Difference between revisions of "Team:IIT Kanpur/Need"

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      It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, of insanitation and illiteracy, of superstition and deadening of custom and tradition, of vast resources running to waste, or a rich country inhabited by starving poor… Who indeed could afford to ignore science today? At every turn, we have to seek its aid… The future belongs to science and those who make friends with science.<br><br>-Jawaharlal Nehru (Independent India's first Prime Minister)
 
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<h3>Our Endeavours</h3>
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<h1>Need for the Project</h1>
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<h3>Problems</h3>
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<button class="collapsible">Negative impact of SDS on the ecosystem</button>
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<div class="contentcollap">
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  <p style="font-size:120%;">Detergents are extensively used in household cleaning products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals as well as in agriculture as adjuvants changing the features of pesticides or other crop protection agents. The constant increase use of these products means that water-soluble detergents have become one of the major problematic classifications of pollutants for the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a widely used anionic surfactant accounts for approximately 25% to 30% of the world’s total synthetic surfactants. SDS is majorly used because of its less cost and excellent foaming characteristics. SDS otherwise was popularly known as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is used in household products such as toothpaste, shampoos, shaving foams, and bubble baths, in laboratories and in various other industries.
 +
<br>
 +
The molecular structure of SDS (C12H25NaO4 ) is composed of two units namely, (1) A hydrocarbon chain (C1- C12), (2) A sulfate group attached to the carbon (Schleheck et al, 2003). The molecule has a tail of 12 carbon atoms, attached to a sulfate group contributing to the molecule its amphiphilic properties required of a detergent.
 +
<br></p>
 +
<img href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/8/82/T--IIT_Kanpur--Swash_Effect02.png" width="300px" height="auto"></img>
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<p>
 +
<br>
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The presence of sufficiently high concentrations of SDS in the environment may cause dermatitis and inflammation. SDS is found to be toxic even to aquatic flora and fauna.
  
<button class="collapsible">Session at Prayas</button>
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<br>
<div class="contentcollap">
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According to the latest assessment by WaterAid, an international organization working for water sanitation and hygiene reported that an alarming 80% of India’s surface water is polluted. The report, based on latest data from the ministry of urban development (2013), census 2011 and Central Pollution Control Board, estimated that 75-80% of water pollution by volume is from domestic sewage, while untreated sewage flowing into water bodies including rivers have almost doubled in recent years. On the biological level, anionic surfactants have a major negative effect on the normal functioning of the sludge microbial consortium on several levels, destroying the biodiversity and decomposition of numerous xenobiotics.
  <p style="font-size:120%;">As part of our initiative to spread awareness about synthetic biology, we organized a lecture on ‘Introduction to Bioengineering’ for the young students at Prayas, IIT Kanpur. <br>Prayas IIT Kanpur is an endeavor undertaken by IIT Kanpur students, mainly focused on providing education to the marginalized in and around the campus, to increase awareness so that they can make more informed and rational choices about their career. Presently a club under the Presidential Council in the Students' Gymkhana, IIT Kanpur, it’s a voluntary service to promote the notion of 'Education for All' as a sustainable means of development.<br>
+
<br>
In India, Bioengineering is not seen as a lucrative and fulfilling career option despite how useful and creatively involving the field is. It is partially due to lack of exposure to the various possibilities in the area and due to lack of awareness of its accomplishments. We, as a team involved in synthetic biology, believe that it is our responsibility to promote awareness. Prayas is our first step towards accomplishing this aim. <br><br>
+
Thus it is utterly important to identify a bacterial strain that has the capability to survive in the presence of such extreme quantities of detergent and efficiently degrade it to non-surface active compounds although degradation of SDS is a major challenge for bacteria because this detergent solubilizes biological membrane and denatures proteins. Our project focuses on Isolation, screening, and identification of efficient Sodium dodecyl sulfate degrading bacteria.  
In the lecture that we delivered, we motivated kids about the uses of biology by taking them on tour through the cells and its various molecular machines. Then we made analogies between known phenomenon like exothermic combustion of petrol and how engineering principles make it useful (i.e., run a car) and then connected how the intricate machines of biology and engineering principles could connect to help ease our lives. <br>The kids got excited and were able to follow through the entire lecture. We showed them many practical applications of Bioengineering not just related to molecular biology but also about fields like Tissue engineering and Soft Robotics. The whole experience was fulfilling for us as well as for the kids. In the doubts and question-answer session the kids exhibited great enthusiasm and asked questions on how they could do such things, and interestingly, they even suggested their mechanisms on how they would solve some problems (like an artificial heart).
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<br>
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
<button class="collapsible">Lecture Series</button>
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<button class="collapsible">Water wastage  due to washing machines</button>
 
