BIOFUEL PRODUCTION FROM SALINE CYANOBACTERIA Although microalgae provide excellent means of capturing sunlight and atmospheric carbon dioxide, impediments to their widespread utilization are the inability to grow algae in a sustainable manner without large inputs of freshwater and nutrients—and to economically separate valuable products. Our research aims to establish a path for the economic production of a biofuel (methane) and an extracellular bioproduct. It utilizes a remarkable cyanobacterium that eliminates the need for fresh water inputs or external addition of nitrogenous nutrients and avoids expensive purification methods for product recovery. The project is in collaboration with Professor Pratap Pullammanappallil of the UF Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department and Professor Edward J. Phlips of the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation.

Education

Ph.D., 1981, University of Minnesota (1982)

Research Areas

Bioenergy
Biological Wastewater Treatment

Awards & Distinctions

• Harry & Bertha Bernstein Professor of Chemical Engineering

Publications

• Effect of Protein Crude Extract on Oxic/Anoxic Diauxic Growth of a Nap-deficient Mutant of Paracoccus pantotrophus.  Yin, J, Stevenson, W, Guo, Z, Koopman, B, Svoronos, SA. J Bioremediat Biodegrad 7:367, http://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/effect-of-protein-crude-extract-on-oxicanoxic-diauxic-growth-of-a-napdeficientmutant-of-paracoccus-pantotrophus-2155-6199-1000367.php?aid=79997 (2016)
• Modeling of continuous self-classifying spiral jet mills part 1: Model structure and validation using mill experiments.  Starkey, D, Taylor, C, Morgan, N, Winston, K, Svoronos, S, Mecholsky ,J, Powers, K, Iacocca, R.  AIChE J 60:4086-4095 (2014)
• Modeling of continuous self-classifying spiral jet mills part 2: Powder-dependent parameters from characterization experiments.  Starkey, D, Taylor, C, Siddabathuni, ., Parikh, J, Svoronos, S, Mecholsky, J, Powers, K, Iacocca, R.  AIChE J 60:4096–4103 (2014)
• The Effect of Z-Ligustilide on the Mobility of Human Glioblastoma T98G Cells.  Yin, J, Wang, C, Mody, A, Bao, L, Hung, S-H, Svoronos, SA, Tseng Y.  PLOS ONE | http://www.plosone.org, 8,1-7 (2013)