Microbial integration of plastics in the circular economy
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Life Sciences
Abstract
In this proposal we will develop the technology required to use two recalcitrant plastic polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane (PU) as feedstock for microbial transformations required for a circular economy. In particular, we will focus on the transformation of PET and PU waste into the industrially relevant and more sustainable moieties for Bio-PU polymers. With this approach we will also enable the recycling of the Bio-PU product, completing this way a fully circular strategy for the sustainable production of an important material.
The success of PET as a packaging material is only comparable to its resilience to degradation in the environment. Likewise, production rates of PU are also increasing, with the caveat that the recycling procedures for PU are virtually non-existing. PET can be degraded to constituent monomers using physicochemical processes such as pyrolysis and, more recently, by enzymatic hydrolysis. PU, on the other hand, is not so well characterised in terms of enzymatic hydrolysis, but microbial activities against the polymer have been recently described.
The synthesis of the monomers required for Bio-PU has been achieved using standard carbon sources (e.g. glucose) in different organisms. In MIPLACE we will synthesise them in biotransformations using the products of hydrolysis of PET as the sole energy and carbon source. Preliminary results from members in the consortium show that this can be achieved although with low yields.
Despite their limited scope, these previous observations support that PET and PU are feasible substrates for bacterial growth. In this proposal we will expand on those works and establish PET and PU as general substrates for biotechnological applications including the development of bacterial communities that can directly feed on PET and PU as the sole carbon source without the need of a prior lytic step.
In MIPLACE we have devised a multidisciplinary strategy based on the use of microbial communities for the effective transformation of PET and PU into Bio-PU. Our workflow is based on the traditional design-build-test cycle of engineering disciplines. We will use a combination of environmental screening of microorganisms, rational design of strains and lab directed evolution to achieve this goal. We build on the complementary strengths of the partners involved, which include enzymology, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, mathematical modelling, chemical engineering and biodegradation. At the same time, we will address the societal concerns associated to this research that are related to the public perception of the approach taken and the possibility of influencing changes in consumer behaviour.
Overall, MIPLACE will deliver the technological development required for incorporating plastic polymers in the circular economy, paving the way for new biotechnological approaches based on a material that would otherwise be condemned to end up as waste otherwise. By developing efficient microbial PET transformation processes, we aim to use these waste streams in a completely new approach as fossil-based carbon sources for the production of value-added materials, providing the economic incentive to increase end-of-life plastic collection in favour of a sustainable bio-based economy.
The success of PET as a packaging material is only comparable to its resilience to degradation in the environment. Likewise, production rates of PU are also increasing, with the caveat that the recycling procedures for PU are virtually non-existing. PET can be degraded to constituent monomers using physicochemical processes such as pyrolysis and, more recently, by enzymatic hydrolysis. PU, on the other hand, is not so well characterised in terms of enzymatic hydrolysis, but microbial activities against the polymer have been recently described.
The synthesis of the monomers required for Bio-PU has been achieved using standard carbon sources (e.g. glucose) in different organisms. In MIPLACE we will synthesise them in biotransformations using the products of hydrolysis of PET as the sole energy and carbon source. Preliminary results from members in the consortium show that this can be achieved although with low yields.
Despite their limited scope, these previous observations support that PET and PU are feasible substrates for bacterial growth. In this proposal we will expand on those works and establish PET and PU as general substrates for biotechnological applications including the development of bacterial communities that can directly feed on PET and PU as the sole carbon source without the need of a prior lytic step.
In MIPLACE we have devised a multidisciplinary strategy based on the use of microbial communities for the effective transformation of PET and PU into Bio-PU. Our workflow is based on the traditional design-build-test cycle of engineering disciplines. We will use a combination of environmental screening of microorganisms, rational design of strains and lab directed evolution to achieve this goal. We build on the complementary strengths of the partners involved, which include enzymology, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, mathematical modelling, chemical engineering and biodegradation. At the same time, we will address the societal concerns associated to this research that are related to the public perception of the approach taken and the possibility of influencing changes in consumer behaviour.