<div class="contentcollap">
 
<div class="contentcollap">
   <p style="font-size:120%;">To spread awareness about iGEM and our own project, our team conducted a lecture series for the campus community. <br>The series introduced the students to iGEM and the nature of work done in the same. We explained the requirements and practices one should follow to pitch an idea successfully and work on it in a presentable manner. <br>In the subsequent lectures we exemplified the process using our project. This helped us in harboring the students’ interest and exposed them to the nature of work being done. We found it to be an effective way to help students form future iGEM teams and motivate them to use their intellect to create innovative solutions.
+
   <p style="font-size:120%;">Considering the working of a top loader washing machine, it uses up to 120 liters of water per cycle and consumption of water daily on 4 cycles estimates around 480 liters of water per day. On an average,  total water usage yearly roughly estimates to 876,000 liters.
 +
An apartment with an in-unit washer wastes approximately 8,500 gallons of water per year on laundry. These figures gave us motivated us to do a thorough literature search to come up with a novel solution to this urgent problem.  
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
</div>
 
</div>
 +
<h3>Background Literature Survey</h3>
 +
<button class="collapsible">SDS Degradation acts through LysR-type Transcriptional Regulator</button>
 +
<div class="contentcollap">
 +
  <p style="font-size:120%;">Biodegradation of surfactants is often performed by diverse soil or aquatic microorganisms ultimately forming water and carbon dioxide (Schleheck et al. 2000). The discovery that many bacterial isolates from environmental niches not contaminated by detergents exhibits alkyl sulfatase activity indicates that such enzymes may also play a major role in natural environments. Thus, it seems that bacteria may have the ability to mobilize organically bound sulfur for growth, and experimental studies have provided evidence that bacterial sulfatase could play a role in sulfur scavenging. <br>
  
<button class="collapsible">Ideation Hackathon</button>
+
It has been reported that the degradation of SDS is started by alkyl sulfatases which hydrolyze SDS to sulfate and 1-dodecanol (Thomas and White 1989). The resulting parent alcohol is further decomposed and converted to CO2 and H2O by β-oxidation (Dodgson et al. 1984) (Thomas and White 1989).  The molecular analysis of Pseudomonas C12B, a well studied SDS degrading bacteria, revealed that two chromosomally coded genes viz, sdsA and sdsB played a major role in surfactant remediation (Davison et al. 1992). SdsA codes for alkyl sulfatase enzyme, the primary enzyme responsible for SDS degradation, whereas SdsB codes for transcriptional regulator protein promoting SdsA activity that has extensive similarity with the lysR family of helix-turn-helix DNA-binding activator protein.<br>
<div class="contentcollap">
+
 
  <p style="font-size:120%;">iGEM requires teams to figure out a problem themselves which they feel requires immediate attention and then ideate a novel synthetic biological system to tackle it.<br>
+
The LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family is a well-studied group of transcriptional regulators. They are highly conserved and ubiquitous amongst bacteria, with functional orthologs identified in archaea and eukaryotic organisms.
To give the students a hands-on experience of the ideation phase of iGEM we conducted an ideation hackathon where participants were required to submit an idea to curb the problem of water scarcity. <br>
+
<img href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/5/59/T--IIT_Kanpur--Swash_Effect03.png" width="300px" />
They were required to submit a possible working model that applies their idea in real life setting along with the principles involved and the corresponding literature. This opportunity allowed the students to get acquainted with the practices like literature survey and innovation on practical grounds which are crucial during the ideation phase of any innovative endeavor.
+
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
<button class="collapsible">Other Activities</button>
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<button class="collapsible">Production of lauryl alcohol (Dodecanol)</button>
 
<div class="contentcollap">
 
<div class="contentcollap">
   <p style="font-size:120%;">The team also met experts and people working in the field to gain more experience and look at the problem from different angles and thus, design a better working model to tackle the problem of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate contamination in water bodies. The members met Dr. Purnendu Bose and Dr. Rajiv Sinha who are Professors at Dept. of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur and specialize in Environmental Sciences and Bioremediation respectively. They also met experts from Unique Agencies to know the intricacies of a real-world water bioremediation plant.
+
   <p style="font-size:120%;">Dodecanol is an organic compound produced industrially mainly from palm kernel oil and coconut oil. Dodecanol is used to make surfactants, lubricating oils, pharmaceuticals, in the formation of monolithic polymers and as a flavor enhancing food additive. In cosmetics, dodecanol is used as an emollient. It is also the precursor to dodecanal, an important fragrance.<br>
<br>
+
The desperate need of land for agricultural purposes, urban development, and industrial expansions are bringing untold adversity upon our planet and threatening our continuous existence. Industrial deforestation is harming our globe in many ways. We aim to separate out dodecanol, an intermediate product of SDS degradation pathway of bacteria, which would be much pure in quality and of high yield, utilizing a renewable strategy and aiming strictly towards less  environmental destruction.<br>
Read more at our <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:IIT_Kanpur/Human_Practices">Integrated Human Practices</a>.
+
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 15:23, 17 October 2018

