Eleftheria Sapountzaki: Enzymes for CO2 utilization

Eleftheria Sapountzaki focuses on developing enzyme-based processes to convert carbon dioxide into formic acid. The research explores sustainable pathways for CO₂ utilization and liquid hydrogen storage, contributing to reduced emissions and supporting the transition to a climate-neutral society.

Where do you come from? Where have you been?

I grew up in Heraklion, a city on the island of Crete, Greece. Both my family and environment made science and nature an important part of my life growing up. So, after high school, I moved to Athens to study chemical engineering, my initial motivation being to work with sustainable energy technologies. However, by the end of my studies biotechnology and microorganisms was what had drawn my interest, so that is what I decided I would like to work further on.

What brought you to Luleå University of Technology?

At the end of my master’s, I wanted to do my thesis abroad, to experience a different country and educational environment. I was interested in the field of biotechnology and bioprocess, and the relevant group from my home university was collaborating with Luleå University of Technology. So, it seemed like a great opportunity to work in research in Sweden and experience a new and quite extreme for me (at least at that point) place. After completing my master’s degree, there was a PhD project here which seemed very interesting, so I decided to apply.

What is your research contribution to Creaternity?

Reduction of CO2 emissions is a major target in our effort to mitigate climate change. That can be achieved, among other ways, by capturing and utilizing CO2, or by developing technologies related to green energy carriers, such as hydrogen. My research is focusing on developing a process to convert CO2 to formic acid using enzymes. Formic acid, apart from a useful chemical, is a liquid hydrogen carrier, which could be used to facilitate transport and storage of hydrogen. The reason why we are looking into enzymes for this conversion is because they operate at mild conditions, with high specificity, and could potentially provide an alternative to conventional chemical catalysts with lower environmental impact.

Why is Creaternity important?

It is important to have a network that can bring people together, encourage collaborations, and communicate what is happening in research in different fields. Also, zooming out of our focus and listening to other approaches and perspectives is valuable to broaden our scope and can lead to new ideas and synergies.

Where are you going?

There is still a lot to do within my PhD. After that, I want to continue working in a lab, doing research that can practically contribute to sustainability and learning more about bioprocesses.

• Contact: Eleftheria Sapountzaki