J/23 July 2012

Day Twenty three

(09:30 am) A slow start as the group works on lab safety and forms. These include the COSHH forms for the polystyrene sugar (that should have been done at the start but as the pentane was vented out, didn't think was needed) as well as toluene. The reason the toluene is needed is because it is an irritant, highly flammable and toxic but also dissolves polystyrene so it could be a method that works as long as the Pseudomonas can grow on toluene. The Pseudomonas aurigonosa can live on toluene as it can degrade it and use it as a carbon source before it is killed. What the team plans to do is use a minimal amount of toluene to dissolve some polystyrene and then mix the solution into the minimal media broth. The bacteria can then grow on the toluene to start then once it is quickly used up it can then work on the polystyrene as its carbon source. This method could also be used as a selection media as the toluene will kill most bacteria except for the ones that can also degrade polystyrene.

(11:00 am) While the team waited for the supervisor to be found, it was decided to go into town to look for more sponsorship. This was a fun 3 hour trip stopping in almost every shop thought of, that could have a sponsorship fund, or produced a large amount of polystyrene waste that the project is working on.