Transforming the carbon contained in industrial off-gases into valuable chemicals is the aim of a partnership between US-headed carbon recycler LanzaTech Inc., and Germany-headed global chemicals major BASF SE (BASF). The partners have reported the achievement of a key first success: With the help of special bacteria, they have been able to produce n-octanol at laboratory scale from carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), the main components of emissions, for instance from the steel industry.
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In this collaboration, LanzaTech contributes its unique, innovative gas fermentation technology, while BASF provides its expertise in the development and operation of chemical processes.
By connecting our competencies, we can speed up bringing more sustainable products to the market. The interdisciplinary cooperation between biologists, biochemists, and engineers is decisive for successful outcomes in the field of white biotechnology and therefore also for the success of this project. The integration of LanzaTech’s gas fermentation technology into BASF’s Verbund enables us to take an important step towards a carbon-neutral circular economy said Dr Detlef Kratz, President of the Process Research & Chemical Engineering research division at BASF.
Utilize industrial exhaust gases
Until now, industrial exhaust gases have either been flared or recovered for energy and used to produce electricity and process steam.
In this partnership, the two companies are working on a process using a biological capability developed by Dr Ramon Gonzalez, currently, a Professor at the University of South Florida in the United States (US), that will allow the carbon in the off-gas to be utilized as a raw material for the production of chemical products like n-octanol.
This innovative carbon recycling approach thereby reduces CO2 emissions from the industrial site and keeps fossil resources in the ground. LanzaTech’s technology is already deployed at a commercial scale transforming exhaust gas from steel production into ethanol.
Develop gas fermentation process
The collaboration has now paved the way to produce high-value chemicals, such as n-octanol through gas fermentation. Within just a few months, the companies have not only developed a suitable strain of bacteria to produce this important alcohol, but they have also designed an innovative process concept to allow continuous product generation and purification.
As a next step, the teams will focus on optimizing the biology and technology design to deliver an efficient production process.
Composition agnostic and tolerant microbes
One advantage of this process is that the microorganisms are not particular about the composition of the exhaust gas, as they are able to utilize varying ratios of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2).
The microorganisms are also tolerant to many different impurities, so there is no need for complex steps to purify the exhaust gas. LanzaTech’s technology can use different feedstocks and can also recycle solid waste carbon from household or agricultural waste.
By transforming solid waste materials into a gas stream via controlled partial oxidation, the carbon and hydrogen contained in these gases can be fixed into chemical products via the same gas fermentation process, instead of being released into the environment.
Our climate is changing, and the world is anxiously watching while we develop urgently needed technologies to keep the important raw material, carbon, in the cycle. BASF is leading the way in rethinking the chemical supply chain, by embracing a circular model of transforming waste carbon into new materials and keeping fossil fuels in the ground, said Dr Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.
