Aalborg University (AAU)
About
Aalborg University (AAU) offers education and research within the fields of natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, technical and health science to 18.000 (13% international) students, through its famous problem-based learning method.
AAU has extended competences in the field of plastic pollution. The university received a large funding to build a Danish centre for research in marine plastic pollution. AAU is heading the research centre and coordinating the collaboration among 4 Danish universities. Moreover, the Faculty of Engineering has recently created a cross-faculty platform dedicated to the topic of Circular Plastics to cover the whole value chain and boost collaborations with academia and industry (https://www.circularplastics.aau.dk/).
The Department of Chemistry and Bioscience does research within the fields of chemistry, environmental engineering, biology and biotechnology. The Biorefinery research group (BRG) focuses on bioprocess technology and bioconversion of waste streams, development of biorefineries to produce biofuels, green chemicals, biopolymers, enzymes, surfactants, etc., as well as the degradation of recalcitrant compounds such as plastics and pesticides. Special focus is given to the enzymatic depolymerization and microbial upcycling of mixed plastic waste. The group has coordinated the H2020 UPLIFT project that will now be scale-up in UPCYCLE.
The Department of Material & Production has a wide-ranging research and educational environment, meeting future demands for new materials and production systems by directing the entire value chain, from basic material understanding, materials’ applications, to industrial production and management. Particular attention is also dedicated to the characterization of material properties.
Role in Upcycle
Aalborg University (AAU) is lead partner and coordinates the UPCYCLE project. As WP2 leader, AAU will guide the process intensification and scale-up of enzymatic plastic depolymerization, developing a robust enzyme production platform. For this purpose, AAU will compare the expression and secretion of enzymes in different strains, including Pichia pastoris, E. coli, Aspergillus sp., and Trichoderma sp . Together with WP2 partners, AAU will contribute to the further optimization and characterization of engineered enzymes for an efficient deconstruction of polyesters and novel eco-polymers produced in UPCYCLE.
Moreover, AAU will also participate in WP3 dedicated to the fermentation and upcycling of plastic waste derived products and monomers. More in particular, AAU will improve the scalability of their process for upcycling polyolefin pyrolysis wax into bioplastics such as PHAs. Statistical optimization of feeding strategies will be used to maximize PHA titers. Advanced physico-chemical pretreatments will be applied to improve emulsification and processability of the waxes in pilot scale bioreactors, while adaptive laboratory evolution and designed microbial mixed consortia will be used for process intensification. The effect of the physico-chemical pretreatments will be studied with advanced techniques such as rheology (in collaboration with the Department for Material and Production) and correlated to the improved processability, stable emulsification and bio-availability.
Last but not least, AAU is also WP9 leader, taking care of the scientific and administrative coordination of the whole project.