Need for the Project

Problems

Detergents are extensively used in household cleaning products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals as well as in agriculture as adjuvants changing the features of pesticides or other crop protection agents. The constant increase use of these products means that water-soluble detergents have become one of the major problematic classifications of pollutants for the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a widely used anionic surfactant accounts for approximately 25% to 30% of the world’s total synthetic surfactants. SDS is majorly used because of its less cost and excellent foaming characteristics. SDS otherwise was popularly known as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is used in household products such as toothpaste, shampoos, shaving foams, and bubble baths, in laboratories and in various other industries.
The molecular structure of SDS (C12H25NaO4 ) is composed of two units namely, (1) A hydrocarbon chain (C1- C12), (2) A sulfate group attached to the carbon (Schleheck et al, 2003). The molecule has a tail of 12 carbon atoms, attached to a sulfate group contributing to the molecule its amphiphilic properties required of a detergent.


The presence of sufficiently high concentrations of SDS in the environment may cause dermatitis and inflammation. SDS is found to be toxic even to aquatic flora and fauna.
According to the latest assessment by WaterAid, an international organization working for water sanitation and hygiene reported that an alarming 80% of India’s surface water is polluted. The report, based on latest data from the ministry of urban development (2013), census 2011 and Central Pollution Control Board, estimated that 75-80% of water pollution by volume is from domestic sewage, while untreated sewage flowing into water bodies including rivers have almost doubled in recent years. On the biological level, anionic surfactants have a major negative effect on the normal functioning of the sludge microbial consortium on several levels, destroying the biodiversity and decomposition of numerous xenobiotics.
Thus it is utterly important to identify a bacterial strain that has the capability to survive in the presence of such extreme quantities of detergent and efficiently degrade it to non-surface active compounds although degradation of SDS is a major challenge for bacteria because this detergent solubilizes biological membrane and denatures proteins. Our project focuses on Isolation, screening, and identification of efficient Sodium dodecyl sulfate degrading bacteria.

Considering the working of a top loader washing machine, it uses up to 120 liters of water per cycle and consumption of water daily on 4 cycles estimates around 480 liters of water per day. On an average, total water usage yearly roughly estimates to 876,000 liters. An apartment with an in-unit washer wastes approximately 8,500 gallons of water per year on laundry. These figures gave us motivated us to do a thorough literature search to come up with a novel solution to this urgent problem.

Background Literature Survey

Biodegradation of surfactants is often performed by diverse soil or aquatic microorganisms ultimately forming water and carbon dioxide (Schleheck et al. 2000). The discovery that many bacterial isolates from environmental niches not contaminated by detergents exhibits alkyl sulfatase activity indicates that such enzymes may also play a major role in natural environments. Thus, it seems that bacteria may have the ability to mobilize organically bound sulfur for growth, and experimental studies have provided evidence that bacterial sulfatase could play a role in sulfur scavenging.
It has been reported that the degradation of SDS is started by alkyl sulfatases which hydrolyze SDS to sulfate and 1-dodecanol (Thomas and White 1989). The resulting parent alcohol is further decomposed and converted to CO2 and H2O by β-oxidation (Dodgson et al. 1984) (Thomas and White 1989). The molecular analysis of Pseudomonas C12B, a well studied SDS degrading bacteria, revealed that two chromosomally coded genes viz, sdsA and sdsB played a major role in surfactant remediation (Davison et al. 1992). SdsA codes for alkyl sulfatase enzyme, the primary enzyme responsible for SDS degradation, whereas SdsB codes for transcriptional regulator protein promoting SdsA activity that has extensive similarity with the lysR family of helix-turn-helix DNA-binding activator protein.
The LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family is a well-studied group of transcriptional regulators. They are highly conserved and ubiquitous amongst bacteria, with functional orthologs identified in archaea and eukaryotic organisms.

Dodecanol is an organic compound produced industrially mainly from palm kernel oil and coconut oil. Dodecanol is used to make surfactants, lubricating oils, pharmaceuticals, in the formation of monolithic polymers and as a flavor enhancing food additive. In cosmetics, dodecanol is used as an emollient. It is also the precursor to dodecanal, an important fragrance.
The desperate need of land for agricultural purposes, urban development, and industrial expansions are bringing untold adversity upon our planet and threatening our continuous existence. Industrial deforestation is harming our globe in many ways. We aim to separate out dodecanol, an intermediate product of SDS degradation pathway of bacteria, which would be much pure in quality and of high yield, utilizing a renewable strategy and aiming strictly towards less environmental destruction.