Part1. Interview record

Date：September. 15, 9 am.

Location：China Steel meeting room

CSC： What is the adaptability of E. coli for the corporate? Do you have any doubt about the actual application?

It can be explained from the following points:

1. Concentration:

Bacteria can tolerate the increase of CO₂ concentration. However, there is limit in the input, and our team is targeting this system.

A shunt is designed to slow down the rate of input to enter the bacteria rapidly.

2. Temperature:

In this system, 42 degrees Celsius is our limit, and we need to overcome by technology in the high temperature.

The problem is that our team will lower the temperature through other devices.

3. Waste:

Our team solves the problem of waste by recycling and filtering out.

CSC ：From the perspective of the company, how much additional benefit can it bring to the output value of the products in their downstream of system?

At present, the product of downstream in our system is glutamine, why we choose is because glutamine is accessible and easy to operate for us. Its additional benefit refers to the different application. Take the market value of glutamine as example, the additional benefit can reach 10 times larger of the E. coli culture cost, ignoring the fixed cost of the whole system.

Besides, E. coli was regarded as high potential species to produce all kinds of protein. Including essential amino acid that cannot be synthesized by organism, or forage for stock farmer. Therefore, our system has high potential output value to bring great additional benefit.

CSC：China Steel is the second largest carbon consumer in our country. It needs two-thirds of Taiwan's area to balance one-tenth of the current emissions. In practice, it is still too far away. Is it possible to match the materials with 3D layout?

We want to save the space and culture in high density concentration:

1. Reduce the volume of culture material
2. Stacking the bioreactors

CSC： How to deal with the waste of this system? Is there a problem with super Cryptococcus neoformans?

The protein needs to be separated before produced. At the same time,this process will produce the bio-waste. The special process is high temperature and high pressure. It can be used in the factory's original waste system under the high temperature and high pressure environment.

We use the general strains, and there is no possibility of mutations. In addition, with the monitoring of environmental, the probability of mutation is greatly reduced to reach biosafety.

CSC position description：

Algae is one of the implementation of the CCS plan, and they always want to build a multi-system. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, what we proposed was a one more choice for them and they were glad to hear that E. coli and contribute to CCS&U (Carbon Capture Storage and Utilization).

Part2. Customer demand investigation

1. The research and development of new technologies, which level will be considered to mature and worthy investing specifically?

There are three conditions:

1) Feasibility of laboratory technology: It’s ok with technical confirmation.

2) Feasibility of engineering: It’s feasible under engineering equipment construction, application of space and on-site environmental conditions.

3) Feasibility of economic: total cost (input, output) must be positive benefits.

2. There is a problem of limited space in Taiwan, how much space did we need to reduce at least in the enterprise?

This proposition should be how much CO₂ the technology can absorb per unit area. Based on this basis, Industrial will evaluate the existing space of the factory, consider how much CO₂ can be absorbed, investment cost of equipment, the amount of CO₂ that can be reduced, and calculate the input and output to evaluate whether there is positive benefit.

3. We will consider the secondary cost of waste disposal, just like the application of your company unit in basic-oxygen-furnace slag, will you consider the cost of waste recycling be beneficial? Or is there a problem caused by China Steel and secondary pollution?

This part cannot be provided due to operational confidentiality. It is recommended that this proposition should be turned into be directly used as a marketable product. The cost of the resource should be assessed by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a whole.

4. Since our project is facing the problem about the higher cost of culture medium, we would like to ask you about the benefit of carbon fixation and cost of carbon fixation method.

The cost of carbon fixation depends on the carbon capture and storage methods used. For example, the calcium circuit developed by the Industrial Research Institute is used to capture carbon. The recent cost of carbon capture is intended to be reduced to US$30 per ton, and US$10 per ton of geological storage is required. Competition between carbon capture methods can be assessed by cost and overall utilization of reuse.

5. Regarding the part of industry-university cooperation, I would like to ask why China Steel chose to cooperate with Annan Campus in NCKU for microalgae carbon fixation.

When the former academic research unit strives for the NEP project (National Energy Program), the technology that the audited authority usually requires that project must be adopted by the industry. Therefore, both the academic research center and the industry usually sign the cooperation letter of intent for review. For China Steel, it is willing to support the academic research community to conduct forward-looking technical research with national resources to provide the technical information needed to evaluate feasibility.

6. The medium we need will still consume energy in the process of preparation, and it may cause carbon emissions simultaneously. We wonder how to regard upon overall carbon footprint may be increased from the perspective of enterprise.

If the overall footprint of the carbon fixation process developed may be positive (increased), in general, from the perspective of carbon reduction within the enterprise, there is no possibility of application. If the derived external carbon reduction benefit is greater than the internal carbon loss, it proves to have a positive net benefit to the environment. As long as it meets the feasibility of engineering and economic, the enterprise is willing to adopt it.

7. Research on carbon fixation, what is the driving force for China Steel in addition to economic benefits?

Regulatory requirements, corporate identity and social responsibility.

Part3. Picture Record