Team:Amsterdam
We are running out of oil and the climate is changing drastically due to the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO 2 .
But what if CO 2 were a resource, rather than a wasteful pollutant; and might even replace oil?
Early attempts to achieve this have focused on producing sugars with plants, which are then subsequently fermented by bacteria to produce liquid fuels and other chemicals.
But there is a better way, where no arable land is needed and which is faster and more efficient. This is the way our team has chosen to go, using cyanobacteria to take up CO 2 and directly convert it into the valuable chemical FUMARATE
PROJECT
Fumarate is used to make certain plastics, food additives, and medicine and is currently made from petroleum. The global market size of fumarate is estimated to exceed $760 million by 2020!
We are 6 students from Amsterdam with a passion for creating a more sustainable future.
We joined iGEM because we did not just wanted to ‘do science’ but we wanted to reach out to society, learn about communicating our research, and work on a shared vision in a small dynamic team.
Guided by our fantastic supervisors, and owing to the generosity of our sponsors, we have managed to successfully conclude this challenging and incredibly rewarding project.
We want to especially thank the Molecular Microbial Physiology group at the University of Amsterdam who have welcomed us in their lab for the past 7 months.
