Building a Naphthenic Acid Biosensor

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Project Description

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are a group of recalcitrant carboxylic acid-containing compounds that are byproducts of the bitumen extraction process. These toxic and corrosive compounds are part of the solid and liquid wastes deposited into large holding areas called tailings ponds, which pose a potential environmental and economic concern to Alberta and to other areas. The University of Calgary 2012 iGEM team aims to develop a collection of NA-sensing and degrading organisms for their detection and bioremediation. Continuing from the 2011 iGEM team’s work on developing a biosensor for the detection of NAs, our team aims to better characterize a biological system for detection and quantitative measurement of these and other tailings pond compounds using an electrochemical output. New this year, our major objective is to develop procedures for the conversion of NAs into useful hydrocarbons. This requires the removal of a variety of chemical groups (carboxyl, sulfur, nitrogen, and polycyclic rings) from NAs which we will develop using known biological pathways from a variety of microorganisms. Furthermore, our group aims to develop biological (in the form of a kill switch) and structural solutions to safety problems found in the scale up process of synthetic biology industrial applications. Finally, we hope to develop aproof-of-concept bioreactor system that will be capable of converting these NAs into clean hydrocarbons suitable for industrial use. By providing both an environmental and economic benefit through the remediation of NAs, the 2012 University of Calgary iGEM team hopes to better facilitate biological methodologies for toxin remediation in Alberta, Canada, and beyond.