This figure illustrates the connections between cellular processes and engineered systems for the photosynthetic bio-refinery.
Figure 1. The photosynthetic biorefinery.
Photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a carbon source and sunlight as the energy source to drive the reduction of CO2 into energy-rich molecules, which can be subsequently converted to fuels, chemicals, and bio-products.
Cellular processes are harnesses, controlled, and intensified within an engineered system.
Life cycle analysis addresses the sustainability of the engineered system from environmental and ecological perspectives.