We are the DeNovocastrians!!

Our Mission

We aim to utilise naturally occurring monoaromatic hydrocarbon degradation pathways within bacteria for use in bioremediation efforts. Monoaromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) pose an enormous health risk to humans and the environment. These chemical compounds are widely used in the petrochemical industry and in fossil fuel production.

We wish to provide an alternative strategy to decontaminate sites polluted with such chemicals. The characterisation and optimisation of BTEX degrading processes within bacteria could provide a cleaner, cheaper, and more effective method to mitigate the worst effects of BTEX contamination. We believe this approach could see bioremediation become a key player in fighting this global issue.