Microbiology Project Proposal

Nabeel Mohammed and Harish Kumar

Department of Biotechnology

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Table of Contents

Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators

Nabeel Mohammed ( BE12B017 ) Harish Kumar ( BS12B042 )

Project Proposal

Abstract of Proposal
With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure being placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has assumed increasing importance in the last few years. Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegradation and the mechanisms involved.

Project Proposal

Abstract of Proposal
This requires understanding of the interactions between materials and microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved. Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. This proposal is to investigate, identify and mass produce certain bacteria which have shown a remarkable ability to degrade plastic.

Project Proposal

Introduction
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic synthetic organic solids that are mouldable.

or semi-

Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly petrochemicals, but many are partially natural. derived from

With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure being placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has assumed increasing importance in the last few years.
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Introduction
Lack of degradability and the closing of landfill sites as well as growing water and land pollution problems have led to concern about plastics. Awareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new interest in the area of degradable polymers. Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated.

Project Proposal

Aims and Objectives of Study

To consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegradation of plastics and the mechanisms involved. To identify pure cultures or cultures of bacteria in a medium working in tandem capable of degrading plastics and other polymers at hyperaccelerated rates. Once a culture is identified, research and experiments must be performed to improve the rate of degradation of the plastics.

Project Proposal

Aims and Objectives of Study

Then, a suitable cost-effective means of manufacturing the culture in large amounts must be devised. After that, processes must be devised to ensure that useful byproducts like PHA are isolated so that they can be used to subsidize the cost of degradation.

Project Proposal

Methodology / Approach
Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. Heating PET anaerobically yields terephthalic acid and a small amount of oil and gas. Several bacteria thrive in terephthalic acid. Thus, a suitable bacteria which decomposes terephthalic acid into harmless byproducts could be discovered.
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Methodology / Approach
A suitable medium consisting of terephthalic acid conc. below 500 mg/L is fed into a digester and a suitable culture is inoculated while another digester is kept as control. The ratio of COD:N:P is kept 200:5:1. The overnight gas production is measured in both digesters and TPA is tested by UV photometer at 240nm after chromatographic separation. Once an efficient culture is obtained, standard mutagenesis procedures are followed to obtain a faster and more efficient culture as opposed wild strain.

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Project Duration and Time Frame

Data Gathering
2m

Data Analysis
1m

Improvement
18m

Implementation
15m

Input

Bacteria Culture templates

Recorded results of testing

Bacteria which are capable of degrading plastics or terephthalic acid.

Bacteria cultures and catalysts capable of degrading Plastics or TPA efficiently.

Activities

Testing cultures on plastic agar. Testing cultures on TPA agar.

Analysis of: Degradation Byproducts Bacteria Used

Searching for catalysts of the degradation process. Improving efficiency through cross-breeding and mutagenesis.

The Genomes for the bacteria are sequenced and a suitable method of mass producing the bacteria is identified. Industrial methods are devised to improve cost efficiency of the process. A cost-effective solution to plastic degradation has been devised. Project Completion Report is submitted.

Results of Testing were recorded. Project Plan submission to committee.

Detailed analysis and knowledge of all Bacteria which degrade plastics as well as their carbon source. Project Report submission to committee.

Bacteria cultures and catalysts capable of degrading plastics/TPA efficiently obtained. Progress Reports are submitted monthly to committee.

Output

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Budget

Non-recurring Expenditures:- 30 lakhs

Digesters Photometers Chromatographic Seperator

Recurring Expenditures:- 40 lakhs.

Staff TPA Glucose Base Cultures

Contingency for Unexpected Events:- 30 lakhs. Total Budget:- 1 crore

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Status of Research at International Level

Kevin O'Connor, University College Dublin, Ireland: Recycling process simply converts the low value PET bottles into more PET. They wanted to see if they could turn the plastic into something of higher value in an environmentally friendly way. They knew that some bacteria can grow and thrive on TA, and that other bacteria produce a high-value biodegradable plastic PHA when stressed. His team studied cultures from around the world known to grow on TA, but none produced PHA. So they decided to look for undiscovered strains, in environments that naturally contain TA.

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Status of Research at International Level

Analysing soil bacteria from a PET bottle processing plant yielded 32 colonies that could survive in the lab using TA as their only energy source. On screening each culture for PHA, three cultures, all similar to known strains of Pseudomonas accumulated detectable quantities of the valuable plastic.

Daniel Burd, Grade 11, Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Ottawa, Canada: Daniel knew that plastic, one of the most indestructible of manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose. This means there must be microorganisms out there to do the decomposing.

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Status of Research at International Level

He wondered if these microbes could be bred to do the job faster. He put this to the test with a very simple and clever process of immersing ground plastic in a yeast solution that encourages microbial growth, and then isolating the most productive organisms. The preliminary results were encouraging, so he kept at it, selecting out the most effective strains and interbreeding them. After several weeks of tweaking and optimizing temperatures Burd was achieved a 43 percent degradation of plastic in six weeks, an almost inconceivable accomplishment.

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Deliverables and Beneficiaries of Project

Deliverables:-

Project Design Document Project Plan Monthly Progress Reports Project Completion Report

Beneficiaries:-

Project Committee Chennai Corporation Society

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Publications relevant to Proposal

1. Burd Report by Daniel Burd 2. The conversion of waste PET plastic to a high value added biodegradable plastic by Dr. Kevin O Connor, Shane T. Kenny and Jasmina Nikodinovic Runic. 3. Effect of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pseudomonas putida and Sphingomonas macrogoltabidus on the Degradation of HDPE Plastic with Chemical, UV, and Thermal Pre-treatments by Cara Broshkevitch, Anne Richards, and Jacqueline Curley. 4. Biological degradation of plastics: A comprehensive review by Aamer Ali Shah, Fariha Hasan, Abdul Hameed and Safia Ahmed. 5. Mechanistic implications of plastic degradation by Baljit Singh and Nisha Sharma. All relevant publications are attached to document.
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Thank You
Nabeel Mohammed and Harish Kumar BE12B017 and BS12B042 Students of Biological Engineering, Second Year nabeelfrom95@gmail.com
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