Overall, MIPLACE will deliver the technological development required for incorporating plastic polymers in the circular economy, paving the way for new biotechnological approaches based on a material that would otherwise be condemned to end up as waste otherwise. By developing efficient microbial PET transformation processes, we aim to use these waste streams in a completely new approach as fossil-based carbon sources for the production of value-added materials, providing the economic incentive to increase end-of-life plastic collection in favour of a sustainable bio-based economy.
Technical Summary
The main goal of MIPLACE is to develop an efficient bio-based process that uses plastic waste as a feedstock to produce molecules of industrial interest. A fully circular approach will be applied to turn two types of plastic polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane (PU), into the more environmentally friendly Bio-PU used as a construction and insulation material. For this, we will harness the potential of microbial communities to achieve the main goals of the proposal, namely: i) develop strategies for the effective hydrolysis of PET and PU monomers by taking advantage of natural or modified bacterial species expressing polyester hydrolases; ii) use engineered microbial communities to transform the hydrolysis products into products of interest; iii) use monomers resulting from PET and PU hydrolysis potentially in addition to other building blocks obtained from renewable sources (such as glycerol and acetate) to synthesise Bio-PU. As a result of this proposal we will contribute to the incorporation in the circular economy of two materials with limited recycling rates that are eventually discarded as waste. We will thereby create a novel path for their use as carbon source for microbial transformations that will expand beyond the focused applications described in this proposal.
We chose PET and PU as substrates because they are the only two types of plastic polymers derived from oil that can be readily degraded enzymatically to some extent. Both are polyesters, and a number of polyester hydrolase enzymes have been isolated capable of using PET and PU as substrates. In fact, members of this consortium have achieved the complete enzymatic hydrolysis of urban PET waste materials in vitro and used the resulting lysates to feed strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomas putida for the production of hydroxyalkanoyloxy-alkanoic acids (HAAs) and bioplastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.
We chose PET and PU as substrates because they are the only two types of plastic polymers derived from oil that can be readily degraded enzymatically to some extent. Both are polyesters, and a number of polyester hydrolase enzymes have been isolated capable of using PET and PU as substrates. In fact, members of this consortium have achieved the complete enzymatic hydrolysis of urban PET waste materials in vitro and used the resulting lysates to feed strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomas putida for the production of hydroxyalkanoyloxy-alkanoic acids (HAAs) and bioplastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.
Planned Impact
Plastics are extremely successful materials with many properties that make them almost essential in our lives. They are versatile, lightweight, waterproof, easy and affordable to synthesise and difficult to degrade. As a consequence, it is estimated that to date 8.3 billion metric tons (MT) of virgin plastics have been produced directly from oil, out of which 6.3 billion MT ended up as waste. Out of all the plastic waste only 9% was recycled, whereas 12% was incinerated. The remaining 79% of plastic waste is stored in landfills or has been directly released into the environment. This has led to alarming levels of pollution due to environmental accumulation of plastics, especially in marine environments, with devastating effects on the fauna and flora and numerous toxicological effects derived from the intake of microplastics resulting from the degradation of larger polymers.
In MIPLACE we consider plastics, mainly of urban origin, as alternative microbial feedstocks. We propose the biological up-cycling of these recalcitrant polymers, for which we do not only require enzymatic hydrolysis but also the metabolisation of its products to produce the biomass required for the transformations. In addition, MIPLACE will create a similar stream for PU, for which there are currently no suitable collection or recycling technologies. As a result we will deliver a complete pipeline for the transformation of waste into Bio-PU.
As opposed to consolidated bioprocesses using only one strain that are commonplace in industry, in MIPLACE we will rely on microbial communities and their interactions to deliver our research agenda. This is motivated by the complexity of the plastic substrates used as a feedstock as well as by the relatively large numbers of target molecules that can be produced. Furthermore, a community approach will be advantageous for a number of reasons such as: i) the enzymes required for polymer hydrolysis are secreted and are accessible to the whole population, therefore enabling complex dynamics in which the desired outcome may not always be favoured and, for this reason we will devise ways to stabilise microbial cooperation in our setup; ii) the production of target molecules from mixed substrates is likely to benefit from the distribution of tasks within a community that can split the cost of production and boost the reactions involved through metabolic exchanges; iii) the division of tasks will also help to devise strategies for lab directed evolution of individual modules of the pipeline such as enzymes for improved hydrolysis without affecting other components of the pipeline.
