According to recent research, drinking water samples from western Indian states had Cd contents that are greater than the permitted level established by the World Health Organization (2011).
We Have a Vision
Project CURLIM is a passion project curated by Team REC-CHENNAI. The primary source of cadmium ion emissions is non-ferrous refineries. Additionally, it is a major component of alkaline batteries, metal plating, paints, and stabilizers used in the manufacture of plastics. It is highly destructive to biological life and has a significant negative influence on terrestrial and marine ecosystems when dumped into water bodies.
Our Innovation
Bio-precipitation is a revolutionary approach for heavy metal sequestration using biologically active microorganisms in the treatment of industrial effluents and wastewaters.
Ideation
We propose to design an E. coli K12 strain that is genetically modified to produce a biofilm with a suffused phosphatase enzyme. The acid phosphatase produced is dephosphorylated into phosphate monomers, which form phosphate-heavy metal complexes and precipitates. The bioprecipitation is carried out in a MBBR designed in the pilot scale by the team.
Here is our Promo Video to get you started on Project Curlim!
Bioreactor
The goal of our project is to bio precipitate the noxious cadmium ions present in industrial effluents employing our product, an engineered E. coli strain one which provides a strong biofilm medium via curli protein and expresses the acid phosphatase enzyme.
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Modelling
The crucial steps in our project include biofilm attachment, production of recombinant proteins and designing the reactor. In order to optimise the vital elements in our project, we created and instigated modelling.
Education and Communication
We had the opportunity to conduct outreach programs and connect with various people. The purpose of our outreach programs was to raise general awareness about the hazardous effects that arise from exposure to heavy metals.
