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Using Nature to Solve Man-made Problems

The alarming rise of polyethylene, the most common plastic, poses severe environmental challenges. Traditional degradation methods such as sunlight, moisture, and composting are insufficient. However, groundbreaking studies reveal that Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria can digest polyethylene, transforming it into biodegradable plastic. By reengineering these bacteria, we can potentially enhance degradation rates and even absorb CO2 emissions released during plastic breakdown. This innovative approach paves the way for sustainable solutions to combat pollution and mitigate climate change.

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Using Nature to Solve Man-made Problems

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  1. Using Nature to Solve Man-made Problems

  2. The Facts • Huge environmental problem • Polyethylene—most common plastic • Biodegradable plastic • CO2 emission • Traditional Methods of Degradation • Sunlight, moisure, oxygen, and composting

  3. Previous Studies • Convert polystyrene into a biodegradable plastic

  4. Previous Studies Sphingomonas bacteria and Pseudomonas eat polyethylene

  5. Previous Studies

  6. What We Could Do • Interesting • Scaling up • Increase the degradation rate • Address the CO2 emission problem • Safe • Basic research focusing on the biochemical pathway in Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria that help them eat plastic • Crazy • Reengineering Sphingomonas bacteria so they both degrade the plastic and take up the CO2 released during degradation

  7. Good IGEM Project? • Applicable • Borderlines Energy • Reasonable Size • Surprisingly Little has been done

  8. Sources • http://www.reusablebags.com/ • http://news.therecord.com/article/354044 • http://www.ucd.ie/cscb/main_pages/news/news010306.htm • http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5844268&page=1 • http://www.degradable.net/how/in_detail.shtml • http://genome.jgi-psf.org/draft_microbes/novar/novar.home.htm • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16649270

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