We have identified a market pull (the development of sustainable PU-based materials) with a large potential for producing revenue as is evidenced from the PU market size (expected to be $26.24 billion by 2024 in Europe; projection by Grand View Research). Although it is unclear how much of that market would correspond to Bio-PU, its production is likely to increase in the coming years aligning with social awareness and implementation of policies to prevent plastic misuse. SOPREMA is one of the European companies leading this change and MIPLACE will contribute towards this goal by satisfying an increasing demand.
MIPLACE will also act as a technology push. Considering the problems associated to a saturated recycling industry, the enablemenet of alternative paths to standard recycling is of utmost importance for a number of reasons. They allow to recycle PET polymers that are normally discarded such as opaque PET. In addition, they could also contribute to increasing the recycling rates of PU specially of resilient crosslinked PU polymers. In MIPLACE we have opted for a process that is fully compatible with microbial transformations that can go beyond our main goal Bio-PU. We envisage MIPLACE yielding a 'jack of all trades' process for the production of other added-value molecules out plastic waste.
In MIPLACE we consider plastics, mainly of urban origin, as alternative microbial feedstocks. We propose the biological up-cycling of these recalcitrant polymers, for which we do not only require enzymatic hydrolysis but also the metabolisation of its products to produce the biomass required for the transformations. In addition, MIPLACE will create a similar stream for PU, for which there are currently no suitable collection or recycling technologies. As a result we will deliver a complete pipeline for the transformation of waste into Bio-PU.
As opposed to consolidated bioprocesses using only one strain that are commonplace in industry, in MIPLACE we will rely on microbial communities and their interactions to deliver our research agenda. This is motivated by the complexity of the plastic substrates used as a feedstock as well as by the relatively large numbers of target molecules that can be produced. Furthermore, a community approach will be advantageous for a number of reasons such as: i) the enzymes required for polymer hydrolysis are secreted and are accessible to the whole population, therefore enabling complex dynamics in which the desired outcome may not always be favoured and, for this reason we will devise ways to stabilise microbial cooperation in our setup; ii) the production of target molecules from mixed substrates is likely to benefit from the distribution of tasks within a community that can split the cost of production and boost the reactions involved through metabolic exchanges; iii) the division of tasks will also help to devise strategies for lab directed evolution of individual modules of the pipeline such as enzymes for improved hydrolysis without affecting other components of the pipeline.
We have identified a market pull (the development of sustainable PU-based materials) with a large potential for producing revenue as is evidenced from the PU market size (expected to be $26.24 billion by 2024 in Europe; projection by Grand View Research). Although it is unclear how much of that market would correspond to Bio-PU, its production is likely to increase in the coming years aligning with social awareness and implementation of policies to prevent plastic misuse. SOPREMA is one of the European companies leading this change and MIPLACE will contribute towards this goal by satisfying an increasing demand.
MIPLACE will also act as a technology push. Considering the problems associated to a saturated recycling industry, the enablemenet of alternative paths to standard recycling is of utmost importance for a number of reasons. They allow to recycle PET polymers that are normally discarded such as opaque PET. In addition, they could also contribute to increasing the recycling rates of PU specially of resilient crosslinked PU polymers. In MIPLACE we have opted for a process that is fully compatible with microbial transformations that can go beyond our main goal Bio-PU. We envisage MIPLACE yielding a 'jack of all trades' process for the production of other added-value molecules out plastic waste.
