ALGENE::UIncheon

Set the stage for

The new wastewater

Treatment with

Synthetic biology

Dynamic

Marine city

Incheon

Incheon is the second largest city in Korea with large population and many industries are active as a port city.

In order to maintain this dynamic, a supporting infrastructure is needed. As one of them, the large amount of wastewater has been made and is being purified in treatment facilities.

In order to maintain this dynamic, supporting infrastructure is needed. As one of them, a large amount of wastewater has been created and is being purified in treatment facilities.

What

Is the

Matter

We actually visited four wastewater treatment facilities in Incheon, and found two problems here. One is the difficulty of treating heavy metals from factory wastewater, and the other is the burden of processing costs.

We will present a solution through synthetic biology.

Sewage Sludge
(per day in Incheon)
0 ton ↑ "https://www.incheon.go.kr/data/DATA010201/view?docId=15055855"

Private Consignment Cost
($100 per ton in Korea)
0 $ ↑
"https://www.incheon.go.kr/data/DATA010201/view?docId=15055855"

Current

Studies

First, We found that microalgae are attractive creatures for wastewater treatment.
In particular, a method of microalgae with microorganisms is being actively studied.

In addition, prior research is conducted to treat substances that could not be treated previously by introducing foreign genes into microalgae.

Why Microalgae?

Disadvantages of microalgae

Critical issues associated with use of algae in wastewater treatment include their low biomass productivity, high-energy requirements, and cost. Low biomass productivity levels are associated with the species and strain used for the process. Algal strains with a high productivity level are optimal for wastewater treatment. However, the disadvantage of using algae for wastewater treatment is that not all algae can remove wastewater contaminants with the same efficiency. The performance of algae as water purifiers depends on the nutrients available in the wastewater. Thus, selecting an appropriate species that can perform efficiently under the given environmental conditions is a key factor.

The growth of microalgae and the production of biomolecules are influenced by the cultivation conditions such as the concentration of CO2, temperature, pH, light intensity, salinity and the composition of nutrients in the cultivation medium. These conditions vary for each microalgae species, where high light intensity may lead to better productivity of lipid, but lower productivity of carbohydrates and protein.

Microalgae cultivation is the space requirement. Since microalgae rely on photosynthesis, the availability of sunlight to reach the microalgae is critical. Therefore, microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems should be performed in low land-cost

Some wastewater may also contain pathogenic microorganisms that may be harmful to microalgae. Therefore, the cultivation of microalgae in wastewater requires extra monitoring

Overcoming Through Genetic Manipulation

Critical issues associated with use of algae in wastewater treatment include their low biomass productivity, high-energy requirements, and cost. Low biomass productivity levels are associated with the species and strain used for the process. Algal strains with a high productivity level are optimal for wastewater treatment. However, the disadvantage of using algae for wastewater treatment is that not all algae can remove wastewater contaminants with the same efficiency. The performance of algae as water purifiers depends on the nutrients available in the wastewater. Thus, selecting an appropriate species that can perform efficiently under the given environmental conditions is a key factor.

The growth of microalgae and the production of biomolecules are influenced by the cultivation conditions such as the concentration of CO2, temperature, pH, light intensity, salinity and the composition of nutrients in the cultivation medium. These conditions vary for each microalgae species, where high light intensity may lead to better productivity of lipid, but lower productivity of carbohydrates and protein.

Microalgae cultivation is the space requirement. Since microalgae rely on photosynthesis, the availability of sunlight to reach the microalgae is critical. Therefore, microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems should be performed in low land-cost

Some wastewater may also contain pathogenic microorganisms that may be harmful to microalgae. Therefore, the cultivation of microalgae in wastewater requires extra monitoring

We can use cold-adaspanted microalgae strains in Haematococcus pluvialis, Pseudopleurochloris antarctica..) to produce high-value bioproducts under cold and light-limited conditions. And this ability can minimize expensive heating and artificial lighting.

Schulze et al. (2019) suggested Chlamydomonas sp. RCC 2488, T. chuii, and P. antarctica could be the most promising strains to produce protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids at low temperatures based on their experiments[2]

Requirement for the application:
Biosafety

⎯⎯

Releasing purified water after purification involves the risk of leaking genetically modified organisms into the external environment. That problem can be resolved enough with existing treatment methods, but microalgae are less sensitive than other microorganisms. They won't be treated clearly through general treatment systems.

Ultraviolet treatment is one of the most general disinfection methods. We realized that microalgae are less sensitive to UV relatively when we compared the survival ratio of Chlorella vulgaris to the coliform survival ratio. We perceived that the existing biocontainment system would be vulnerable to microalgae. Thus, to ensure biosafety, we have to monitor the leak of genetically edited microalgae using a sensitive sensor.

The internal biosensor of microalgae, that's what we're trying to make.