Overview
Our project utilizes synthetic biology methods, based on the bacteria-algae interaction mechanism, to address water pollution issues. The project comprises practical, modeling, and hardware components, each with clear objectives and innovative aspects. A brief overview is as follows:
1.Public Awareness and Community Outreach: Through methods such as science popularization and community lectures, we aim to enhance public awareness and interest in the fields of synthetic biology, microalgae, microplastic remediation, and bioremediation, fostering ecological conservation consciousness.
2.Data Support and Decision Reference: We employ bibliometric analysis, water quality assessment and prediction, as well as sentiment analysis of surveys, to provide data support and decision references to governments and relevant agencies. We offer novel insights into wastewater treatment and environmental protection.
3.Precise and Efficient Microbial Cultivation: Utilizing hardware tools such as microbial encapsulation devices, flow-through microbial immobilization wastewater treatment units, and microbial photoreactors, we offer precise and efficient solutions for microbial cultivation. This not only enhances productivity and reduces costs but also safeguards the environment.
4.Pollutant Removal and Knowledge Transfer: By combining synthetic biology techniques with the bacteria-algae interaction system, we effectively remove substances in water bodies that contribute to eutrophication. Additionally, we will provide a rapid start-up guide for other teams entering this field.
Human Practice
In the practical implementation component, the team is engaged in various aspects of human practice, including research and fieldwork, community outreach, interviews and exchanges, science popularization, and caring for vulnerable groups. The team is putting forth their utmost efforts to foster environmental conservation awareness among a broader audience and promote the utilization of bioremediation methods. This collective effort aims to involve the wider public in the noble cause of environmental protection.
1.Research and Fieldwork:To understand the public's knowledge of synthetic biology, microalgae, microplastic remediation, and bioremediation, as well as their expectations regarding the form and content of hardware demonstrations, the team created a preliminary survey questionnaire. This survey aimed to gain an overall understanding and integration of the public's awareness. The goal was to align the subsequent experiments with public expectations and effectively disseminate knowledge to various communities. The team distributed the survey through online platforms like WeChat and public accounts, as well as offline at high-traffic commercial centers. This approach helped in assessing public knowledge and seeking input on how to better promote related content in the future, encouraging involvement in synthetic biology research and environmental problem-solving.
2.Community Outreach:To educate a wider audience about synthetic biology and related topics, the team planned a series of science outreach activities targeting diverse age groups, from kindergarten to high school. The aim was to instill ecological conservation awareness during these activities. Before the outreach, the team prepared comprehensive plans, presentation slides, and scripts. They communicated with relevant authorities to demonstrate the team's commitment and enthusiasm. During the outreach events, various engaging methods, such as video introductions, classroom Q&A sessions, and surveys, were employed to help the audience understand the presented knowledge. These innovative outreach methods were documented through video and photographs, along with backup materials, to serve as references for future teams' science outreach activities.
3.Interviews and Exchanges:To ensure the correctness of future experimental directions and the smooth execution of the project, the team conducted interviews with multiple stakeholders and invited experts for discussions. This included professors specializing in synthetic biology, wastewater treatment, and marine algae. Before the interviews, the team prepared a list of critical questions and concerns. After the discussions, the team promptly integrated the key information to provide theoretical support for the project's direction and to offer communication strategies for future teams.
4.Science Popularization: To broaden the team's reach and diversify its promotional methods, various media were used for science popularization, including science books, public account articles, science videos, and science songs. These science books covered a wide range of topics, including life sciences, synthetic biology, microalgae, and were available in both Chinese and English versions. Regularly updated public account articles included not only information related to synthetic biology but also various current events. Science videos featured presentations using PowerPoint slides on topics such as synthetic biology, microalgae, and microplastics. All of these science popularization materials were electronically archived to provide ideas and strategies for future teams' science outreach.
5.Support for Vulnerable Groups: The team sought to engage with and support vulnerable communities by visiting them, offering companionship, and providing acts of kindness. During these activities, the team introduced their project's scope, research areas, and their participation in the iGEM competition. These interactions were meaningful exchanges where the team shared their stories and listened to the stories of others. The entire activity was documented by the video production team, aiming to inspire future teams' community engagement activities.
These human practices effectively supported the team internally and provided comprehensive thinking and practical frameworks for future teams involved in similar projects or in the same field.
Model
In the modeling component, we conducted modeling and analysis in various areas, including experimental simulations, bibliometric analysis, water quality assessment and prediction, as well as sentiment analysis of surveys. In total, we developed six highly efficient and valuable models.
1. Bibliometric Analysis Model: This model utilizes principles of statistics and clustering analysis. It analyzes the publication volume of papers and related patents from the last five years (2017-2022) to assess the development prospects of the bacteria-algae interaction system. It provides a theoretical basis for the experimental team's experiment design and offers insights into the potential development of related industries. Additionally, it serves as a guide for future teams in terms of experimental design and analysis.
2. Water Quality Assessment Model: This model employs the principle of principal component analysis. It evaluates the pollution levels of various rivers in Fujian Province, China, by analyzing the pollutants and pollution characteristics. It identifies the main pollutants and their proportions in each river, providing insights for the experimental team in designing the bacteria-algae interaction system. It also offers references for addressing specific pollutants in wastewater treatment in the team's local area.
3. Water Quality Prediction Model: This model primarily uses neural networks and machine learning methods. It analyzes data from recent years on rivers in Fujian Province to predict future river pollution and pollution levels. It offers new ideas for the government's future river pollution prevention and control efforts and provides data support for future teams.
4. AHP Model: This model employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to compare and analyze the microbial encapsulation device produced by the hardware team and traditional methods of microbial immobilization. It provides reliable theoretical support for the hardware team's hardware development efforts, encouraging better hardware development. It also identifies shortcomings in traditional methods, offering new ideas to future teams for avoiding those deficiencies.
