Harnessing biodegradable plastics from microalgae cultivated on recalcitrant waste streams

利用在顽固废物流上培养的微藻制成的可生物降解塑料

• 批准号: 506833-2017
• 负责人: Bassi, Amarjeet
• 金额: $ 10.49万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects - Group
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=693579
• 关键词: Harnessing; biodegradable; plastics; microalgae; cultivated

Approximately 300 million tons of plastics are produced annually on a global scale. Only a fraction of these plastics are recycled and a much larger amount ends up as waste. Plastics in landfills, in water resources, lakes, rivers, and oceans are a serious and growing issue. Of particular concern are micro-plastics (particles of plastic less than 5 mm in diameter), which can be ingested by marine organisms, endangering their life and leading to various downstream environmental problems. In Canada, around 150 billion litres of untreated or under-treated wastewater are introduced into Canadian waterways. The discharge of wastewater into the environment is one of the major causes of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can have toxic effects on humans, fish, and waterways and economic losses in hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The overall objectives of this strategic grant are to develop new strategies for harvesting biodegradable plastics from microalgae cultivated on wastewater streams, thus, addressing two serious environmental issues simultaneously. Specifically, in this research, (a) we investigate the production of bio-composite plastics from algae ( which are cultured on effluents from a dairy farm); (b) we investigate the expression of the monomer itaconic acid in microalgal-based expression systems; and (3) we evaluate the development of new approaches to use itaconic acid produced from genetically modifed algae grown on farm effluent streams for the preparation of new biodegradable polymers. We work closely in this research project with a large, local dairy farm, utilizing effluent streams from aerobic and anaerobic digesters as substrates for microalgal bioplastics. The research using recombinant microalgae to harvest algal-fiber composites and itaconic acid and ultimately produce biodegradable segments in conventional plastics will lead to economically competitive bio-products which will benefit society, the environment and the economy. The proposed research will lead to new opportunities to develop the rural economy and also train highly qualified personnel in these fields.

每年在全球范围内生产约3亿吨塑料。这些塑料中只有一小部分是回收的，而大量的塑料作为废物最终。垃圾填埋场，水资源，湖泊，河流和海洋中的塑料是一个严重且日益严重的问题。特别令人担忧的是微型塑料（直径小于5 mm的塑料颗粒），可以被海洋生物摄入，危害其生命并导致各种下游环境问题。 在加拿大，将大约1500亿升未经处理或未经处理的废水引入加拿大水道。 废水进入环境是有害藻华（HAB）的主要原因之一，该原因可能对人类，鱼类和水道以及每年数亿美元的经济损失产生有毒作用。该战略赠款的总体目标是制定新的策略，以从废水流中种植的微藻收集可生物降解的塑料，因此同时解决了两个严重的环境问题。具体而言，在这项研究中，（a）我们研究了藻类（藻类是在奶牛场的废水中培养的）生物复合塑料的产生； （b）我们研究了基于微藻的表达系统中单体Itaconic酸的表达； （3）我们评估了使用在农场废水流中生长的转基因藻类产生的新方法的开发，以制备新的可生物降解聚合物。我们在该研究项目中与一个大型的当地奶牛场密切合作，利用有氧和厌氧消化剂的废水流作为微藻生物塑料的底物。使用重组微藻收集藻类纤维复合材料和Itaconic酸的研究，并最终在常规塑料中产生可生物降解的片段，将导致经济上具有竞争力的生物产物，从而使社会，环境和经济受益。拟议的研究将为发展农村经济发展，并在这些领域培训高素质的人员。