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Polymateria Ltd (Collaboration)
- University of Leipzig (Collaboration)
- University College Dublin (Collaboration)
- University of Costa Rica (Collaboration)
- Newcastle University (Collaboration)
- LGC Ltd (Collaboration)
- NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
Publications
Avendaño R
(2023)
Production of selenium nanoparticles occurs through an interconnected pathway of sulphur metabolism and oxidative stress response in Pseudomonas putida KT2440.
in Microbial biotechnology
Dvorák P
(2023)
Water potential governs the effector specificity of the transcriptional regulator XylR of Pseudomonas putida.
in Environmental microbiology
Fernandez-Gonzalez A
(2022)
Applicability of Control Materials To Support Gene Promoter Characterization and Expression in Engineered Cells Using Digital PCR.
in Analytical chemistry
González J
(2021)
Loss of a pyoverdine secondary receptor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa results in a fitter strain suitable for population invasion
in The ISME Journal
Narancic T
(2021)
Genome analysis of the metabolically versatile Pseudomonas umsongensis GO16: the genetic basis for PET monomer upcycling into polyhydroxyalkanoates.
in Microbial biotechnology
Vieto S
(2021)
The potential of Pseudomonas for bioremediation of oxyanions.
in Environmental microbiology reports
Description | We have isolated several microorganisms from the environment able to grow using the constituent monomers of PET, terephathalate and ethylene glycol as sole carbon source. These organisms are amenable for genetic manipulations and we have successfully used them for the recombinant expression of esterases that are active against PET. Moreover, we have developed a method to monitor the hydrolysis of PET conducted by these enzymes. We have also modified the organisms to include a biosynthetic pathway and demonstrated the feasibility of bio transforming terephthalate into the antimicrobial and antitumoral drug violacein. In addition, we have investigated the impact of different PET pre-treatments in the biodegradability of the polymer. As a result we have now obtained a bacterial strain able to grow on PET as the sole carbon source and conduct the direct upcycling of the plastic into the added-value molecule violacein. |
Exploitation Route | We have found collaborators to exploit the outcomes. We have had requests to use the enzymes identified for the degradation of other polyester plastics such as PLA. We are working with a SME developing biodegradable plastics to assess the environmental fate of novel plastic formulations. In addition, we have conducted extensive responsible research and innovation tasks and identified a very suitable application of the technology aimed at the removal of plastics with poor collection rates and in particular de degradation of polyester microplastics in wastewater to prevent their environmental release in fertilisers. This application is currently been discussed with water companies, Defra and Ofwat. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Environment Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
URL | http://www.miplacebio.com |
Description | BIOremediation systems exploiting SYnergieS for improved removal of Mixed pOllutants (BIOSYSMO) |
Amount | £415,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 10045495 |
Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 12/2026 |
Description | IMSE Seed Funding |
Amount | £18,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 06/2022 |
Description | Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology (P3EB) Mission Hub |
Amount | £12,000,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/Y007972/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2024 |
End | 02/2029 |
Title | Simultaneous determination of terephthalate, protocatechuate and ethylene glycol by HPLC |
Description | HPLC assays to determine hydrolytic activity of enzymes against plastic PET. The method is based on the differential affinity of the reaction products for a hydrophilic column. The concentration of all products is determined after separation using RID and DOD detectors, for respectively ethylene glycol and aromatics. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | This method can greatly expedite our enzymatic assays that so far were restricted to the use of PET analogs such as polycaprolactone for which not all enzymes used display activity. |
Title | Dataset for "Applicability of Control Materials To Support Gene Promoter Characterization and Expression in Engineered Cells Using Digital PCR" |
Description | This dataset constitutes the pre-processed data contained in the publication 'Applicability of Control Materials To Support Gene Promoter Characterization and Expression in Engineered Cells Using Digital PCR' Analytical Chemistry (2022) 94(14):5566-5574 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05134). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The main impact is the following publication: Avendaño R., Muñoz-Montero S., Rojas-Gätjens D., Fuentes P., Vieto S., Montenegro R., Salvador M., Frew R., Kim J., Chavarría M. and Jimenez J.I. Production of selenium nanoparticles occurs through an interconnected pathway of sulfur metabolism and oxidative stress response in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (2023). Microb Biotechnol. 16:931-946 |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/7236197 |
Title | Transcriptome of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in response to selenite |
Description | RNAseq dataset of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 exposed or not to the presence of selenite. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Dataset published in Avendaño R., Muñoz-Montero S., Rojas-Gätjens D., Fuentes P., Vieto S., Montenegro R., Salvador M., Frew R., Kim J., Chavarría M. and Jimenez J.I. Production of selenium nanoparticles occurs through an interconnected pathway of sulfur metabolism and oxidative stress response in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (2023). Microb. Biotechnol. 00:1-16 |
