NSF Engineering Research Center for Carbon Utilization Redesign for Biomanufacturing (CURB)

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

The CURB Engineering Research Center will transform U.S. manufacturing by valorizing waste CO2, empowering circular carbon economy, and creating quality biomanufacturing jobs. The U.S. energy and other industrial sectors emitted about 6 billion tons of CO2 annually, presenting a unique low-cost feedstock for the domestic supply chain. CURB will advance, deploy, and scale innovative hybrid electro-biomanufacturing engineered systems to empower a new circular carbon economy wherein CO2 will serve as valuable feedstock for manufacturing a broad range of products much more efficiently than current state-of-the-art and natural systems. CURB will create cost-effective and energy-efficient biomanufacturing technologies, facilitating the next-generation bioeconomy and empowering the domestic industrial supply chain for broad and essential chemicals, fuels, materials, and food. The emerging decarbonization and bioeconomy industries have grown rapidly to $4.5 and $4 trillion respectively, representing unparalleled opportunities for U.S. economic growth and millions of job opportunities. CURB uniquely converges these two sectors to turn our most daunting sustainability challenges into powerful catalysts for economic growth and prosperity in the U.S. Ultimately, CURB will transform U.S. manufacturing to zero- and negative emissions, valorize waste CO2 from broad industries, reduce hazardous compounds in emissions, build domestic supply chain with quality jobs, and produce plastics that are biodegradable rather than polluting. CURB will produce workforce pathways to success to empower rapid technology deployment and promote the competitiveness of domestic workforce. Through partners ranging from start-ups to major corporations, CURB’s technology commercialization will empower tens of billions of dollars in economic growth and promote national security as well as energy and manufacturing independence. In order to achieve these impacts, CURB will demonstrate the conversion of CO2 at a much higher conversion rate than the state-of-the-art using Hybrid Electro-Bio CO2 Utilization Systems (HEBCUS). The HEBCUS-engineered systems will use electrocatalysis to produce C2+ intermediates (e.g., ethanol, acetate, and propionate) that can enter primary metabolism with fewer steps than C1 intermediates and are compatible with many cell-based or cell-free biomanufacturing systems. The design will enable efficient conversion into a broad range of products at higher titer and productivity than platforms based on C1 intermediates. Soluble C2+ intermediates also substantially improve mass, energy, and electron transfers and overcome the gas-to-liquid transfer challenges of hydrogen and CO. CURB will focus on three interrelated research thrusts that converge scientific, economic, environmental, and social approaches with stakeholder needs for comprehensive system design and optimized societal impacts within three demonstration testbeds: CO2 conversion to (1) platform chemicals and polymer precursors, (2) biomaterials and biofertilizers, and (3) lipids and proteins. Convergent research will drive new transdisciplinary educational and training pathways for the biomanufacturing workforce of tomorrow, an estimated 10 million jobs. CURB will promote convergent research, broaden STEM participation from all Americans, and achieve broad societal impacts through engaging industries, communities, and the public. CURB’s Innovation Ecosystem, with many committed industry partners, will transform industries and communities, translate the CURB technologies, unleash economic growth potential, empower CURB sustainability beyond NSF funding, create and fill jobs with a competitive workforce, achieving multi-facet and tangible societal impacts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.