Overview

Our project has many different aspects and we would like you to see them all. So you do not miss anything here is a brief overview to help you get orientated.

Plasticity

Our project has two parts.The first is the use of the waste material SRF to make the bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate. SRF stands for solid recovered fuel and is the the leftover material produced by recovery plants which sort through mixed material. SRF is a third mixed plastics and two thirds wood, paper and fibre. It is made of small remnants which can not be separated further by the recovery plants. Mixed waste like this cannot be recycled. This is where we come in; with our engineered microbes we are turning the plastic fraction into the valuable product ethylene glycol which we will separate off for sale. The remaining organic matter will be broken down into its constituents which can be used as a substrate for PHB production.

The second part focuses on the recycling of the important bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). This plastic is seeing increased interest due to its green credentials and potential in many different applications. Its share of the plastic market is predicted to increase rapidly over the coming years resulting in a need for responsible end of life solutions for what is left after use. We have devised a biological system of recycling to take care of this which breaks PHB down into its constituent monomers and then builds it back up again inside the cells of the microorganism. The system uses the broken down organic content of the SRF as an extra energy source to ensure that as much, if not more PHB is reproduced as was broken down.

Achievments

We have proven that MG1655 can live and flourish in SRF.

A Project for the World Today

We have consulted with many different people and organisations in the course of the project. All have helped shape what we have done. We have spoken to waste recovery companies, bioplastic producers and the waste management team for the Greater London Authority. This has ensured that we are producing an appropriate solution to a genuine problem in a commercially realistic way.

A Project for the World Tomorrow

Technologies change us and we change technologies. We have carefully considered how our system will be received and how it might change with the future needs of society.

Waste management requires more than technological solutions

Through discussions with social scientists and waste management legislators we have discovered that solutions to deal with waste after it has been produced are only part of the solution to the waste issue. This has led us to devise several methods by which we can communicate the need to reduce the production of waste in the first place.

Collaborations

We have collaborated with several different teams throughout the competition.