URL | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE214391 |
Description | Accurate metrology of RNA levels |
Organisation | LGC Ltd |
Country | Global |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We design experiments and produce samples later analysed by LGC. |
Collaborator Contribution | Jim Huggett's team at LGC has brough expertise and in kind goods (reagents, instruments, etc) to accurate measure changes in RNA levels during couplings in gene expression. Understanding the mechanistic determinants of these couplings at the molecular level is critical for the efficient design of genetic circuits. LGC is currently measuring changes in RNA levels with the highest possible accuracy using qPCR and dPCR. |
Impact | This collaboration is multidisciplinary involving molecular metrology and synthetic biology. Publications: Fernandez-Gonzalez A., Cowen S., Kim J., Foy C., Jimenez J.I., Huggett J.F. and Whale A. Applicability of control materials to support gene promoter characterization and expression in engineered cells using digital PCR (2022). Anal Chem. 94:5566-5574 |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Bioplastics |
Organisation | University College Dublin |
Department | School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science UCD |
Country | Ireland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In this collaboration we are contributing with materials, mainly engineered strains, that are optimised for biotechnological purposes and tested at UCD for relevant applications. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators at UCD Dr Narancic and Prof. O'Connor are experts in bioplastics. They use different culture conditions and analytical methods to determine the polyhydrohyalkanoate and polyhydroxybutyrate production yields of the strains generated in my laboratory. |
Impact | This collaboration has resulted already in a publication in the journal Microbial Biotechnology (https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1751-7915.13712). |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Cold plasma (Newcastle) |
Organisation | Newcastle University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are testing the potential use of the solid residue resulting from cold plasma pre-treatments of plastic waste as a microbial feedstock. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners are Chemical Engineers specialising in cold-plasma pre-treatments of different types of waste and including mixed plastics. They have developed a prototype device for the treatment or plastics that allows to recover pure monomers in gas phase (e.g. ethylene, propylene). |
Impact | No outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | PET pretreatment (Leipzig) |
Organisation | University of Leipzig |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Materials: postconsumer PET plastic waste pretreated with an organic solvent to reduce crystallinity of the polymer. |
Collaborator Contribution | Assess the biodegradability of this polymer. We have demonstrated that the pre-treated plastic can be used as feedstock for microbial growth and transformation into added-value molecules. |
Impact | There are two manuscripts in preparation describing the findings obtained in this collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Polyethylene Northumbria |
Organisation | Northumbria University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are assessing the use of a bacterial strain isolated by collaborators at Northumbria University for the biodegradation of polyethylene and the production of molecules with added value. My group is focusing on the in vivo degradation of PE and the biosynthesis of violacein as a proof of principle of the process. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators are experts in enzymology. They have identified and purified enzymes involved in PE degradation which are being characterised and improved at the moment. |
Impact | No outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Polyethylene degradation |
Organisation | Polymateria Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We are assessing the biodegradability of different formulations and pre-treatments of polyethylene. This includes the analysis of their impact on soil microbial communities and the screening and chatacterisation of organisms able to produce suitable enzymes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are charaterising the biodegradation of polyethylene films and powders by environmental microorganisms. We obtain samples from Polymateria that are then used as sole carbon source for microbial communities isolated from soils. We assess the enrichment in microbial species as well as changes in the polymer used as a substrate using a combination of microbiological methods, DNA sequencing, biochemical assays, mass spectrometry and methods specific of polymer science such as FTIR. Polymateria provides know-how on these methods as well as access to instruments and installations. |
Impact | No outputs yet. This is an interdisciplinary project involving polymer science and microbiology. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Selenite reduction in Pseudomonas putida |
Organisation | University of Costa Rica |
Country | Costa Rica |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have conducted the molecular characterisation of selenite reduction and formation of selenium nanoparticles in an environmental bacterium. This includes generation of mutants and whole transcriptome analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners have developed analytical methods to monitor the reduction of selenite and formation of selenium. They have also characterised physiological effects of selenite in bacterial cells. |
