ENAC Seminar Series by Prof. D. Weissbrodt
Event details
| Date | 30.06.2021 |
| Hour | 09:30 › 10:30 |
| Speaker | Prof. David Weissbrodt |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
09:30 – 10:30 – Prof. David Weissbrodt
Tenure-track assistant professor, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Engineering microbiomes for resource recovery and circularity
The water and waste engineering sector faces new challenges to recover valuable resources from used streams, while protecting health and the environment. From our anthropogenic metabolisms, massive loads of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus are wasted daily through wastewater. Million tons of biosolids are dissipated per year, untapped beyond incineration. Large amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted and drive global warming.
Environmental biotechnologies harness the diversity and metabolic power of microorganisms that regulate biogeochemical cycles in nature. These open bio-based solutions capture used organics and nutrients, convert liquid and solid wastes into high-value chemicals, biomaterials, food ingredients or energy, and mitigate carbon and nitrogen oxides. Engineering their functional microbiomes is an essential task to concentrate resources and reduce entropy.
The management of microbial resources entails a detailed knowledge of microorganisms and metabolisms distributed across complex community networks. With the advent of sequencing, substrate labeling, mass spectrometry, imaging, bioinformatics and mathematical modeling, advanced methods of systems (micro)biology, multi-omics, ecophysiology and quantitative biotechnology can help crack metabolic puzzles in microbial biorefineries.
With this lecture, I will guide you on the best practices for engineering microbiomes to capture carbon and nutrients from aqueous and agri-food wastes. First, I will present latest biosynthetic elucidations of mixed cultures directed to valorize extracellular polymeric substances from sewage, with high-tech biomaterial applications in civil engineering. Second, I will demonstrate how we can harness the metabolic versatility of phototrophic microorganisms in light-driven scalable technologies for resource cycling in remote environments, and sustain nutrition.
Short bio:
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Biotechnology at TU Delft, The Netherlands, leading the Environmental Life Science Engineering Group. I hold a MSc in Environmental Sciences & Engineering and a PhD in Environment from EPFL, after professional training in Chemical Engineering for Life Technologies at HES-SO Valais/Wallis in Sion. I was a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zürich and Process Engineering Department at Eawag, and joint SNF fellow at TU Delft and Center for Microbial Communities at Aalborg University, Denmark. In Delft, I pioneer microbiome science & engineering and multi-omics data integration for mixed-culture biotechnology & biorefinery and environmental & health protection. My research and academic program were rewarded by peers of the International Water Association with the inaugural 2019 IWA MEWE Early Career Researcher Award received at University of Hiroshima, Japan. I foster peer learning with young professionals in Civil Engineering & Geosciences and Life Science & Technology. I received one of the Best Teachers of the Year Awards in Environmental Engineering in 2017/18 and 2018/19. With my team, I interact with innovation partners and authorities to develop responsible and scalable solutions for environmental resource biorecovery and sustainability in different living contexts.
Tenure-track assistant professor, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Engineering microbiomes for resource recovery and circularity
The water and waste engineering sector faces new challenges to recover valuable resources from used streams, while protecting health and the environment. From our anthropogenic metabolisms, massive loads of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus are wasted daily through wastewater. Million tons of biosolids are dissipated per year, untapped beyond incineration. Large amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted and drive global warming.
Environmental biotechnologies harness the diversity and metabolic power of microorganisms that regulate biogeochemical cycles in nature. These open bio-based solutions capture used organics and nutrients, convert liquid and solid wastes into high-value chemicals, biomaterials, food ingredients or energy, and mitigate carbon and nitrogen oxides. Engineering their functional microbiomes is an essential task to concentrate resources and reduce entropy.
The management of microbial resources entails a detailed knowledge of microorganisms and metabolisms distributed across complex community networks. With the advent of sequencing, substrate labeling, mass spectrometry, imaging, bioinformatics and mathematical modeling, advanced methods of systems (micro)biology, multi-omics, ecophysiology and quantitative biotechnology can help crack metabolic puzzles in microbial biorefineries.
With this lecture, I will guide you on the best practices for engineering microbiomes to capture carbon and nutrients from aqueous and agri-food wastes. First, I will present latest biosynthetic elucidations of mixed cultures directed to valorize extracellular polymeric substances from sewage, with high-tech biomaterial applications in civil engineering. Second, I will demonstrate how we can harness the metabolic versatility of phototrophic microorganisms in light-driven scalable technologies for resource cycling in remote environments, and sustain nutrition.
Short bio:
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Biotechnology at TU Delft, The Netherlands, leading the Environmental Life Science Engineering Group. I hold a MSc in Environmental Sciences & Engineering and a PhD in Environment from EPFL, after professional training in Chemical Engineering for Life Technologies at HES-SO Valais/Wallis in Sion. I was a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zürich and Process Engineering Department at Eawag, and joint SNF fellow at TU Delft and Center for Microbial Communities at Aalborg University, Denmark. In Delft, I pioneer microbiome science & engineering and multi-omics data integration for mixed-culture biotechnology & biorefinery and environmental & health protection. My research and academic program were rewarded by peers of the International Water Association with the inaugural 2019 IWA MEWE Early Career Researcher Award received at University of Hiroshima, Japan. I foster peer learning with young professionals in Civil Engineering & Geosciences and Life Science & Technology. I received one of the Best Teachers of the Year Awards in Environmental Engineering in 2017/18 and 2018/19. With my team, I interact with innovation partners and authorities to develop responsible and scalable solutions for environmental resource biorecovery and sustainability in different living contexts.
Practical information
- General public
- Invitation required
- This event is internal
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Cristina Perez