Research • Educate • Connect
Towards a sustainable bioeconomy
Research • Educate • Connect
Towards a sustainable bioeconomy
Photo: Fotolia

Focus Topic Area "Modular Biotransformations for High-Value Compounds"

The production of chemicals and materials in a sustainable bioeconomy is marked by new process chains in which biocatalysis with microorganisms and enzymes plays an important role. Biogenic raw materials include a wide range, from perennial biomass plants to agricultural waste streams. Increasingly, these are joined by non-biogenic carbon sources such as CO2 or municipal waste streams such as plastic waste. In order to cover this broad range of source materials, the conventional “one substrate – one product” concept must be further developed into flexible and modular “multi substrate – multi product” process chains in which chemocatalysis and biocatalysis must be combined.

Synthetic biology as the driving force for molecular biotechnology provides a variety of new concepts to meet these changing demands. One of the greatest challenges is to make the resulting production processes and products usable and competitive compared with existing oil-based processes. The greatest prospects for success are in the area of high-value compounds, some of which have new functionalities such as fine chemicals, natural substances or proteins. Since these classes of substances have complex synthesis pathways, modular multi-step processes are the most promising. In addition, considerable added value can be achieved in the use of side-streams of bioeconomic process chains if further valuable fine chemicals or pharmaceutically usable substances are obtained in addition to the main products.

Project examples

Photo: iStock

CombiCom - Combinatorial creation of structural diversity for novel high-value compounds
May 2017 - December 2020

Photo: IBG-1, Forschungszentrum Jülich

GLUFACT - Gluconobacter-Factory: Strains and processes for stereoselective oxidative conversion of renewable carbon sources to industrial products
January 2014 - December 2016

Photo: iStock

R2HPBio - Renewables to high-performance bioplastics through sustainable production ways
October 2018 - December 2020

CoSens
01/14 – 12/14

 

  

Genetically encoded biosensors for dynamic and quantitative sensing of metabolic cofactors in subcellular compartments

 

  

Chemical Signalling (U Bonn)
Molecular Enzyme Technology, Biochemistry of Plants (HHU)

 

UstiLyse
01/14 – 12/14

 

  

Improving plant biomass conversion by Ustilago maydis for sustainable production of platform chemicals

 

  

Microbiology (HHU)
Microbiology (RWTH)

 

PNP-EXPRESS
01/14 – 12/15

 

  

Discovery and microbial production of natural products from plants

 

  

Systemic Microbiology (FZJ)
Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)

 

BIOExpresSPro
01/14 – 12/16

 

  

Research and technology platform for the identification, production, secretion and optimization of enzymes

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Systems Biotechnology, Systemic Microbiology (FZJ)
Botany and Molecular Genetics, Biotechnology (RWTH)

 

GLUFACT
01/14 – 12/16

 

  

Gluconobacter-Factory: strains and processes for stereoselective oxidative conversion of renewable carbon sources to industrial products

 

  

Systemic Microbiology (FZJ)
Botany and Molecular Genetics, Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Microbiology und Biotechnology (U Bonn)

 

FlowCom
07/14 – 09/15

  

Everything in flow – new compartments for cascade reactions

 

  

Physical Chemistry, Enzyme Process Technology (RWTH)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)

 

MoRe-Plants
07/14 – 06/16

 

  

Towards alkaloids: monooxygenases
from plants in reaction cascades

 

  

Bioorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry II (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering , Biotechnology, Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)

 

GreenGel
11/14 – 12/15

 

  

Bifunctional nanogel-based fertilizers for controlled nutrition of plants

 

  

Biotechnology, Functional and Interactive Polymers (RWTH)
Plant Nutrition (U Bonn)

 

BioBreak
11/14 – 12/16

 

  

Enzymes for biomass breakdown

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology, Biochemistry I (HHU)
Enzyme Process Technology , Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)

 

TPOT
01/15 – 12/15

 

  

A proof of concept for an E. coli hydroxylation platform with efficient terpene/terpenoid translocation through the outer membrane

