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All these approaches have clear limitations. Therefore, there is the need for a commercially viable means of degrading PAHs in oil spills. Our approach offers a novel methodology for the degradation of multiple PAHs through the implementation of bacteria-derived pathways into E. coli. This methodology allows broad spectrum degradation of PAHs within an oil environment into safer residues.<br><br> | All these approaches have clear limitations. Therefore, there is the need for a commercially viable means of degrading PAHs in oil spills. Our approach offers a novel methodology for the degradation of multiple PAHs through the implementation of bacteria-derived pathways into E. coli. This methodology allows broad spectrum degradation of PAHs within an oil environment into safer residues.<br><br> | ||
To be able to degrade as many aromatic components as possible, our approach is to converge catabolic pathways and employ gene augmentation. This approach is possible because there are some intermediates that are common between pathways. To that end, we have cloned the genes upstream of the common intermediates of the phenanthrene and fluorene pathways and introduced them into a bacteria that would already have the ability to metabolize the downstream intermediates. In other words, the host strain already has a piece of the pathway, and by a process of engineering, we are augmenting its gene pool and thus its capacity of degradation. The advantage is that the product is universal meaning that it can degrade many chemical species of PAHs. | To be able to degrade as many aromatic components as possible, our approach is to converge catabolic pathways and employ gene augmentation. This approach is possible because there are some intermediates that are common between pathways. To that end, we have cloned the genes upstream of the common intermediates of the phenanthrene and fluorene pathways and introduced them into a bacteria that would already have the ability to metabolize the downstream intermediates. In other words, the host strain already has a piece of the pathway, and by a process of engineering, we are augmenting its gene pool and thus its capacity of degradation. The advantage is that the product is universal meaning that it can degrade many chemical species of PAHs. | ||
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+ | <h3>Applications of Designs in Commercial Settings | ||
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+ | <li One application can be administered in cities or local living areas by treating sewages with sophisticated sponge racks for contamination remediation that comes from asphalt runoff and may possibly contain harmful PAHs. /li> | ||
+ | <li Other sources of PAHs are derived from industry products such as dyes, plastics, and pesticides. Through weather or byproducts released from industrial companies, the harmful compounds may be released into streams, sewage water, and groundwater. The pump and treat methods we have created may then be implemented into efficient vat sites nearby to prevent the spread of these contaminating compounds. /li> | ||
+ | <li PAHs can also be produced from various vehicles, such as cars and buses, due to the burning of fossil fuels and will eventually end up in sewages, streams, biogeochemical cycles, and groundwater reservoirs. These detrimental compounds can then be pumped from the ground or other water sources and treated via our sponge vat method. /li> | ||
+ | <li Spills of crude oil, coal, coal tar pitch, creosote, and roofing tar that are deemed unusable can now be contained and treated through ex-situ methods in groundwater reservoirs and ocean spills. The general method being used today with leaked substances is to harvest them where possible and burn them for energy. However, this method is not the most beneficial as the majority of the oil will not be picked up and often ends up harming the ecosystem of the surrounding environment. /li> | ||
+ | <li Crude oil detoxification has been shown to be significantly improved by our bacteria through our results, exemplifying the practicality of our project design. /li> | ||
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</h6><h6 style="text-align:center">We have conducted a series of degradation experiments to measure the efficacy of the newly engineered strains containing optimized synthetic phenanthrene and fluorene degradation pathway, demonstrating the bacteria's ability to harness the PAHs as a carbon source and ultimately degrading the compounds. These bacteria can be incorporated in oil spill remediation and bioreactor use as commercial product, achieving detoxification through combinatorial genetic bioremediation. | </h6><h6 style="text-align:center">We have conducted a series of degradation experiments to measure the efficacy of the newly engineered strains containing optimized synthetic phenanthrene and fluorene degradation pathway, demonstrating the bacteria's ability to harness the PAHs as a carbon source and ultimately degrading the compounds. These bacteria can be incorporated in oil spill remediation and bioreactor use as commercial product, achieving detoxification through combinatorial genetic bioremediation. |
Revision as of 02:47, 2 November 2017