Chemical Engineering October 2014 - 16

ChementatoR
solar cell
(Continued from p. 14)
film solar cells.
Until now, scientists did not understand
the process by which those
perovskite materials convert sunlight
to electricity. The team achieved a
detailed understanding of that process
using femtosecond transient
optical spectroscopy on bilayers that
interface the perovskite with either
selective-electron or selective-hole
extraction materials. It discovered
that in those materials the electrons
generated by sunlight can travel
lengths of at least 100 nm. This will
allow making thicker solar cells that
absorb more light and that generate
more electricity. The properties
of these materials will allow making
Using algae to produce medium-chain-length fatty acids
S
cientists at Kao Corp. (KAO; Tokyo,
Japan; chemical.kao.com) have discovered
an enzyme that has the potential
for producing large quantities of
medium-chain (C12) fatty acids (FAs),
which are the main components of natural
oils, such as palm-kernel and coconut-palm
oils. Such FAs are precursors
to surfactants used in shampoos and
detergents. The discovery could lead to
an alternative route to such FAs, without
competing with natural, edible oils.
Since 2011, the company has been
working on alternative sources for
FAs at its Eco-Technology Research
Center (ETRC). The researchers surveyed
the composition of FAs produced
from more than 1,200 algae strains,
and identified several types that can
accumulate the C12 fatty acid, lauric
acid, up to 10 wt.% or more. The algae
Symbiodium sp., for example, has a
high production capacity for FAs. It
was shown that the amount of desired
FAs can be increased by optimizing
the environmental and cultivation
conditions, such as the carbon source
(glycerin) and nutrients (nitrogen and
lightweight, flexible solar cells on
plastic using inexpensive processes,
without sacrificing the good sunlight
conversion efficiency. Another benefit
of these materials is their ability to
exhibit different translucent colors,
such as red, yellow or brown, creating
new opportunities for architectural
design (that is, for incorporating solar
cells into building roofs and facades).
phosphorus). They also identified, for
the first time, the enzyme acyl ATP
thioesterase (TE), which determines
the chain length of FAs produced.
KAO has shown that the C12 FAs
produced by the algae are suitable for
products, such as cosmetics and supplements,
animal feedstuffs and biofuels.
Further work is now being done
to optimize the strain selection and to
develop an extraction process for the
commercial application of algae-based
FAs, which the company says will be
established by 2020.
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Chemical Engineering October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering October 2014