This project aims to develop a microbial approach to produce a variety of poly-catechols or bio-plastics using E.coli generated CotA laccase enzyme and to analyze the properties of these bio-plastics. The aromatic substrates will be processed through specific E.coli laccase enzymes and the polymer product will be analyzed with Gel permeation chromatography. Producing these alternate
Faculty Mentor: David Nielsen
Engineering of High Yield Production of L-Serine in Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria have the potential to efficiently produce L-serine, an industrially important amino acid, directly from CO2 and sunlight, which is a more sustainable and cheaper source of energy as compared to current methods. The research aims to engineer a strain of cyanobacteria that increases L-serine production by mutating regulatory mechanisms that natively inhibit its production,
Production of Polycatechols using CotA laccase in engineered E.coli strains
Researching bacteria enzyme production could lead to the manufacturing of sustainable bio-plastics.
Enhancing Inorganic Carbon Absorption and Fixation by Cyanobacteria using Amine Absorbents
The development of sustainable efforts to capture carbon dioxide emissions are important to mitigate the effects of climate change. Bioprocesses from cyanobacteria are a promising technology to fix CO2 into useful biofuels. Several issues limit the viability of this use, one of which is the low solubility of CO2 in water limiting the rate of
Strain and Process Development for Detoxifying Biomass
Furfural (2-furaldehyde) is a toxic by-product of lignocellulose, an accessible biomass, and reduces the bioprocess specific growth rates, product yields, and productivities of fermenting bacteria and yeast. C. basilensis, a soil bacterium, is capable of growing on furfural as its sole carbon and energy source. Through adaptive learning evolution and UV mutagenesis, a mutant strain
