The magic of yeast, membranes, and thermal processes

Päivi Ylitervo started her research journey in 2009 as a doctoral student in biotechnology when she investigated encapsulated yeast and membrane bioreactors for the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic materials. Her work has since expanded to include research on biogas production, wood ash utilization, and more recently, CO₂ capture and treatment of wastewater using algae, as well as pyrolysis of biomass, including sewage sludge, algae, wood, and even plastics. 

“After completing my PhD, I worked for a short time as a postdoc before taking on the role as the coordinator for the Energy Engineering Programme. During this time, I shifted my research focus towards energy and thermal processes related areas and joined the energy research group. The research group Sustainable Energy and Thermal Processes had some interesting projects and gradually I became more and more involved in that group,” said Päivi Ylitervo, recalling how she came to change career tracks.  

During her lecture on 6 December, she will speak about the use of waste streams for sustainable product development and illustrate how her research has developed in different areas of biotechnology and energy.

“I'm pleased that I've worked in different areas and now I am happy that I am working in this one.  The most exciting thing about doing research is having an idea and testing it. It doesn't always turn out as you imagined, but you always learn something that can then be applied to something else,” said Päivi Ylitervo. 

What would you do if you received unlimited research funding?

“I work with biochar from sewage sludge. When you activate biochar, you can adsorb different substances in the biochar– carbon dioxide, of course – but also nitrogen. When it comes to algae, I would like to try scaling up our small lab farms with larger amounts of wastewater from Borås. I would also like to look more at whether it is possible to extract biopolymers and lipids from the algae we have grown and see if it is possible to use the residues as soil amendments. How would it work to grow vegetables with it? Or could solar-powered membrane technology be used to remove microplastics or excess algae from the sea?”

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Päivi Ylitervo's Researcher Profile
The lecture The magic of yeast, membranes, and thermal processes