The social and environmental issues

This year we are concerned about the development and utilization of Enteromorpha. We have a full investigation of the background of the project: including the cause of the Enteromorpha outbreak, the situation of Enteromorpha utilization. In the social research, we examined the local people's understanding of the current situation of Enteromorpha's outbreak. We also went to The First Institute of Oceanography,SOA, Qingdao Winsea Group and other places for field study. At the Institute of Oceanography, we detailed knowledge of the causes of the outbreak of Enteromorpha and its influencing factors. In the Qingdao Winsea Group, we worked as volunteers in the processing workshop of the Enteromorpha to learn about the complete process of processing.

Comprehensive status

Through the investigation, we know that the cause of the outbreak of local Enteromorpha in Qingdao is mainly the aquaculture of coastal aquaculture farms and the excessive discharge of aquaculture waste water, resulting in a large number of Enteromorpha growth, so as the current floating along the coast of Qingdao. At present, Enteromorpha's annual salvage volume of 70000 tons, the annual number of slightly floating, when the overall number remains high. After the recovery, Enteromorpha after the drying, crushing and other roughing process, grinding into powder. The utilization of the plant was mainly to extract the polysaccharides from Enteromorpha, and some of the residual algae residue was processed to the fertilizer for soil improvement. Generally speaking, the utilization rate of Enteromorpha is lower, and only a few are exploited.

Causes of Enteromorpha's outbreak

The Enteromorpha of Qingdao coastal area is mainly from the northern Jiangsu Shoal, a large number of floating Enteromorpha from south to north floating to the Yellow Sea coast.

It is related to local environmental characteristics and a large number of local aquaculture rafts.

Enteromorpha drift 10 kilometers a day or so. The main reasons affecting the growth distribution of Enteromorpha include the following: the effects of other algae on its growth, water temperature, salinity and nutrients in Qingdao sea area.

Monitoring, forecast and control of Enteromorpha

The North Sea Forecast center of SOA monitors the distribution of Enteromorpha in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea by means of satellite remote sensing. June 28, 2017 monitoring data show that the green tide distribution area of about 20,000 square kilometers, covering an area of about 187 square kilometers.

After summarizing all the monitoring information, combining the waters of the green tide and the sea surface wind that may affect the sea area, the integrated data of ocean currents and waves, using the self-developed green Tide patch drift model, with the support of supercomputer, fine-grained prediction of the direction, location and influence of the green tide drift, can obtain the time-shift information of the green tide patches in the next 72 hours. , draw the green Tide Drift forecast map, and notify the forecast warning information.

Utilization status of Enteromorpha

The company salvage the floating algae in the ocean, and the annual salvage period begins in June and ends in August. The salvage volume is about 70000 tons. The company has mature and complete processing system of Enteromorpha.

In the factory, Enteromorpha must be deal in a timely manner, due to a lot of daily salvage mustn’t be stored in the factory, so every day the factory will quickly deal with a large number of Enteromorpha, made different levels of Enteromorpha.

It is mainly used as feed to add and extract the humose monosaccharide. And we know that Enteromorpha powder can also be used for the make of soil conditioner, modified for acid soil, and optimize the structure of soil, used in the production of green agriculture.

Investigate the people's awareness of the eruption of Enteromorpha

We distribute questionnaires in Qingdao coastal tourist areas, interview the masses, and design network questionnaires. Through the network questionnaire and the results of the offline questionnaire statistics, we found that the masses of the Enteromorpha is very low understanding of the level. The masses believe that the eruption of Enteromorpha has some influence on marine organism, water quality, ecological landscape and tourism development.

People expect to realize the efficient utilization of Enteromorpha.

We have collected 658 questionnaires.

Feasibility analysis,improvement and promotion of project

The feasibility of project implementation was analyzed through investigation. Our human practice works were analyzed and fed back to lab to improve our project.

At the beginning, we initially conceived the use of engineering bacteria to convert cellulose and hemicellulose from Enteromorpha to ethanol, and to express cellulase and hemicellulose by surface display system. At the end of February 2017, we took our initial project design to Beijing Huagong University, Beijing, to visit Professor Fan Lihai, who worked for many years on the utilize of cellulose by yeasts. After discussion, we found that if only one engineered bacterium was used to degrade cellulose, hemicellulose, and then direct conversion of ethanol, the metabolic burden of yeast would be very large, and the efficiency of cellulose degradation would be very low.

So we go back to school and readjust our project design, we decided to divide the whole process into two parts, using enzymes to process the cellulose and hemicellulose in the Enteromorpha, producing the cellubiose and xylose, and then producing ethanol from the engineering bacteria using cellubiose and xylose.

By referring to the literature, we identified 4 enzymes that we used in the final process: β-1, 4-Nechemu, β-glycoside, β-dextran, inner β-dextran enzyme.

Combination with real energy production

We went to the Qingdao Winsea Group Headquarters and their technicians evaluate our project: the development and utilization of algae residue.

Ethanol was produced by fermentation of cellulose and hemicellulose from algae residue.

We went to the Qingdao Winsea Group Jiaozhou Industrial Base, as volunteers, we learn the entire industrial production process (involving the company confidential part does not allow photo records), and visited the Qingdao Winsea Group's product workshop.

The group's technical staff introduced us to the group's main industries: the utilization of Enteromorpha's polysaccharide.

For our project, the group's research and development staff gave the suggestion of a factory-developed biological treatment program, from algae residue processing to ethanol production. Factory production needs to explore the strict fermentation conditions, as well as the domestication of engineering bacteria and so on.

At the same time, we introduce the development trend of Enteromorpha, the refinement of the use of the ingredients in Enteromorpha， the development of higher-value products, promotion to the market.

We have established a long term relationship with Qingdao Winsea Group and look forward to the future of our projects can be used in factory production!

Research and publicity work

In order to let more people understand our projects and synthetic biology, we have conducted a full research and publicity work!

We investigate the impact of the eruption of Enteromorpha on tourism and ecological landscape in Qingdao. By consulting the literature, as well as carry-ing out social investigation and visit to the coastal tourist scenic spot in Qingdao, to the social masses for popular science.

We produce brochures to educate the public on the current situation of Enteromorpha in Qingdao, and establish correct cognition for the people.

At the same time, we call on the public to protect the water, the green environ-mentally sustainable ecological concept, advocating the utilization of Enteromorpha. Establish the correct cognition, let the people participate in the work that the Enteromorpha salvage and govern.

What’s more, we introduce synthetic biology to the public, and let more people know about synthetic biology, and realize that we can use synthetic biology to solve real problems in our lives.

The first three pictures is for us to all ages, each occupation's dissemination of science popularization brochure, carries on the propaganda science populariza-tion.

The last picture is about coastal intertidal zone of the collection of Enteromorpha.