Impact | The collaboration involves molecular biology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry. Publications: Avendaño R., Muñoz-Montero S., Rojas-Gätjens D., Fuentes P., Vieto S., Montenegro R., Salvador M., Frew R., Kim J., Chavarría M. and Jimenez J.I. Production of selenium nanoparticles occurs through an interconnected pathway of sulfur metabolism and oxidative stress response in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (2023). Microb. Biotechnol. 00:1-16 Vieto S., Rojas-Gätjens D., Jimenez J.I., Chavarria M. The potential of Pseudomonas for bioremediation of oxyanions (2021). Environ Microbiol Rep. 13:773-789 Avendaño R., Chaves N., Fuentes P., Sanchez E., Jimenez J.I. and Chavarria M. Production of selenium nanoparticles in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. (2016) Sci. Rep. 6:37155 |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Accelerating Biosciences (Imperial) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation to the Accelerating Biosciences event to foster links between academics at Imperial College London. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Australasia SynBio network seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give a seminar to the Perth node of the Australasia Synthetic Biology network. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://miplacebio.com/introducing-miplace-to-sba-perth/ |
Description | BiolCEP expert panel discussion |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Participation in panel discussion for EU project BiolCEP. There was a follow up request for collaboration and I am currently hosting a visiting scientist from Serbia as a result. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Biotechnology Cluster Nuevo Leon (Mexico) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Nearly 100 participants in an on line session focused on Synthetic Biology and Evolution in which I showcased some of out work engineering microorganisms to feed on plastic waste. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with abundant questions. I was later approached for further activities and explore potential collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Cluster Agroalimentario Nuevo Leon (Mexico) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation part of the biotechnology seminars organised by the Biotech Cluster at Nuevo León (Mexico) aimed at a broad range of stakeholders including general audiences interested in the topic, but mainly attended by researchers and postgraduate students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | ERA CoBiotech Status seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was an online series of seminars organised by the ERA-CoBiotech programme of the EU to highlight projects funded through the scheme. The audience was composes of mainly academic and industrial researchers, as well as representatives from the EU administration and it was open to the general public. The seminars were well attended with >200 people connected for the talks. There was discussion after the presentation about the economic implications of the technology discussed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://subsites.wur.nl/en/show/ERA-CoBioTech-Status-Webinar-Series-2020.htm |
Description | Engineering Biology Hub Awards |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Press release to highlight the recent awards of the UKRI Engineering Biology Hubs. I am co-investigator in one of them aimed at the use of synthetic biology for the valorisation of plastic waste. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/251436/ukri-engineering-biology-missions-award-millions/ |
Description | Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation to GRIPS conference bringing together industry, academics, charities, etc related to plastics production, recycling and waste management. The talk was followed by a panel discussion with lots of questions. After the presentation I was approached by academics resulting in a grant application and a building company interested in regular donations to our research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://ktn-uk.org/events/global-research-innovation-in-plastics-sustainability/ |
Description | Green ERA-Hub Breakfast club webinar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Online seminar part of an engagement event organised by the Green-ERA office of the European Union aimed at PhD students and postdocs albeit open to everyone. Recordings were made available on YouTube. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldOCa_A-nIw |
Description | IMSE Research showcase |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation to mainly prospective industrial partners as part of an event organised by the Institute of Molecular Science and Engineering at Imperial College to showcase research activities of their affiliates. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/248036/institute-molecular-science-engineering-research-showcase/ |
Description | IMSE briefing paper on plastic additive (Chair) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I acter as chair in the panel discussion 'Addressing plastic additives' part of the launch of briefing policy paper. The audience included practitioners, representatives from industry and VC firms, as well as activists. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/molecular-science-engineering/publications-and-outputs/briefing-papers/ad... |
Description | IMSE microplastics Briefing Policy paper launch |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In this event we took part in a panel discussion and also gave a short presentation to introduce the findings of a briefing policy paper advocating for a better management of microplastics in urban waste water to prevent their accumulation in sludge and spread in farming soils. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/molecular-science-engineering/publications-and-outputs/briefing-papers/us... |
