Difference between revisions of "Team:OLS Canmore Canada/Demonstrate"

 
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   <div class="contentbody">
<h1 class="title">The Summary</h1>
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<h1 class="title">Demonstrate</h1>
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<p>
<p>
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With our solution and constructs in place, the OLS SynBio team has focussed intently on implementing our project into the real world. We had many questions about how we were going to introduce our idea into sorting facilities. Over many months of discussion, research, and brainstorming, we designed a prototype model. While brainstorming ideas for our prototype and how we were going to implement it into today’s society, we discussed many conflicts, such as the safety of our solution entering the recycling facilities, how it was going to affect the workers, and if facilities even were interested in incorporating our system. In the future, we hope to place our system into a sorting facility in order to increase the efficiency of sorting and provide a solution to the global crisis of plastic in our environment. </p>
In recent years, the issue of plastic pollution has become an overwhelming global crisis. Only 5% of all plastics are recycled and the rest ends up in landfills or oceans. When looking for a solution to this problem, the Design Thinking methodology learned at the Berkeley Program was applied. In the engagement with recycling stakeholders, the OLS SynBio team discovered that the issue is not the recycling of plastic, but instead the inefficient sorting of these plastics.</p>
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<br>
 
<br>
<p>To further understand this issue, the team participated in many community outreach events. OLS Synbio consulted with Simon Robbins, the corporate manager of a local recycling plant, who provided guidance and insight of how the recycling cycle works. OLS SynBio also met with Peter Duck, the zero waste manager for the town of Canmore. Lastly, the team went to the Alberta Recycling Conference to learn more about how plastics are recycled in the community, and how big the team’s contribution would be. Stakeholder feedback helped to pivot and refine the project. </p>
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<p>
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Before brainstorming a biological marker to tag on to the plastic, we researched existing forms of plastic sorting. These techniques include manual sorting, which is dangerous, and expensive sorting technologies, such as laser scanners. With these types being the main sorting method, we created a bio-tag and a prototype that goes alongside it, which implements existing, inexpensive technology. We started off with many design aspects when creating our prototype. We have been adapting existing technology to work best with the bio-tag. We collaborated with the OLS High School Robotics team to help improve the feasibility of our prototype. The optical scanner that detects the mCherry on the PET plastics was put to the test by the robotics team. As a result of all their hard work and engineering skills, they have successfully manufactured a robot that can detect certain colours. One major issue surrounding the use of a biological marker is that it can raise some ethical concerns regarding the safety of humans and the environment. To address this, the bio-tag is going to be a purified protein. This means that no live cells are going to come in contact with the plastic. With the bio-tag created, many people have a similar main concern on how much of it was going to come in contact with the environment, workers, and facilities. Our team decided that a bath of the protein was the best option to eliminate an aerosol effect that a spray or waterfall could create. By putting the plastics in the bath, the chance of contamination of the biological solution within the recycling facilities is decreased. We also discussed the importance of a water rinse after the plastic goes through the bio-tag solution. This ensures that any proteins that are not bound to the PET plastic would not impact the results and readings of the optical scanner. After the water rinse, only the bio-tag should be left on the plastics. This prototype is a closed system; thus further reducing the chance of contamination in the environment.  
  
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<br>
  
<table style="width: 25vw; float: right;" >
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<table style="width: 50%; float: clear;" >
<tr><td><img  width="100%"src="image1.png"></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img  width="100%" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/d/d9/T--OLS_Canmore_Canada--prototypetext.svg"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="imagecaptiontext">Some members of our team at the Canmore Sorting Facility.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="imagecaptiontext">Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.</td></tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
  
<br>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 15%;">
<h1 class="subtitle">The Subtitle</h1>
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<p>The project will use synthetic biology to create a novel fusion protein that can specifically bio-tag polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, so that it can be sorted and recycled correctly. The project involves two proteins, a polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase (PETase) and a hydrophobin called BsIA, that is produced by a bacterium chassis called Bacillus subtilis. The PETase protein naturally binds to PET and would be paired with a red fluorescent protein called mCherry to visually indicate when the protein has adhered. The hydrophobin is “water-fearing”, therefore it will bind to anything, but for this project, it will help to adhere the PETase specifically to PET plastic. The project plan is to experiment with the use of both proteins, together and independently. If successful, the bio-tag would be proof of concept for a novel technology that can be implement easily in existing recycling facilities.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
<br>
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<p>
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<table style="width: 40%; float: right; display: none;" >
Before incorporating it into the recycling facility, the protein would be isolated and purified, and the team will run numerous proof-of-concept assays. The next step in the project is prototyping. The team has explored a prototype which would use a streamlined linear process that involves both existing technology and new robotics to effectively sort plastics. Early business modelling suggests that this project is desirable by people, feasible with technology and viable as a business. 
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<tr><td><img  width="100%" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2018/d/d9/T--OLS_Canmore_Canada--prototypetext.svg"></td></tr>
</p>
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<tr><td class="imagecaptiontext">Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.</td></tr>
<br>
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</table>
<p>In summary, the OLS SynBio team is creating a novel protein bio-tag that will adhere selectively to PET plastics.  This product has the potential to revolutionize the recycling industry, and reduce the current practice of landfilling poorly sorted plastics. This will create a truly circular life cycle for plastic products.</p>
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   </div>

Latest revision as of 02:41, 18 October 2018

DEMONSTRATE

Demonstrate

With our solution and constructs in place, the OLS SynBio team has focussed intently on implementing our project into the real world. We had many questions about how we were going to introduce our idea into sorting facilities. Over many months of discussion, research, and brainstorming, we designed a prototype model. While brainstorming ideas for our prototype and how we were going to implement it into today’s society, we discussed many conflicts, such as the safety of our solution entering the recycling facilities, how it was going to affect the workers, and if facilities even were interested in incorporating our system. In the future, we hope to place our system into a sorting facility in order to increase the efficiency of sorting and provide a solution to the global crisis of plastic in our environment.


Before brainstorming a biological marker to tag on to the plastic, we researched existing forms of plastic sorting. These techniques include manual sorting, which is dangerous, and expensive sorting technologies, such as laser scanners. With these types being the main sorting method, we created a bio-tag and a prototype that goes alongside it, which implements existing, inexpensive technology. We started off with many design aspects when creating our prototype. We have been adapting existing technology to work best with the bio-tag. We collaborated with the OLS High School Robotics team to help improve the feasibility of our prototype. The optical scanner that detects the mCherry on the PET plastics was put to the test by the robotics team. As a result of all their hard work and engineering skills, they have successfully manufactured a robot that can detect certain colours. One major issue surrounding the use of a biological marker is that it can raise some ethical concerns regarding the safety of humans and the environment. To address this, the bio-tag is going to be a purified protein. This means that no live cells are going to come in contact with the plastic. With the bio-tag created, many people have a similar main concern on how much of it was going to come in contact with the environment, workers, and facilities. Our team decided that a bath of the protein was the best option to eliminate an aerosol effect that a spray or waterfall could create. By putting the plastics in the bath, the chance of contamination of the biological solution within the recycling facilities is decreased. We also discussed the importance of a water rinse after the plastic goes through the bio-tag solution. This ensures that any proteins that are not bound to the PET plastic would not impact the results and readings of the optical scanner. After the water rinse, only the bio-tag should be left on the plastics. This prototype is a closed system; thus further reducing the chance of contamination in the environment.


Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.

Implemented prototype, what could be seen in a sorting facility.