Electro-Bio Carbon Utilization Engineering

3 units

This course introduces chemical engineering approaches to converting captured CO2 into fuels, chemicals, and materials by integrating electrocatalysis with biomanufacturing. Students learn the end-to-end process logic for carbon-to-products systems: CO2 capture and purification; electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) and reactor design; biological carbon assimilation via fermentation and synthetic/metabolic engineering; and downstream separations and process integration. The course emphasizes process thinking and decision-making using technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), including how cost, energy intensity, scale, and supply-chain constraints shape viable pathways. A recurring case study anchors discussion (e.g., commercial bioethanol as a baseline, then redesigned to CO2-enabled electro-bio manufacturing), and guest lectures highlight current CURB-relevant research and translation considerations, including societal adoption factors that influence deployment.