Beyond Haber-Bosch: Fermentation-Driven Nitrogen Fixation via Synthetic Biology

Important results from the project

The overall project goal was to develop a proof-of-concept for synthetic co-cultures of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and yeasts for the production of biochemicals with air as the sole nitrogen source. Through extensive evaluation of different nitrogen-fixing bacteria, yeasts, and culture conditions, we found a method that can be used to support biomanufacturing without added Haber-Bosch ammonium, and thereby we fulfilled the goal.

Expected long term effects

The research project is a pilot project that has shown great potential for further development. In the long term, further development of the project could result in a new method to reduce the use of Haber-Bosch nitrogen in industrial biotechnology, where nitrogen-fixing bacteria are used to generate culture medium that is adapted for large-scale cultivation and production with yeasts.

Approach and implementation

The project, carried out at Lund University, consisted of the following activities: strain development, optimization of cultivation conditions, evaluation of cultures in different process configurations on a small scale, and generation of a report summarizing the results and their applications and pointing to future directions for development. Project activities were well adapted to the project purpose and the schedule was largely followed.