WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.604 --> 00:00:04.771
(upbeat techno music)
2
00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:18.770 line:15%
My name is Rajib Saha,
3
00:00:18.770 --> 00:00:21.450 line:15%
I'm an assistant professor from the Department
4
00:00:21.450 --> 00:00:23.090 line:15%
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
5
00:00:23.090 --> 00:00:25.330 line:15%
here at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
6
00:00:25.330 --> 00:00:26.980 line:15%
I'm Doctor Mark Wilkins.
7
00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:29.770 line:15%
I'm a professor in Biological Systems Engineering
8
00:00:29.770 --> 00:00:32.310 line:15%
and in Food Science and Technology.
9
00:00:32.310 --> 00:00:34.120
And then I also am the director
10
00:00:34.120 --> 00:00:36.470
of the Industrial Agricultural Products Center.
11
00:00:37.440 --> 00:00:39.440
Our project is to seek
12
00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:42.840
to produce succinic acid which is
13
00:00:43.830 --> 00:00:47.350
not only a food ingredient but it also can be
14
00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:49.740
used in plastics manufacturing
15
00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:51.470
and then other uses as well.
16
00:00:51.470 --> 00:00:53.590
We're trying to make that from corn fibers
17
00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:58.590
so, you know, a corn kernel mostly consists of starch.
18
00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:01.690
Also has some protein and oil
19
00:01:01.690 --> 00:01:04.540
but it also has fiber and right now the fiber
20
00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:06.420
is essentially fed to cattle
21
00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:08.870
and that's pretty much it's only use.
22
00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:12.830
So what we're trying to do is and value to that fiber
23
00:01:12.830 --> 00:01:15.293
by producing a really valuable product from it.
24
00:01:16.699 --> 00:01:21.699 line:15%
We are interested in converting low-value products like
25
00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:27.483 line:15%
corn stover into high-value products using microorganisms.
26
00:01:28.330 --> 00:01:32.850
Taking advantage of their biochemical capabilities.
27
00:01:32.850 --> 00:01:37.540
One example is the organism actinobacillus synagens
28
00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:40.820
which is isolated from the rumen of cattle.
29
00:01:40.820 --> 00:01:43.560
And we like that organism because it can use
30
00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:48.513
a variety of different sugars found in corn fiber.
31
00:01:50.690 --> 00:01:53.310
It will then convert that
32
00:01:53.310 --> 00:01:56.760
low-value product into a high-value product
33
00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:58.280
which is called succinate
34
00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:02.040
and succinate can be used for all kinds of things including
35
00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:04.780
bioplastics and a variety of chemicals
36
00:02:04.780 --> 00:02:06.530
can be made from succinate.
37
00:02:06.530 --> 00:02:09.520
And so actinobacillus synagens
38
00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:12.760
naturally produces a lot of succinate.
39
00:02:12.760 --> 00:02:16.090
In the lab, as it makes all that succinate,
40
00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.440
which is an acid, succinic acid,
41
00:02:18.440 --> 00:02:23.440
the PH of the media drops, drops a lot,
42
00:02:24.040 --> 00:02:26.930
to where the organism can no longer live.
43
00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:31.930
And so what we are working on in this lab is then
44
00:02:32.260 --> 00:02:34.740
giving the organism the ability
45
00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:37.080
to survive in that low PH
46
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:40.420
as it's making lots of succinate for us by
47
00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:45.230
engineering it to maintain its internal PH
48
00:02:45.230 --> 00:02:48.380
at a close to seven while its external PH
49
00:02:48.380 --> 00:02:50.030
can be down around four.
50
00:02:50.030 --> 00:02:54.023
And this is also very useful for downstream processing.
51
00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:00.710
We are entrusted to make
52
00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:05.310
process, or processes more efficient.
53
00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:08.340
In the future we don't want to limit ourself
54
00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:13.050
to a three liter, ten liter reactor, rather,
55
00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:16.100
we'd be happy to tie this project up
56
00:03:16.100 --> 00:03:20.500
with an existing facility, biochemical facility,
57
00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:25.010
so that we can produce succinic acid in higher quantity.
58
00:03:25.010 --> 00:03:27.880
Down the line, that's what I envision this project.
59
00:03:27.880 --> 00:03:31.047
(bright guitar music)