Microplastic pollution poses a threat to the earth’s environment by hindering plant growth. The accumulation of microplastics in the earth’s soil is unavoidable, and will accumulate due to air pollutants, use of certain fertilizers and pesticides. This accumulation of microplastics in soil can disrupt water retention, nutrient absorption, and root establishment, leading to a decline in plant productivity and affecting crop yields. While bacteria exist with the ability to degrade plastics, their impact is often limited by only being able to degrade one specific type of plastic. Our project intends to target microplastics more broadly, thereby remediating existing farmland and preventing further contamination in soil. A bacterial model that can degrade a greater number of microplastics, will help achieve this goal. In order to address the microplastic pollution in different soil environments, we propose to engineer a bacterium, Pseudomonas putida, which is adaptable to a variety of conditions such as moderately high temperatures, a wide range of pH levels, oxygen availability, and even toxic pollutants. Given the widespread presence of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polyurethane (PU) plastics in soil, our team’s design incorporates the enzymes PETase, MHETase, and Polyurethane Hydrolase. The concurrent expression of these three enzymes, would allow this engineered bacterium to address more broadly the presence of different microplastics, and thus making it more advantageous to the environment than existing bacteria. In agriculture, this approach could restore soil health and support sustainability.

PAC-BAC! A Pseudomonas putida Model for Microplastic Degradation
School
Montrose School
Medfield, MA
BioBuilderClub Season
2024-2025 Season
Category
Resources
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