Visit and Interview

Human Practice

• Questionnaire Survey
• Visit and Interview
• Practical Analysis
• Team Communication

In order to investigate the using and disposing of aromatic compounds in industry, the Peking 2013 iGEM team visited a printing factory that uses aromatic-containing ink. We also held a interview with professor XIE Shuguang from the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and discussed the aromatic pollution in China.

In August 1st, we visited a printing factory, which mainly prints newspaper and brochures. It was raining heavily outside, while it swelted inside the factory. Printing press was roaring, giving off heat.

Volatilization of toluene and xylene during ink-jetting process is the major source of aromatics pollution in this workshop, introduced the Manager.

The factory owns a Volatile Aromatic Hydrocarbons Content treatment device which cost millions of YUAN. The device contains an incinerator with automatic control system. Toluene and xylene volatilize from printer are collected and transported to the incinerator and then burnt steadily at 800 degree centigrade. Finally, the toluene and xylene are burnt into carbon dioxide and water and then emitted into atmosphere.

However, printing factories that can afford the expensive device, like the one we visited, are few. Therefore, economical and convenient biosensors and bioremediation reactors are very useful.

We held a interview with professor XIE Shuguang from the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and discussed the aromatic pollution in China.

We first talked about the emission of aromatic pollutants. As two essential solvent and lubricant of varnish and inks, toluene and xylene are common emissions from small printing workshops and varnish factories in China. Besides, aniline is discharged by dyeing mills in effluence. Waste water with aromatic compounds may leach into groundwater, run into the streams and be taken into human body. And the volatile aromatics may rise into atmosphere and then be absorbed into our body.

Then we discussed the need of biosensors. The most common way of aromatics detection is GC-MS (Gas chromatography and Mass spectrometry). On the one hand, sample handling for GC-MS is inconvenient. On the other hand, the expensive device is not available in rural areas in China. So it could be better to use biosensors that provide a simple and fast way to detect toxic aromatic compounds in many occasions.

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