My Lab
Bio-Production Laboratory, Kobe University
Biorefinery Research for Bio-fuel and Chemical Production
Prof. Chiaki OGINO
The development of carbon recycling technology is required to prevent global warming. In
our laboratory, we are developing a technology to convert various biomass into biofuels and chemicals by
using microbial conversion. We are collaborating with researchers in Southeast Asian countries that have
abundant biomass, and proceeding the on-site production of target chemical and fuels from actual local
biomass.
[1] Ethanol/lactic acid production using gene modified yeast strains from Indonesia
We have succeeded in screening a yeast strain that produces a lot of ethanol from an Indonesian
microorganism culture collection. This yeast exhibited a strong resistance to various chemical compounds in
biomass that are considered as inhibitor for yeast fermentation potential for bioethanol production. In
addition, by re-programming this yeast to produce lactic acid, it is also possible to produce lactic acid,
which is a raw material for biodegradable plastics. Now, by introducing genome editing and metabolome
analysis technology, we are ongoing to breed next generation host strain to produce various kinds of
chemicals for chemical industry.
[2] Material production using wastewater fraction from the palm industry
The palm industry generates significant amounts of wastewater every day, and these are released into rivers
after simple water treatment. These wastewaters cause methane gas emissions and an increase in COD and BOD
in rivers, which are major environmental problems. We are focusing on palm wastewater as a raw material and
converting it into biofuels and chemicals. So far, we have established a method for converting wastewater
into biodiesel fuel. Currently, we are aiming to produce biodegradable materials.
Please visit our WEB site: http://www2.kobe-u.ac.jp/~akondo/en/