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In Albemarle county, most of the waste water goes and is processed through the Moores Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which is managed by the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority. Each year, the plant purchases 250,000 dollars worth of glycerin, which is then used as “food” for bacteria which degrade the other organic matter in the water.
The UVA iGEM team from 2008 created a part that, when added, enables E.Coli to produce polyhydroxybutyrate, a biodegradable, bio-derived plastic. Our idea is to make a type of E.Coli that produces this plastic, with a reporter which fluoresces when the bacteria is successfully producing.
The plant could then use this bacteria to create polyhydroxybutyrate, filter out the E.Coli, and then use the plastic as an alternative food source for their bacteria, saving them as much as 250,000 dollars per year, as well as giving them a renewable energy source for their plant.
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