microbiology project proposal

8/14/2019 Microbiology Project Proposal

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Nabeel Mohammed and Harish Kumar

Department of Biotechnology

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Microbiology ProjectProposal


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Table of Contents


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Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators

Nabeel Mohammed ( BE12B017 )

Harish Kumar ( BS12B042 )

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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 andsynthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for

biodegradation and the mechanisms involved.

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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 problemsassociated with synthetic plastic waste.

This proposal is to investigate, identify and mass produce certain

bacteria which have shown a remarkable ability to degrade plastic.

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Introduction

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-

synthetic organic solids that are mouldable.

Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but

they often contain other substances.

They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from

petrochemicals, but many are partially natural.

With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure beingplaced 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 environmenthas 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.

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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 workingin 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.

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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 by-

products like PHA are isolated so that they can be used to subsidize

the cost of degradation.

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Methodology / Approach

Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics

have been carried out in order to overcome theenvironmental problems associated with synthetic plastic

waste.

Heating PET anaerobically yields terephthalic acid and asmall 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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Project Duration and Time Frame

Data Gathering Data Analysis Improvement Implementation

Input

Activities

Output

Bacteria Culture

templates

Testing cultures

on plastic agar.

Testing cultures

on TPA agar.

Results ofTesting were

recorded.

Project Plan

submission to

committee.

Recorded results

of testing

Analysis of:

Degradation

Byproducts

Bacteria Used

Detailed analysis and knowledgeof all Bacteria which degrade

plastics as well as their carbon

source.

Project Report submission to

committee.

Bacteria which are

capable of degradingplastics or terephthalic

acid.

Bacteria cultures and

catalysts capable ofdegrading plastics/TPA

efficiently obtained.

Progress Reports are

submitted monthly to

committee.

Bacteria cultures and

catalysts capable of

degrading Plastics or TPA

efficiently.

The Genomes for the bacteria

are sequenced and a suitablemethod 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 beendevised.

Project Completion Report is

submitted.

2m 1m 18m

Searching for catalysts

of the degradation

process.

Improving efficiency

through cross-breeding

and mutagenesis.

15m

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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 forundiscovered strains, in environments that naturally contain TA.

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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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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 sixweeks, 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 OConnor, Shane T. Kenny and

Jasmina Nikodinovic Runic.

3. Effect of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pseudomonas putidaand Sphingomonas macrogoltabiduson 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 BS12B042Students of Biological Engineering, Second Year

[email protected]

19Project Proposal

microbiology project proposal

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