In vivo incorporation of organic DYE to ARTificially enhance photosynthetic efficiency in green algae and cyanobacteria

Thanks to a higher carbon dioxide fixation efficiency compared to terrestrial plants, microalgae can play a pivotal role in future low-carbon economy and their potential has attracted growing interest from both academia and industry for the development of Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies. DYE ART aims at the assessment of a promising new technology based on synthetic dye acting as artificial antenna systems in order to enhance the photosynthetic efficiency of both green algae and cyanobacteria. The ultimate goal is to overcome the current limitations of autotrophic growth of microalgae in photobioreactors in order to make microalgae-based biotechnology processes sustainable by reducing the carbon footprint while increasing the whole productivity. DYE ART integrates cutting-edge multidisciplinary expertise in the field of biology, biotechnology and photonics. It will in-depth characterize, verify and validate the artificial-antenna approach in two algal groups - ** green algae and cyanobacteria** - both of key importance for the development of a wide range of biotechnological processes and characterized by a different configuration of the light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes.

Founder: PRIN 2022 PNRR- Finanziato MUR e Next Generation EU