Cohort 4 Bioceb students participated and won first place at the French National Bio-Based Innovation Student Challenge (BISC-E) 2024. The “Biosurfers” team of cohort 4 Bioceb students from Track 4 and Track 5 ranked first place among the 5 teams in the French national round of BISC-E competition, held at Beauvais on the 4th of July 2024.
The team members of 6 include Carla Angeli Carlos Mendiola, Sajjad Malekzadeh, Raffi Shakhmuradian and Luisa Fernanda Tellez Olarte from Track 4, as well as Rangsimatiti Binda Saichompoo and Erick Vinicio Insuasti Cruz from Track 5. The origin of “Biosurfers” content is based on the Green Line Project topic of Track 4, which is “Innovative Production of Microbial Lipopeptides: Lichenysin from Modified Bacillus licheniformis Strain”.
This topic comes from a proposal of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège) based on the work of “TERRA Teaching and Research Centre” researchers who recently started a European project CBE on the subject. After a bibliographic study dedicated to the subject during the first semester in URCA (Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne), the team began the experimental part of this GLP during the second semester of the master. They worked with the bioreactors and equipments of the joint research unit SayFood (between AgroParisTech, INRAE and Université Paris-Saclay) under the supervision of associate professors and engineers from AgroParisTech. They will continue their experimental work as well as reinforce the techno-economical study and life cycle assessment at Gembloux in the next semester.
It is worth mentioning that several members of the team also took part in the Erasmus + project FOEBE(Fostering Entrepreneurship For The Bioeconomy), coordinated by AgroParisTech.
The winning journey told by the students:
The surfactant market is overflowing with pollution and environmental impacts deriving from its use of non-renewable raw materials and high CO2 emitting production processes. For this matter, Biosurfers focus on ‘biosurfactant’ production from organic waste streams. The most important consideration in this bio-based innovation is the vision of sustainability. Hence, one of our goals in this project is to introduce a process that is economically viable and creates less impacts for the environment.
The valorization of vinasse as an industrial side stream from bioethanol production industries is an opportunistic bridge to “Transforming waste into possibilities”, or to be specific, into lichenysin which is our solution. As a bio-based molecule with biosurfactant and biopesticides properties, lichenysin is a high value-added product with a specific niche market demand.
A challenge is that lichenysin is not easy to obtain and can be extremely expensive. Hence, this is where the genetically modified strain Bacillus licheniformis plays its crucial role in the optimization of lichenysin production. Moreover, our effort on the full optimization of every aspect of the project will further lay the groundwork for a more sustainable and effective process of this microbial lipopeptide production.
The first steps of the BISC-E competition started with the submission of an initial report explaining the technical, economic and environmental aspects of the innovation. As we reach the presentation date, the video below was included as a part of our impactful introduction to the audience:
YouTube link for video submission (with embedded subtitles):
YouTube link for video submission (without embedded subtitles)
As a result, we have been informed that we are one of the 2 out of 5 teams eligible for the French national round of BISC-E competition, held at Beauvais on Thursday the 4th of July 2024. In the event, Luisa, Carla and Raffi led the 15-minute presentation and discussion with confidence and grace, leading to the award of 1,000 euros and a ticket to the European finals of BISC-E 2024!
With infinite gratitude, the success from the hard work and effort of the Biosurfers team could not have happened without professional and kind supervision from professors; Philippe Jacques (ULiège), Ana Karen Sánchez-Castañeda (AgroParisTech), Claire Saulou-Bérion (AgroParisTech), Guillaume Deneyer (ULiège), Marwen Moussa (AgroParisTech), Sophie Landaud (AgroParisTech), and Ludovic Besaury (URCA). We could not express enough appreciation and acknowledgement!
We would also like to express our gratitude and acknowledgements to Bioeconomy For Change and Bio-Based Industries Consortium for hosting and providing this opportunity for all teams to learn, progress and be a part of the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in the Bio-Based Innovation Student Challenge (BISC-E) 2024.
The next milestone of the competition is to move on to the European Finals 2024, which will include winner teams from 17 different countries. Wish us Biosurfers the best of luck!
Updated September 2024