Welcome to the BMBF-funded junior research group Biophotovoltaics.
The research group is funded via the BMBF junior research group funding through the thematic call "Creative young researchers for the bioeconomy". The research group focuses on the biohybrid technique called Biophotovoltaics (BPV) for sustainable energy production from sunlight and water, using interdisciplinary research approach integrating synthetic biology, systems biology, bio- and electrochemical-process engineering and modelling. We are interested in the fundamental, quantitative and holistic understandings of extracellular electron transfer pathway on molecular levels and its corresponding biochemistry and microbial physiology, and subsequently the rational design and development of novel process concepts for optimized desired purpose.
We are always welcome talent, self-motivated and passionate young scientist to join our group. Master and bachelor thesis projects are always available. If you are interested in our work, please contact bin.lai@ufz.de.
Head:
Postdoc:
Project: membrane redox protein for extracellular electron transfer of Synechocystis in Biophotovoltaics (BMBF, from 03.2023)
PhDs:
Jana Gaibler
Thesis: Engineering the membrane transportation system of Synechocystis sp 6803 in Biophotovoltaics (BMBF, from 11.2023)
Mohammed Qasim
Thesis: Process modelling and computational-guided system development of Biophotovoltaics (BMBF, from 10.2023)
Thesis: process engineering and system development of Biophotovoltaics (BMBF, from 09.2023)
Thesis: electro-microbiology of Synechocystis in Biophotovoltaics (BMBF, from 03.2023)
Jianqi Yuan (jointly with SBT group)
Thesis: Electron balance analysis of Synechocystis in Biophotovoltaics (CSC, from 09.2021)
Laura Pause (jointly with SBT group)
Thesis: Tunable electro-fermentation using metabolically engineered Pseudomonas putida (DFG SPP2240, from 06.2021)
Hans Schneider (jointly with SBT group)
Thesis: Extracellular electron transfer pathway and microbial phenotype of Synechocystis in Biophotovoltaics (UFZ central budget, from 12.2020)
HIWI:
Maria Veit (Project: comparative analysis of the CRISPRi efficiency targeting on multiple proteins)
Alumnae:
2023.02 - 2023.04: Liuyan Gu (PhD student at DTU, Denmark)
Vorbereitungsreisen
2023.07, Chinesisch-Deutsches Zentrum für Wissenschaftsförderung, grant Nr. GZ 1725, 2245€.
BioPV4H2: Biophotovoltaics for bio-hydrogen production from water, carbon dioxide and sunlight
Funding agency: Federal Ministry of Education and Research;
Period: 08.2022 - 07.2027
Budget: 2.910.350,31- €
Principal Investigator: Bin Lai
Greenhouse gas emission neutrality by 2050 is the core of developing a sustainable society. Hydrogen becomes a molecule of increasing interest and is considered as one primary solution to achieve this target in Germany and Europe. Three critical questions have to be addressed: how to produce sufficient and clean H2? Which resources should be used? And which technology should be developed for H2 production? The sustainable production of H2 plays a critical role in reaching the ambitious goal committed by the European Union (including Germany). Ultimately, breaking the relatively infinite resource water into H2 using infinite sunlight can be the ideal solution.
How to exploit the sunlight for splitting water to pure H2 via a resource-/energy-friendly approach? Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), our group will exploit a unique carbon-sink biohybrid technique termed Biophotovoltaics (BPV) to achieve this goal.
In this project, the overall research goal is to define a process window and thus develop a process concept for a BPV to drive its future application by exploiting interfacial interactions between different aspects on multiple scales. The system boundaries are determined by the microbial physiology and process kinetics which happen dynamically and iteratively on the scales of operating time and system dimension. This project will systematically and quantitatively reveal the impacts of microbial and process kinetics on the system performance and also the influence of time, process scale and dynamic environmental conditions. All the knowledge will be merged together into a digital twin platform to gain a holistic understanding of the BPV system, which ultimately will lead to rational design and development of the BPV process to reach productivity and scale of practical interest. Briefly, our group will address and answer the following four questions via respective working packages:
i) What process concept is feasible for the long-term field application of BPV?
ii) How can we steer the cyanobacterial physiology to favour the anodic electron sink?
iii) How can we improve the cellular electron flux towards anode for efficient H2 formation?
iv) What is the capacity of BPV for H2 production and the constraints to realize it?
Index:
You could use our publication index for further requests.
