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Exploring Sustainable Production Solutions

Welcome to my research group committed to sustainable production solutions

Advancing Sustainable Production

My primary research focus lies in uncovering solutions for sustainable production processes. Often, a compound holds potential in various industrial contexts, ranging from pharmaceuticals to fine or bulk chemicals. However, harnessing its benefits is far from environmentally friendly. This prompts the vital question: "How can we generate this compound in a manner that is both economically efficient and environmentally conscious?" The answer isn't a singular solution; it involves exploring numerous avenues and methodologies.

The power of biotechnology

This is where biotechnology comes into play—an ideal launching point. Using enzymes as natural catalysts, we can drive reactions that might remain inaccessible via traditional chemical approaches. When these biocatalytic reactions interweave with other potent techniques, the result is a cascade effect, carrying immense potential for industrial applications.

Renewable resources and unconventional pathways

Within this framework, my research delves into producing bulk chemicals sourced from renewable resources. This may be achieved through whole-cell biocatalysis, involving the orchestration of multiple enzymes within a single cellular environment, or via finely tuned enzyme formulations. My team and I also explore the integration of biocatalysis with chemo- or electrocatalysis, unveiling more pathways for innovation. Additionally, my curiosity extends to the renewal of nicotinamide cofactors—integral to countless enzymatic redox reactions—significantly impacting cost-efficiency and efficacy in biotechnological applications.
 
Join Me on This Journey

Whether you're a fellow student eager for insights or a collaborator with shared interests, I invite you to embark on this research expedition alongside me. Together, we can unravel groundbreaking solutions that harmonize sustainable practices with cutting-edge science. 

Feel free to explore my work and reach out—let's pioneer the future of sustainable production together!

Projects

Team: Kadir, Mirsanan, Marija

Press releases: intern, extern

Many industrial process gases contain CO2, which is released into the atmosphere and has a lasting effect on our climate. The utilization of CO2 as a feedstock for biotechnological production processes therefore contributes decisively to the reduction of CO2 emissions. In this context, ReCO2NWert aims to biotechnologically convert unavoidable process gases for carbon fixation in industrially usable end products. This contributes to the transformation of the fossil-based chemical industry in and around the Rhenish mining area into a bio-based and more sustainable industry.

In the project, the purified flue gases from MVA Weisweiler are collected and converted with the help of microorganisms into industrial relevant products. The microorganisms can absorb CO2 and similar C1 gases and convert them into valuable products. These can be, e.g., alcohols which are used in the chemical industry to produce, e.g., plastics, or ingredients for cosmetic products. The project aims to establish a biotechnological platform technology to utilize carbon-rich industrial gases, which can be used for a variety of different flue gas streams and products in the future.

Our team focuses on the enzymatic upgrading of intermediates obtained from C1 fixation. We explore different enzymatic classes and biotransformation formats to produce products valuable to different industry partners. 

ReCO2NWert is funded by the BMBF as part of the structural change program (FKZ: 031B1503G).

Curriculum vitae

Carolin Mügge obtained diploma degree in Chemistry at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena in 2009. She embarked on her doctoral research at the same university, successfully completing her dissertation on "Metal Complexes with Sulfur Ligands as Cytotoxic Agents" in 2015. Throughout her studies and doctoral program, she received scholarships from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.

Following her doctoral degree, Carolin Mügge became postdoctoral researcher in the Microbial Biotechnology team (Jun.-Prof. Dr. R. Kourist) at RUB. She then took charge of the Junior Research Group ChemBioCat / Microbial Biotechnology in 2017. Currently, she serves as a scientific group leader in the Microbial Biotechnology research group headed by Dirk Tischler.

Carolin Mügge has participated in various professional development activities and research stays. She served as a guest researcher at University of Florence multiple times and also at Ruhr-Universität Bochum during her doctoral studies. She is a member of professional societies including DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V., Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie e.V. (VAAM), Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaften (DGF).

She actively engages in various committees and commissions at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, including the Equal Opportunity Commission and the University Commission for Diversity, Inclusion, and Talent Development. She is also a member of the Early Career Research Board at RUB Research School and the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Biology and Biochemistry. She contributes as a referee for journals with peer-review processes, including Frontiers in Microbiology, J. Biotechnology, Process Biochemistry, and MDPI Journals.