5. Biokinetics Model: This model combines principles of biokinetics and computer simulation. By simulating and analyzing the bacteria-algae interaction in water purification processes, it lays the foundation for the preliminary design of the bacteria-algae system by the experimental team. It determines the optimal bacteria-algae ratio, saving the team significant time and costs in experiments. This model also offers a complete experimental simulation process for future teams to better design experiments and save costs.
6. Questionnaire Analysis Model: This model utilizes evaluation analysis and principles of statistics. It analyzes data from public questionnaire responses, identifying cognitive issues and safety concerns related to the bacteria-algae interaction system. It guides the activities of the outreach team, enabling them to address public concerns more accurately. It also provides future teams with insights into activity design, as cognitive issues may persist, helping them address these issues more purposefully.
All of the above models have effectively provided assistance and support to the team internally. They have also offered relatively comprehensive frameworks for thinking and modeling project development for local wastewater management departments and future teams involved in this field or undertaking similar projects.
Hardware
In the hardware component, we have designed three devices: a microbial encapsulation device, a flow-through microbial immobilization wastewater treatment unit, and a microbial photoreactor. These devices are used for the generation and subsequent cultivation of microorganisms. They provide the foundation for equipment support for future teams, as well as offering new ideas and methods for the design and implementation of future team projects. This enhances team efficiency and cost reduction for project development.
1.Microbial Encapsulation Device: This device is designed to produce fixed-size microbial spheres according to specific requirements, catering to different scales and needs of microbial reactions. This precision control of cultivation quantity prevents excess and resource wastage. Additionally, the automated operation settings of the encapsulation device reduce labor costs and enhance industrial efficiency. The contribution of this technology to the industry lies in providing an efficient and precise production tool that can improve microbial cultivation outcomes. Microbes, as a green and renewable resource, have vast application prospects, such as in the production of biofuels, food additives, cosmetics raw materials, and more. The microbial encapsulation device greatly facilitates research into different microbial immobilization methods and their application in wastewater treatment, offering significant convenience for laboratory experiments. It also provides a sustainable solution for future bioenergy and green chemical industries.
2.Flow-through Microbial Immobilization Wastewater Treatment Unit: This unit maximizes the cultivation area for microorganisms within a small space, improving microbial quality and yield. It utilizes a windmill-style structure and nylon cloth for microbial cultivation, achieving uniform mixing of microbial liquid through rotation and potential energy effects, thereby enhancing the thoroughness of the reaction. This treatment unit finds broad applications in wastewater treatment, effectively removing organic substances and nutrients, and reducing suspended solids and nutrient salt content in wastewater. For participating teams and the industry, this technology contributes by offering an efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment solution. The flow-through microbial immobilization wastewater treatment unit can replace traditional physical and chemical treatment methods, reducing treatment costs and dependence on external energy sources. By utilizing microbial growth characteristics and photosynthesis, it can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions and release oxygen, further mitigating environmental pollution.
3. Microbial Photoreactor: This device significantly improves microbial cultivation outcomes, the survival rate of immobilized algae balls, and growth rates through its ability to automatically adjust environmental parameters. Hardware automation detects and adjusts parameters such as humidity, light, and gas in the cultivation vessel, ensuring that microorganisms are in the optimal growth environment. This technology contributes to participating teams and the industry by providing an efficient and controllable microbial cultivation solution. The microbial photoreactor reduces labor input, enhances operational precision and stability, and minimizes human factors' impact on microbial cultivation. By precisely controlling the cultivation environment, it further enhances microbial growth rates, photosynthetic efficiency, and product quality, offering robust support for the sustainable development of the microbial industry.
In summary, these hardware devices provide precise and efficient tools and solutions for the future microbial industry and the field of bioremediation. They have wide-ranging applications in improving production efficiency, reducing costs, and protecting the environment. They will positively contribute to participating teams and the entire industry. This integrated equipment system ensures a healthy growth cycle for microbial cultivation, starting with precise encapsulation to meet the team's requirements for microbial encapsulation sphere size and efficiency. It then utilizes the windmill-style reactor to stabilize and fully cultivate microorganisms through rotation, and finally, produces specified microbial products in an automated cultivation unit. These three hardware devices achieve high efficiency in microbial cultivation rates and stable quality. The successful development of these three devices in this project provides a foundation and reference for other teams that may engage in projects in this field in the future.
Lab
In the experimental section, our project aims to develop a bioremediation solution based on the bacteria-algae interaction mechanism using synthetic biology methods to address water pollution issues. We have chosen a marine diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, as our base material for several specific reasons:
1.Efficient Photosynthesis: Phaeodactylum tricornutum exhibits highly efficient photosynthesis, which allows it to convert light energy into chemical energy effectively. This characteristic is crucial for its role in water purification, as it can harness solar energy to drive metabolic processes.
2.Rapid Growth Rate: This diatom species has a rapid growth rate, meaning it can reproduce and multiply quickly. This property is advantageous for achieving a high biomass of the organism, which is essential for effective bioremediation.
3.Rich Metabolic Products: Phaeodactylum tricornutum produces a variety of metabolic products. These metabolic pathways can be harnessed and manipulated through synthetic biology techniques to target specific pollutants or enhance its ability to remediate contaminants.
By selecting Phaeodactylum tricornutum as our foundational organism, we leverage its inherent properties to create a bioremediation solution that harnesses its photosynthetic capabilities, rapid growth, and metabolic versatility. This approach aligns with the principles of synthetic biology to engineer organisms for specific purposes and offers promise in addressing water pollution challenges.
