Pollution is a serious threat to our well being. More so, the rate at which pollutants are being produced versus the natural cycles that degrade them is increasing, disrupting the balance. With an ever increasing human population, one would only guess that the situation would get worse, unless countermeasures are adopted quickly.
We certainly aren’t pioneers in the concept of pollution control. Some basic steps involved in the same are the detection, capture/quantification, and consumption of pollutants. Technologies are presently available for each of the above. But if they were enough, there would be no point in embarking on this project!
With gEco, we’re pioneering in the design of practical solutions for pollution control. Firstly, our device combines all the basic steps into a single product, a feature not shared by many of its competitors in the market. Secondly, many current technologies, including synbio devices, are highly specific in their action, i.e., they target a single pollutant. gEco is far broader in its capabilities, being able to exploit its design to target multiple pollutants. Finally, not all technologies though useful, are practical. Take PTR-MS for example. Its bulk makes deployment difficult, while its high cost makes it inaccessible especially to developing countries, which would probably need it all the more. gEco will certainly be cheaper after mass production, moreover, its design is lightweight, highly portable, and aesthetic.
How is gEco able to achieve what would only be theory for several other devices? Much of the credit goes to miraculous micro-organisms. By harnessing their power of millions of years of evolution, coupled with a few months of ingenious genetic engineering, we’ve created an all encompassing anti-pollution device. Their effectiveness on a micro scale allows for the device to be compact – a wristband to be precise. This wristband is paper based. A layer of LB glycerol mixture (ratio standardized based on usage requirements) houses the engineered E.coli. A 0.2 micron filter paper covers this setup, permeable to atmospheric gases, but not the bacteria. The wristband is segmented, each segment providing a one-time use. Each wristband has E.coli genetically engineered to detect a pollutant specific to its particular promoter in the third module of the genetic circuit used.
On exposing the filter paper of a segment to pollutants along with some aqueous moisture, the cells activate, initiating the genetic circuit. Inspired by control systems engineering, gEco’s circuits utilize both: positive feedback loops to increase sensitivity and negative feedback loops to ensure stability, thereby ensuring the detection and capture of various toxic substances. This results in the expression of a blue chromoprotein proportional to the external pollutant concentration. Another yellow chromoprotein is expressed by default, and acts as a control for the number of live cells in the module. Together, they produce a color which can be compared to a standardized gradient scale from yellow (negligible pollutant concentration) to cyan (maximum pollution concentration). The co-culturing of these E.coli with naturally existing microbes (that can utilize these noxious substances) ensures their (toxic substances) consumption.
Once a paper strip has been exhausted, it can be incinerated to prevent contamination. By virtue of its design, gEco is designed to serve person who needs its services, without having to follow an instructions manual. User friendly and environment friendly, gEco is a unique product indeed!
