Junior Research Group Pep2Rec

Pep2Rec is a junior research group focusing on the development of an innovative, peptide-based separation system for the recovery of palladium from the chemical-pharmaceutical industry. The aim is to separate palladium from complex synthesis mixtures using selective, high-affinity peptides that are immobilized on special membranes. Palladium is a critical raw material that has so far been difficult to recycle from such secondary raw material sources.

The research group emerged from the Helmholtz Young Investigators Group BioKollekt and benefits from many years of expertise in the biotechnological development of processes for raw material recovery. The group was established as part of the “Creative Young Researchers for the Bioeconomy” funding program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project supports the goals of the National Bioeconomy Strategy by developing innovative recycling approaches to close material cycles and thus contribute to resource efficiency and sustainability.

Research goals

• Development and implementation of a sustainable technology for the recovery of palladium from chemical synthesis processes
• Creation of a membrane system that acts as an efficient filter for palladium through palladium-binding peptides
• Reducing the environmental impact and increasing resource efficiency through biotechnological approaches
• Promotion of a sustainable circular economy in the field of critical raw materials
• Development of new peptide libraries to identify palladium-binding peptides in organic synthesis mixtures using advanced phage surface display (PSD) technologies
• Use of molecular dynamics simulations and AI-assisted design to optimize palladium-specific peptides
• Upscaling and biotechnological production of palladium-binding peptides from small laboratory quantities up to industrially usable volumes of 50 liters
• Development of peptide-functionalized membrane systems for efficient palladium recovery in real industrial processes
• Implementation of a comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the ecological and economic sustainability of the developed technologies

Team

• Dr. Nora Schönberger
• Head of the Pep2Rec group
• Expert in molecular biology and biochemistry, with a focus on the development of metal-binding peptides

• Angela Thewes
• Research Assistant
• responsible for peptide production and experiment execution

Three PhD students will be recruited to take on specific tasks in the context of peptide development, membrane system design and life cycle assessment.

Funding number: 031B1506