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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number BB/J008230/1
Title Bio-inspired oxygen evolving light driven catalysts (BOLDCATS)
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy) 25%;
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Production of transport biofuels (incl. Production from wastes)) 75%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Biological Sciences) 50%;
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Professor RJ Cogdell
No email address given
Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences
University of Glasgow
Award Type Research Grant
Funding Source BBSRC
Start Date 28 February 2012
End Date 28 February 2015
Duration 36 months
Total Grant Value £458,271
Industrial Sectors Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Region Scotland
Programme International Scheme
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor RJ Cogdell , Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow (99.999%)
  Other Investigator Prof L Cronin , Chemistry, University of Glasgow (0.001%)
Web Site
Objectives Ensuring a stable energy supply is the central challenge of the 21st century, and this team will highlight the importance of the problem and prepare the next generation of scientists. In additional to the technical goals, this project is envisaged to have broader impacts in four distinct domains: 1. The successful completion of the scientific goals of this program will transform thinking about photosynthesis by creating independent modules for studying and optimizing the light and dark processes as well as portable biowires to establish functional contacts between distinct cell types. These modules, as well as the platform for testing them as a system, will be freely shared with other researchers. 2. The RAs will be important stakeholders in team and the proposed project offers extraordinary training opportunities to RAs at all levels. Unique to this project and multidisciplinary team is the range of scientific disciplines and academic institutions involved. 3. The BOLD-CATS team exemplifies the globalization of science and will serve as a model for collaboration in the EU. 4. Dissemination of scientific results will be crucial to this project, both to push the boundaries of photosynthetic research and engage the public in understanding a crucial problem. The geographic location of the participants provides a unique opportunity to develop web-based photosynthetic resources to engage the international community.
Abstract In this CRP we aim to develop novel light-driven water splitting devices capable of providing reducing equivalents for the reduction of carbon dioxide into formate as the first step towards producing a fuel. We will focus on comparing the use of PS1 and PS2 isolated from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus with that of inorganic bio-mimetic analogues. The biological samples provide functioning modules that will be used to develop working systems while the more robust chemical analogues are being designed and synthesised. One side of the cell uses light to split water (PS2) the other uses PS1 and light to reduce CO2 to formate that can later be converted into methanol. In this context the production of formate is just an exemplar for being able to demonstrate light-driven reduction of carbon dioxide. The two sides of the cell are separated so that the PS1 side can be kept anaerobic since formate dehydrogenase is oxygen sensitive. Formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans has been shown to be functional when coupled to a patterned glass electrode system.
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 07/10/13