Team:Hong Kong HKU

Phosphate pollution in waterways and water treatment plants is a major environmental problem. Removal of phosphate from sewage is required to treat agricultural discharge to reduce eutrophication, algal bloom and “dead zones” in coastal marine ecosystems. The current methods, both biologically and chemically, involve the use of uncultivated bacteria or neutralising chemicals. However, they have an unsatisfactory efficiency and bring hazards to the environment.

The aim of this project is to remove or reduce the levels of inorganic phosphate (Pi) from a system by employing our engineered bacteria E. capsid, which is capable of non-reversibly accumulating phosphate in the form of polyphosphate in the cellular protein cage, Eut microcompartment (MCP). Furthermore, our project provides a novel way of recovering the accumulated polyphosphate, an energy-rich macromolecule that can be utilized as a substrate for industrial use, by genetically modifying the MCP’s surface.

As a whole, it suggests an environmental sustaining principle - “turning the harmful into beneficial”, which is to tackle the existing environmental issues.