BioAIUnlock: Identification of stress-resistant anaerobic microorganisms to unleash the potential of lignocellulosic biomass in future biorefineries

In the rapidly changing international context, advancing Sweden towards a sustainable, fossil-free future is imperative.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of lignocellulosic biomass, key for biorefineries, enables the production of chemicals like fatty acids, alcohols, hydrogen, and biomethane.

The potential of lignocellulosic materials for AD is underexploited due to their recalcitrant structure and low nutrient levels.

Strategies like pre-treatment and co-digestion have been explored to boost AD efficiency but often introduce inhibitors like humic acids and ammonia, impacting microbial performance.Emerging research suggests microbial communities´ capacity to adapt to these inhibitors, highlighting the importance of understanding microbial resilience for optimizing lignocellulose conversion.

Enhancing work by the collaborated groups, this project introduces a novel Isotopic Meta-Omics and ML pipeline fusion to analyze AD microbial and enzyme communities, uncovering unique insights into stress tolerance mechanisms.This project aims to use these tools to identify resilient lignocellulolytic communities and enzymes, enhancing lignocellulose degradation through enrichment and bioaugmentation, in collaboration with industry.

By deepening our understanding of AD processes and microbial adaptation, this project has great potential to improve biorefinery operations and strengthen collaborations, propelling Sweden closer to energy and chemicals independence and resilience.