Han receives $2 million NSF grant to develop microalgae-based biofuel
Dr. Arum Han, a researcher in the Electrical and
Computer Engineering Division of the Texas Engineering Experiment
Station (TEES), received a $2 million award from the National
Science Foundation's (NSF) Emerging Frontiers in Research and
Innovation (EFRI) office to lead a multidisciplinary team of
investigators for developing technologies for next-generation
microalgae-based biofuel.
Han is also an associate professor in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M
University.
Collaborators include Dr. Tim Devarenne from the Department of
Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M, Dr. David Stern from
the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Dr. Jefferson
Tester from Cornell University and Dr. Tzachi Samocha from Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi.
The team received the award for their proposal, "Microalgae
Lab-on-Chip Photobioreactor Platform for Genetic Screening and
Metabolic Analysis Leading to Scalable Biofuel Production," under
the photosynthetic biorefinary topic.
In his proposal Han says microfluidic lab-on-chip devices have
the capability to precisely manipulate many samples in parallel
down to single cell resolution, and integrate various
functionalities into a single, user-friendly platform, all in a
high-throughput manner. Application of these devices to
photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae could rapidly
reveal critical information needed for improving the production of
transportation grade hydrocarbons.
Their proposed strategy is to transfer the valuable hydrocarbon
synthesis pathway of the slow-growing alga Botryococcus braunii to
to faster-growing algae with commercial potential. B. braunii
hydrocarbons are of particular value because they can be readily
converted into petroleum-equivalent fuels.
This strategy will be achieved by developing microfluidic
lab-on-chip devices that permit high-throughput screening and
analyses of algal growth and oil production; modifying the
faster-growing algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella so
that they produce the hydrocarbons normally found in B. braunii;
rapidly screening through large numbers of C. reinhardtii genetic
variants to select the highest performing cells; performing
scaled-up growth of the best performers; and performing life-cycle
assessment, which will provide guidance for optimization of
economically and environmentally sustainable production.
(Pictured right, an image of oil squeezing out from
microalga)
Han says the proposed research will have broad scientific
impactbecause the microfluidic platforms will accelerate research
and development across the broad area of biofuel and biomolecule
production in a range of microbes as well as training the next
generation of microbial bioenergy engineers and scientists.
Han, director of the NanoBio
Systems Lab and an expert in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip
technologies, joined the bio area of the electrical and computer
engineering department in August 2005. He received his bachelor's
degree from the Seoul National University in 1997 and his master's
degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2000. In August 2005,
he received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Georgia
Institute of Technology.
Han's research interests lie in the development of microfluidic
and lab-on-a-chip systems for applications in cellular and
molecular analysis. Particular focus areas are in developing
high-throughput screening systems and portable detection systems
for applications in developmental neurobiology, cancer metastasis,
infectious diseases and microbe-mediated bioenergy solutions.
The Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation
(EFRI) has been established as a result of strategic planning and
reorganization of the NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG). Motivated
by the vision of ENG to be the global leader in advancing the
frontiers of fundamental engineering research, EFRI serves a
critical role in helping ENG focus on important emerging areas in a
timely manner. More information about EFRI grants is available
online.