Description | Industry day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation for industrial partners collaborating in taught postgraduate programmes at Imperial College. The day involved discussions with industrial researchers to explore future collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Industry open day 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | I took part giving a presentation in the open day of the Synthetic Biology Centre at Imperial College London. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Interview for Nature journal article on the 'Plastic crisis' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Interview for an article on the 'Plastic crisis' and the development of novel technologies to tackle it. The article was published in the News Feature section of the scientific journal Nature. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00975-5 |
Description | MIPLACE - Nature Biotechnology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The project was highlighted by Nature Biotechnology as a promising technology to tackle plastic waste resulting from a short interview. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-020-0541-0 |
Description | MIPLACE video |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Video summarising the strategy for valorisation of plastic waste using microorganisms of the project MIPLACE. The video was used as an entry for a competition organised by the ERA CoBiotech office in which it was awarded with the first prize. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVI-Dsev5DU |
Description | MIX-UP project seminars |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation to the community of scientists participating in the EU-China project MIX-UP aimed at plastic waste bio-upcyclling. There were many questions at the end related to in vivo degradation of plastics with bacteria. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.mix-up.eu/news/detail/announcement-guest-lecture-in-september-1 |
Description | Miplace twitter feed |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The twitter feed of the project MIPLACE (Microbial Integration of Plastics in the Circular Economy) was created in June 2020 as a way of interacting with a broad audience on a day to day basis. As of today (25/02/21) it has 850 followers and the posts have generated thousands of reactions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://twitter.com/miplacebio |
Description | Miplace web |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The webpage for the project MIPLACE (Microbial Integration of Plastics in the Circular Economy) was released in June 2020 and since then it has had thousands of visits. As a result there have been a number of engagements including with journalists and publishers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://www.miplacebio.com |
Description | Open Age presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation followed by discussion to an elderly charity (Open Age) based in London. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://miplacebio.com/talking-with-open-age/ |
Description | Oxford Grand Challenges seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Key note presentation and panel discussion related to the use of bio-based technologies for the Upcycling of plastic waste. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.environmental-research.ox.ac.uk/plastic-crisis-grand-challenges-seminar-series-0 |
Description | Press release - Trojan horse (Zurich) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Press release by the media office of our collaborators at the University of Zurich resulting from a joint publication. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.dqbm.uzh.ch/en/news/population-invasion-through-exploitation.html |
Description | Press release - Trojan horses (Imperial) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Press release to highlight the publication of an article resulting from activities in the project. The news were picked by several webpages and social media. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/210995/trojan-horse-bacteria-could-help-defeat/ |
Description | Seminar to Dpt. of Applied Sciences (University of Northumbria) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar to colleagues followed by numerous questions. The interaction resulted in a joint grant application. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Seminar to Life Sciences Imperial |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar given to the Dpt. of Life Sciences at Imperial College. This was an introduction to my research interests as a result of joining the Dpt. The talk was followed by interesting discussions and opportunities for collaboration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | SynBic seminar (Imperial) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation for the Society of MRes and undergraduate students interested in Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | The Great Exhibition Road festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | My group developed a hands-on family activity to explain the idea of using microorganisms to valorise plastic waste. This was called 'Build-a-bug' and aimed at assessing and influencing public perception related to the use and management of plastic waste (e.g. recycling) as well as the potential use of engineered microorganisms for environmental applications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk |
Description | iGEMx launch event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation to the iGEMx community of UG and PGR students interested in Synthetic Biology and linked to the International Generically Engineered Machines competition. This was an online event well-attended with participants from mainly Asian, African and European countries. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://community.igem.org/projects/igem-x |