Cyanobacteria in Biotechnology

This book provides a comprehensive and authoritative review of cyanobacteria and their applications as solar cell factories. Cyanobacteria are able to perform oxygenic photosynthesis and they are utilized in many different bioprocesses. The book covers two major aspects of a cyano-based bioprocess: the biological whole-cell catalyst and the technical environment in which the catalyst is applied. In the biocatalyst itself electron and carbon flow play an essential role for the performance of the cell and need to be tackled likewise for successful biocatalyst development. In the first chapters of this volume, cyanobacterial biotechnology and the fundamentals of cyanobacterial bioenergetics are introduced followed by an overview on tools and strategies for cyanobacteria engineering. Further on, examples of applications, engineering and production of different industrially relevant compounds in these organisms are provided, and finally process technology specific for cyanobacteria is covered.

In this book, particular attention is given to topics such as cyanobacterial bioenergetics, metabolic engineering design strategies, utilizing cyanobacteria in biophotovoltaics, and production of pigments as well as photobiohydrogen in cyanobacteria, among others.

This book will provide interested students and researchers in the area of photo-biotechnology with a deeper understanding of the cyanobacterial cell-factory, including the latest innovations and persistent challenges in the field.