Team:DTU-Denmark

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== Requiem for a Stream ==
== Requiem for a Stream ==
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Global demand for fixed nitrogen has increased to the point that half the human population now relies on chemical fertilizer to grow their food. While fertilizer is a requirement for modern life, runoff from overfertilized farmland can cause eutrophication.  In the presence of abundant ammonia, algae overgrow and consume the much of the available oxygen in the water. This results in decreased biodiversity throughout the watershed.  Within Europe, 53% of lakes are eutrophic.  
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Our project removes ammonia from waste water, and via two ''E. coli'' mutants turns it into nitrous oxide.
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Using two E. coli mutants built with genes from Nitrosomonas europaea and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we provide a system to reverse nitrogen fixation.  Our mutants consume ammonia and produce nitrous oxide, releases a sustainable source of energy when decomposed into nitrogen and oxygen.  We also provide a prototype of a bioreactor that could be scaled up and deployed in the field to simultaneously clean the water and produce energy.
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Ammonia is a common pollutant in agricultural runoff, and excess ammonia in the environment leads to increased algae growth and eutrophication, which starves other water-borne organisms for oxygen. Our project reverses nitrogen fixation, and is a means to clean up polluted streams and wastewater.  The final product is nitrous oxide, which can be sold as an industrial product or reclaimed and used as a fuel source.

Revision as of 09:10, 29 September 2013

Requiem for a Stream

Our project removes ammonia from waste water, and via two E. coli mutants turns it into nitrous oxide.

Ammonia is a common pollutant in agricultural runoff, and excess ammonia in the environment leads to increased algae growth and eutrophication, which starves other water-borne organisms for oxygen. Our project reverses nitrogen fixation, and is a means to clean up polluted streams and wastewater. The final product is nitrous oxide, which can be sold as an industrial product or reclaimed and used as a fuel source.


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