2023 (8)
- Gu, L., Xiao, X., Lee, S.Y., Lai, B., Solem, C. (2023):
Superior anodic electro-fermentation by enhancing capacity for extracellular electron transfer
Bioresour. Technol. 389 , art. 129813
full text (doi) - Lai, B. (2023):
Burning questions: Exploring the limits of microbial electrochemical technology for industrial biotechnological applications
Microb. Biotechnol.
full text (doi) - Lai, B. (2023):
Biophotovoltaik: mikrobielle Wasserstoffproduktion
Biospektrum 29 (1), 97 - 98
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Krömer, J., Aulenta, F., Wu, H., Nikel, P.I. (2023):
Exploiting synergies between microbial electrochemical technologies and synthetic biology
Microb. Biotechnol. 16 (3), 485 - 488
full text (doi) - Pause, L., Weimer, A., Wirth, N.T., Nguyen, A.V., Lenz, C., Kohlstedt, M., Wittmann, C., Nikel, P.I., Lai, B., Krömer, J.O. (2023):
Anaerobic glucose uptake in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in a bioelectrochemical system
Microb. Biotechnol.
full text (doi) - Schneider, H., Lai, B., Krömer, J. (2023):
Interference of electron transfer chain inhibitors in bioelectrochemical systems
Electrochem. Commun. 152 , art. 107527
full text (doi) - Schneider, H., Lai, B., Krömer, J. (2023):
Utilizing cyanobacteria in biophotovoltaics: An emerging field in bioelectrochemistry
In: Bühler, K., Lindberg, P. (eds.)
Cyanobacteria in biotechnology : Applications and quantitative perspectives
Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 183
Springer Nature, p. 281 - 302
full text (doi) - Wang, M., Ji, Q., Lai, B., Liu, Y., Mei, K. (2023):
Structure-function and engineering of plant UDP-glycosyltransferase
Comp. Struct. Biotechnol. J. 21 , 5358 - 5371
full text (doi)
2022 (2)
- Gemünde, A., Lai, B., Pause, L., Krömer, J., Holtmann, D. (2022):
Redox mediators in microbial electrochemical systems
ChemElectroChem 9 (13), e202200216
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Glaven, S., Song, H. (2022):
Editorial: Electrobiotechnology towards sustainable bioeconomy: Fundamental, optimization and applications
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 10 , art. 901072
full text (doi)
2021 (3)
- Lai, B., Schneider, H., Tschörtner, J., Schmid, A., Krömer, J.O. (2021):
Inside front cover image, Volume 118, Number 7, July 2021
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 118 (7), ii - ii
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Schneider, H., Tschörtner, J., Schmid, A., Krömer, J.O. (2021):
Technical-scale biophotovoltaics for long-term photo-current generation from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 118 (7), 2637 - 2648
full text (doi) - Nguyen, A.V., Lai, B., Adrian, L., Krömer, J.O. (2021):
The anoxic electrode-driven fructose catabolism of Pseudomonas putida KT2440
Microb. Biotechnol. 14 (4), 1784 - 1796
full text (doi)
2020 (3)
- Kadier, A., Jain, P., Lai, B., Kalil, M.S., Kondaveeti, S., Alabbosh, K.F.S., Abu-Reesh, I.M., Mohanakrishna, G. (2020):
Biorefinery perspectives of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for hydrogen and valuable chemicals production through wastewater treatment
Biofuel Res. J. 25 , 1128 - 1142
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Bernhardt, P.V., Krömer, J.O. (2020):
Cytochrome c reductase is a key enzyme involved in the extracellular electron transfer pathway towards transition metal complexes in Pseudomonas putida
ChemSusChem 13 (19), 5308 - 5317
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Krömer, J.O. (2020):
Steering redox metabolism in Pseudomonas putida with microbial electrochemical technologies
In: Tiquia-Arashiro, S.M., Pant, D. (eds.)
Microbial Electrochemical Technologies
CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, p. 59 - 75
full text (doi)
2019 (3)
- Cui, Y., Lai, B., Tang, X. (2019):
Microbial fuel cell-based biosensors
Biosensors 9 (3), art. 92
full text (doi) - Lai, B., Nguyen, A.V., Krömer, J.O. (2019):
Characterizing the anoxic phenotype of Pseudomonas putida using a bioelectrochemical system
Methods Protoc. 2 (2), art. 26
full text (doi) - Tschörtner, J., Lai, B., Krömer, J.O. (2019):
Biophotovoltaics: green power generation from sunlight and water
Front. Microbiol. 10 , art. 866
full text (doi)
2018 (2)
- Kracke, F., Lai, B., Yu, S., Krömer, J.O. (2018):
Balancing cellular redox metabolism in microbial electrosynthesis and electro fermentation – A chance for metabolic engineering
Metab. Eng. 45 , 109 - 120
full text (doi) - Yu, S., Lai, B., Plan, M.R., Hodson, M.P., Lestari, E.A., Song, H., Krömer, J.O. (2018):
Improved performance of Pseudomonas putida in a bioelectrochemical system through overexpression of periplasmic glucose dehydrogenase
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 115 (1), 145 - 155
full text (doi)
