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Team:Groningen/Application
From 2009.igem.org
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===Water Cleaning=== | ===Water Cleaning=== | ||
| - | + | Bacteria which accumulate metal ions can be used to remove toxic metals or other contaminants from ground or surface water. This microbial [[https://2009.igem.org/Team:Groningen/Project/WholeSystem system]] is described for scavenging of arsenate, copper and zinc. | |
| + | An example where removal of arsenic from subsoil water by this organism could prevent serious poisoning of millions of people. In Bangladesh and other countries over ten million water pumps where installed, to improve personal hygiene but this raised a new problem. An unforeseen consequence was that because the groundwater level dropped dramatically the arsenic contamination in the groundwater, delivered by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, began oxidizing. This poisoned water may be absorbed by the bacteria and after filtering the bacteria out it can be used by individuals. | ||
===Sludge Cleaning=== | ===Sludge Cleaning=== | ||
Revision as of 14:52, 17 October 2009
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Modular System
The metal scavenger with a vertical gas drive is a modular system which contains five modules; the transporter, an accumulation protein, a regulated promoter, a regulator and the gas vesicle cluster. The transporter imports the metal ion of choice. An accumulation protein facilitates accumulation of metal ions and prevents the cell from dying of the metal toxicity. The imported metal ion also acts as a regulator for the metal sensitive promotor which activates the expression of the gvp-cluster. Thereby the recombinant bacterium, with this system, accumulates metal and upon accumulation starts to float which is convenient in bioremediation or mining
Application
Water Cleaning
Bacteria which accumulate metal ions can be used to remove toxic metals or other contaminants from ground or surface water. This microbial [system] is described for scavenging of arsenate, copper and zinc. An example where removal of arsenic from subsoil water by this organism could prevent serious poisoning of millions of people. In Bangladesh and other countries over ten million water pumps where installed, to improve personal hygiene but this raised a new problem. An unforeseen consequence was that because the groundwater level dropped dramatically the arsenic contamination in the groundwater, delivered by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, began oxidizing. This poisoned water may be absorbed by the bacteria and after filtering the bacteria out it can be used by individuals.
Sludge Cleaning
ur first goal is to create a bacterium that is able to absorb and encapsulate metals and that floats. In this way one would be able to separate the metals and the sediment. Simply put the bacteria and the sediment in large container stir them together and let the cleaned sediment sink and scoop of the floating metal filled bacteria. Such a purification plant would look similar like the sewage disposal plants that we use today. Simply inject the bacteria in the sediment, let the bacteria that are full of metals float to the surface and collect them further downstream with the help floaters which are now used to contain oil pollution in the sea.
Mining
Ethical concerns
Furthermore it should not be an environmental hazard by itself, but on the other hand it should be able to maintain itself for a period of time in order to be able to clean the water. Using a cleaning plant would prevent the spread of genetically modified bacteria in to the environment. Another possibility is the use of a self-destruction plasmid which induces cell death after a certain time.
