Our Solution
Cyanobacteria are a type of microorganisms that have the ability to produce oxygen through photosynthesis. They were one of the first organisms to ever exist on Earth! They started out in the ocean but are now one of the most widespread type of algae, with over 2000 species in 150 genera. Alcanivorax borkumensis is a small bacterium that has the ability to feed on hydrocarbons and alkanes. Meaning, it can degrade petroleum, breaking it down in non-toxic components. This organism naturally occurs near oil spills or large quantities of petroleum. This year, our team designed a project centred around the idea of giving cyanobacteria the ability of A. borkumensis’s. This way we could fight water pollution with an organism that can produce oxygen as well as degrade petroleum.
Goals
Even though we firmly believe our project has the potential to be useful at large, we focused on a smaller scale: lake pollution. While it might be easier to tackle, it’s not any less important. Through our ideas, designs, concepts, and data we gathered, one day, we hope to see engineered cyanobacteria helping to achieve a greener future.
