements and a growing awareness of the need for sustainable practices. The shift towards sustainability gained momentum as the global community ...
Single step aptamer selection on a digital microfluidic chip. KU Leuven
Over the years, we witnessed impressive progress in the field of biosensor technology with numerous successful applications for life science research, medical diagnostics and industrial processes. A lot of research effort has been made to achieve better analytical sensitivities with single-molecule resolution as the ultimate goal. Such ultrasensitive detection platforms are extremely valuable for the early detection of low-abundance ...
Bio Mimicry with multi-Functional Hyperbranched Poly(arylene oxindole)s KU Leuven
Energy- and cost-effective conversion of cellulosic feedstocks is a challenging opportunity towards value-added bio-derived chemicals and liquid fuels through a sugar platform. Cellulose hydrolysis into glucose is herein one of the most critical steps. Because enzymatic routes with cellulases are too expensive, sluggish, and very wasteful, this project proposes an alternative based on synthetic cellulase mimics. µ
The mimics will ...
The cyanobacterium Limnospira: carbohydrates production, photosynthetic activity, and biomass harvesting KU Leuven
In the last 15 years, particular attention has been given to microalgae and cyanobacteria as a source of renewable biomass for the production of food, feed, energy, and chemicals. Conservative estimates calculate microalgae biomass productivity of 47 – 55 tons dry biomass ha-1 year-1, not too far from the productivity of sugarcane of 73 – 87 tons dry biomass ha-1 year-1, the most productive land crop (Guieysse and Plouviez, 2021), making ...