 

  

Biotechnology, Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)
Biochemistry II (HHU)

 

 

P-ENG
01/15 – 12/16

 

  

Efficient phosphate recovery from agro waste streams by enzyme, strain and process engineering

 

  

Microbiology, Biotechnology (RWTH)
Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)
Technology and Innovation Management (U Bonn)

 

CatIBs
01/15 – 12/17

  

Catalytically active inclusion bodies: new carrier-free enzyme immobilizes for biocatalysis

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)

 

UstiOpt
03/15 – 03/16

 

  

Defining optimum growth conditions for Ustilago maydis to increase the production of recombinant proteins

 

  

Microbiology (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)

 

DiPro
04/15 – 03/16

 

  

Dirigent proteins in bioeconomy

 

  

Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)

 

ROXENSE
04/15 – 03/16

 

  

Efficient redox sensing and engineering for optimization of biocatalysis

 

  

Microbiology (RWTH)
Chemical Signalling (U Bonn)

 

MoniCon
04/15 – 03/16

 

  

Establishing online methodology to monitor growth of single species in fungal consortia

 

  

Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Microbiology (HHU)

 

BiFuProts
04/15 – 06/17

 

  

Bifunctional proteins for plant protection

 

  

Biotechnology, Plant Physiology (RWTH)
Biochemistry I (HHU)
Horticultural Science (U Bonn)

 

VariSurf
09/15 – 11/16

 

  

Production of glycolipid variants for industrial application by smart genetic engineering

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology, Microbiology (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)

 

BioSAF
10/15 – 12/16

 

  

Carotenoid cleaving enzymes for efficient biosynthesis of Saffron        

          

  

Biotechnology, Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)
Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)

 

RIPE
10/15 – 12/17

 

  

Ripening delay of climatic fruits by peptides

 

  

Biochemical Plant Physiology, Computational
Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Molecular Bioinformatics (HHU)
Biotechnology, Functional and Interactive Polymers, (RWTH)
Horticultural Science (U Bonn)

 

PrimACs
11/15 – 10/17

 

  

Priming-active compounds for plant protection

 

  

Plant Physiology, Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)

 

PectiLyse
11/15 – 10/17

 

  

Activation of intrinsic enzymes for degradation of plant biomass side-streams

 

  

Microbiology (HHU)
Microbiology, Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)

 

BioCaPS
01/16 – 12/16

  

Structural insights of biohybrid catalysts for polyactide synthesis

 

  

Organometallic Chemistry, Biotechnology (RWTH)
Biochemical Plant Physiology, Physical Biology (HHU)

 

HiQFlux
11/16 – 12/17

 

  

Quantifying metabolic network operation in compartmentalized organisms – yeast as a eucaryotic model

 

  

Microbiology (RWTH)
Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)

 

CombiCom
05/17 – 12/20

 

  

Combinatorial creation of structural diversity for novel high-value compounds

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology, Microbiology,
Synthetic Biology, Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering (RWTH), Plant Sciences (FZJ) Molecular Phytomedicine, Technology and Innovation Management (U Bonn)

 

Bio2
05/17 – 12/20

 

  

Integration of next generation biosurfactant production into biorefinery processes

 

  

Microbiology, Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering , Microbiology, Fluid Process Engineering, Chemical Process Engineering (RWTH)
Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation (FZJ)

 

greenRelease
01/18 – 06/21

 

  

GreenRelease for plant health

 

  

Biotechnology, Plant Physiology, Functional and
Interactive Polymers (RWTH)
Technology and Innovation Management, Horticultural Sciences, Molecular Biology of the Rhizosphere (U Bonn)
Biochemical Plant Physiology, Pharmaceutical and Medical Chemistry (HHU)
Plant Sciences (FZJ)

 

HyImPAct
01/18 – 09/21

 

  

Hybrid processes for important precursor and active pharmaceutical ingredient

 

  

Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Fluid Process Engineering, Operations Management (RWTH)

 

HySyn
10/18 – 12/19

 

