Closed Loop Biosystems for Waste Recovery and Food Production

Jimmy ROUSSEL & Xuan XU, LIST - Luxembourg

Transcript

1. Dr Jimmy Roussel Lead R&T Engineer Microbial biotechnology group Dr Xuan XU Senior R&T researcher Plant Molecular Farming Group 24/04/2026 Closed loop biosystems for waste recovery and food production
2. Characterise Design & Build Test & Apply Systems biology Synthetic biology Unlocking Microbial potential: Bioprospecting for Enhanced Biomass Valorization From biomass-rich environments... Soil Animal gut AD reactor Cave deposit To the market. Biogas sector Ferment. tech Alim. fibres WWTPs Omics, Bioinformatics, Biomass Valorisation, Process and Reactor Engineering Enzymes and enzymatic cocktails for targeted biomass processing Enzyme axis • Identification and in silico characterisation • Heterologous production and purification • Activity testing and application Microbes and consortia for specific applications Microbe axis • Bioinformatics and in silico characterisation • Enrichment, isolation and cultivation • Testing and application Engineering axis • Process design and optimisation • Reactor design and operation • Nutrient resource recovery • Decentralise system New reactors/solutions for improved bioprocessing/ waste(water) treatment 2
3. Feedstock pre-treatment and process optimisation Anaerobic digestion is the main bioprocess able to convert organic waste into biogas and digestate The system needs to be adapted for closed and zero waste system Solid waste upcycling
4. • Lignin, lignocellulosic, aromatic compounds and plastic materials remain unaffected during the process and are released in the digestate. • Several pretreatment can be used to breakdown large compound and increase the feedstock digestibility: mechanical (ultrasound), thermal pre-treatment (steam explosion), chemical (acid/base). • Biological pre-treatment are easily implementable and low energy demand. Feedstock pre-treatment Between 40 and 60 % of the organic matter is degraded during anaerobic digestion process Anaerobic fungi for biopolymers degradation Enzymes from termite gut for lignin degradation
5. • Anaerobic baffle reactor (ABR) or Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) are bioprocesses where the sludge is retained inside the reactor and allow a higher throughput (HRT similar to aerobic process). • The advantage of the anaerobic process is no oxygen supply is required (less energy), low sludge production, reduction of pathogens and in some case higher resistance to contaminants. • Anaerobic systems are perfectly adapted to decentralised system. Wastewater system Anaerobic bioreactor are able to degrade organic matter while producing biogas Anaerobic baffled reactor
6. The system needs to be adapted for closed system and zero waste Integrated system for more resilience Anaerobic digestion is the main bioprocess able to convert organic waste into biogas and digestate Solid waste upcycling
7. • AD and Methanation systems can be connected with intermittent renewable sources such as solar energy. • The CO2 present in the biogas can be upgraded to CH4 using hydrogen produced from excess of electricity (electrolysis). • Methane is easily stored and can be used directly or reconverted to electricity depending on the demand. System integration and methanation The integration of AD and methanation systems enable flexible dual energy generation Methanation system Integrated systems
8. Digestate valorisation & zero waste approach Anaerobic digestion is the main bioprocess able to convert organic waste into biogas and digestate The system needs to be adapted for closed system and zero waste Solid waste upcycling
9. • Using a sequential filtration, we were able to isolate and recover humic substances. The other fractions can also be valorised as enriched-soil, liquid fertiliser and reclaimed water. • HS solution can be used as a biostimulant for agriculture. It helps the soil water retention capacity and soil structure/fertility. Digestate valorisation The digestate, rich in organic matter and nutrients, can be fractionated into valuable components and reused for sustainable agriculture. Sequential filtration process
10. Biotechnologies in closed environment Why Using Bioreactor Technology? ü Compact & resource-efficient ü Climate-independent operation ü Continuous & sustainable bio-production
11. Plant Cell Culture as a Bioproduction Platform Adapted from https://www.pci.bio/microbotanics Materials Bioactives Food
12. • Bioregenerative Life Support Systems Adapted from De Micco, et al. npj Microgravity 9, 69 (2023). Integrating into BLSS • Projects/ideas including bioreactor technology • Food production • High-value bioactive compounds promoting health and wellness (e.g. antioxidants, anti-ageing compounds) • Biofertilizers /biostimulants for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) • Vaccines and biopharmaceuticals (e.g. immunotherapy for allergies, anti-viruses) • Biomanufacturing of novel and functional materials / Plant cell cultures Upcycling of plant waste
13. Plant Cell Biotechnologies + 3D Bioprinting à Functional Food Production for extreme, resource-constraint environment Dr. Xuan XU Plant scientist Dr. Christos Soukoulis Food scientist
14. 3D bioprinting of apple cells Growth of apple cells following extrusion-based bioprinting D1 D3 D8 D21 D27 D40 Cell Viability in the 3D bioprinted construct Bioprinting process From polar stations to space habitats, plant cell culture and bioprinting enable resilient biological production where conventional agriculture is limited.
15. Thank you for your attention jimmy.roussel@list.lu https://researchportal.list.lu/scientific-community/detail/roussel-jimmy Xuan.xu@list.lu