Team:Berkeley

Many of the major advances in synthetic biology involve the ability to use microorganisms to synthesize compounds that are difficult or costly to produce chemically. Our team hopes to exploit this familiar application of synthetic biology for the production of indigo in E. Coli.

Indigo, the dye used to make blue jeans around the world, is produced in quantities of tens of thousands of tons every year. The chemical process involves converting vast quantities of aniline into indigo. Because indigo is extremely insoluble in water, this product must be reduced to leuco-indigo, a white soluble substance, using sodium dithionite. Upon immersing cotton in leuco-indigo and exposing the material to air, indigo reforms and binds to the cloth. The waste from this process is often discarded in large amounts, with significant environmental impact. Moreover, the process to produce analine uses a variety of hazardous chemicals including sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Our team explored biological production of indigo, biological alternatives to the current dyeing process, and potential industrial application of these alternatives.