The Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology group focuses on the sustainable utilization of natural resources, biological production of renewable energy carriers (hydrogen, alcohols, electricity, methane), microbial biomass-based feed-stocks for fuel, and novel model organism for biotechnology applications. The research includes sustainable bioengineering for drinking water, metals and energy production, and bioremediation. Fundamental understanding of the underlying phenomena is vital for the successful management of both open and closed bioprocesses. This is obtained through multidisciplinary research into microbiology/microbial ecology, molecular and systems biology and modelling of bioengineering systems.
The understanding of microbial bioprocesses at molecular level helps in the development and optimization of industrial biotechnology for a variety of applications. For instance, bioprocess and metabolic engineering will aid in the development of improved bio-energy producing microorganisms. Fundamental understanding of molecular, cellular and community level microbiology results in optimal design and management of these necessarily open bioprocesses in applications such as carbon and electron flow management in anaerobic systems for various energy carriers. The management of systems such as bioleaching or bioremediation is improved via study of the extracellular milieu (kinetics and thermodynamics of biogeochemical reactions, surface phenomena and mechanisms on cells and minerals). These research approaches to open and closed bioprocesses permit us to strive for greater research excellence.