Team:Calgary/Project/DataPage

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Detect and Destroy

The Calgary team has developed a duel system for the detection of toxic components in tailing ponds as well as the remediation of these compounds. Tailing ponds are large lakes of waste products produced from the extraction of bitumen in the oilsands. Our biosensor involved the identification of a toxin promoter through a transposon screen. An electrochemical detector was implemented with a multiple output system allowing for the detection of multiple compounds simultaneously. This promoter/detector system was then complimented with the production of a biosensor system which we designed and implemented.

Rather than just sensing toxins in the tailings ponds, our major objective were to detoxify the tailings through the reduction of sulfur, nitrogen, catechol, and naphthenic acids from the tailing ponds. This was accomplished using native pathways found in various organisms. An added benefit to our system is that the removal of carboxylic acid groups from naphthenic acids results in the production of hydrocarbons. Purification of these hydrocarbons would contribute to an added economic and industrial benefit.

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