  

Fatty acid decarboxylases for hydrocarbon synthesis

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)
Plant Sciences (FZJ)

 

R2HPBio
10/18 – 12/20

 

  

Renewables to high-performance bioplastics through sustainable production ways

 

  

Bioinorganic Chemistry, Fluid Process Engineering (RWTH)
Macromolecular Chemistry (HHU)

 

XyloSens
10/18 – 03/21

 

  

Development of a xylose sensor toolbox for microbial process monitoring and control

 

  

Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)
Physical Biology (HHU)
Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)

 

QuantiP
11/18 – 12/19

 

  

P-quantification in vivo and in vitro by Raman spectroscopy and NMR

 

  

Biotechnology (RWTH)
Plant Sciences, Analytics (FZJ)

 

GlycoHype
09/19 – 10/20

 

  

Synthesis of glycosides by hyperthermophilic glycosidases

 

  

Biotechnology and Biomaterials, Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Molecular Enzyme Technology, Pharmaceutical and Medical Chemistry (HHU)

 

PepUse
09/19 – 02/21

 

  

Peptide adhesion promoters for user centered plant health applications

 

  

Biotechnology (RWTH)
Physical Biology (HHU)
Technology and Innovation Management (U Bonn)

 

HaloEnz
09/19 – 08/21

 

  

Enzymatic halogenation: enzyme identification, characterization, application

 

  

Pharmaceutical and Medical Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Botany and Molecular Genetics (RWTH)

 

TaiLead
08/20 – 10/21

 

  

Lead verification of tailored
prodiginine derivatives

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Molecular Phytomedicine (U Bonn)

 

DesignR
08/20 – 10/21

 

  

Tailoring Biosurfactants – Production of Designer Rhamnolipids

 

  

Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Fluid Process Engineering (RWTH)

 

SurfIn
06/22 – 05/25

  

Surface Active Biomolecules for the Chemical Industry

 

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU)
Applied Microbiology, Biochemical Engineering and Fluid Process Engineering (RWTH)
Technology and Innovation Management (U Bonn)

P3roLucas
07/22 – 06/25

  

Optimization of plant performance and products for lupin cascade use

 

  

Plant Physiology (RWTH)
Bioinformatics (FZJ)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Agricultural and Food Market Research (U Bonn)

BioPlasticycle
06/22 – 05/25

  

Transitioning bioplastics to the circular economy

 

  

Systems Biotechnology, Synthetic Microbiology and Agrosphere (FZJ)
Bioinorganic Chemistry and Operations Management (RWTH)
Macromolecular Chemistry (HHU)

MetaProcess
07/22 – 06/25

  

Continuous, stable processes for the sustainable enzymatic production of chiral amino alcohols integrating downstream processing

 

  

Computational Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Molecular Bioinformatics (HHU)
Systems Biotechnology (FZJ/RWTH)
Fluid Process Engineering and Biotechnology (RWTH)

MK-ScaLoop
07/22 – 06/25

  

Towards an industrial-scale process for a biotechnological production of methyl ketones in a novel multiphase loop reactor

  

Fluid Process Engineering and Applied Microbiology (RWTH)
Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation (FZJ)

Viola
02/22 – 04/23

  

Towards violaceines - a mutasynthesis platform for tryptophan-derived alkaloids

  

Molecular Enzyme Technology and Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)

SSWEEP
02/22 – 01/24

  

Solvent swelling to enhance enzymatic and microbial plastics upcycling

  

Systems Biotechnology (FZJ)
Biotechnology and Fluid Process Engineering (RWTH)

ToxPot
01/22 – 12/23

  

Evaluation of the potential of utilizing potato-side streams for extraction of alkaloids

  

Bioinformatics (FZJ)
Bioorganic Chemistry (HHU)
Molecular Phytomedicine (U Bonn)

SreenP
02/22 – 01/23

  

Metabolic burden coupled phytase screening for sustainable phosphate recycling

  

Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (RWTH)
Analytics (FZJ)