Research summary
Thousands of products we use every day are made from petrochemicals using manufacturing processes that have environmental impacts. Biological processes offer the possibility of manufacturing many of these same products more sustainably using living organisms and sustainable resources instead. These biological processes typically run at mild temperatures, and the waste they produce is usually biodegradable.
Microalgae are a foremost component in sustainable processing because their biological processes are driven by light. Dr. Valerie Ward, Canada Research Chair in Microalgae Biomanufacturing, is investigating the use of microalgae as green cell-factories to make chemicals and proteins. She and her research team are establishing light-driven bioprocesses that use microalgae to produce isoprenoids, a class of molecules containing many industrially relevant compounds. Ultimately, Ward’s research could advance sustainable chemical production by developing a systematic method to optimize productivity in microalgae biomanufacturing from sunlight and CO2.