Microbiology Project

Proposal

Nabeel Mohammed and Harish Kumar

Department of Biotechnology

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Table of Contents

INVESTIGATORS & COINVESTIGATORS

ABSTRACT OF PROPOSAL
PROPOSAL INTRODUCTION
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
PROJECT TIMELINES

Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators

Nabeel Mohammed ( BE12B017 )
Harish Kumar ( BS12B042 )

Project Proposal

Abstract of Proposal
With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure being
placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need
for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has
assumed increasing importance in the last few years.
Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible
polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither
be recycled nor incinerated.
It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and
synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for
biodegradation and the mechanisms involved.

Project Proposal

Abstract of Proposal
This requires understanding of the interactions between materials
and microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved.
Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been
carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems
associated with synthetic plastic waste.
This proposal is to investigate, identify and mass produce certain
bacteria which have shown a remarkable ability to degrade plastic.

Project Proposal

Introduction
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solids that are mouldable.
Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but
they often contain other substances.
They are usually synthetic, most commonly
petrochemicals, but many are partially natural.

derived

from

With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure being

placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need
for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has
assumed increasing importance in the last few years.
Project Proposal

Introduction
Lack of degradability and the closing of landfill sites as well as
growing water and land pollution problems have led to concern
about plastics.
Awareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment
has awakened new interest in the area of degradable polymers.
Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible
polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither
be recycled nor incinerated.

Project Proposal

Aims and Objectives of Study

To consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic
polymers in order to understand what is necessary for
biodegradation of plastics and the mechanisms involved.
To identify pure cultures or cultures of bacteria in a medium working
in tandem capable of degrading plastics and other polymers at
hyperaccelerated rates.
Once a culture is identified, research and experiments must be
performed to improve the rate of degradation of the plastics.

Project Proposal

Aims and Objectives of Study

Then, a suitable cost-effective means of manufacturing the culture in
large amounts must be devised.
After that, processes must be devised to ensure that useful byproducts like PHA are isolated so that they can be used to subsidize
the cost of degradation.

Project Proposal

Methodology / Approach
Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics
have been carried out in order to overcome the
environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic
waste.
Heating PET anaerobically yields terephthalic acid and a
small amount of oil and gas.
Several bacteria thrive in terephthalic acid.
Thus, a suitable bacteria which decomposes terephthalic
acid into harmless byproducts could be discovered.
Project Proposal

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Methodology / Approach
A suitable medium consisting of terephthalic acid conc. below 500
mg/L is fed into a digester and a suitable culture is inoculated while
another digester is kept as control.
The ratio of COD:N:P is kept 200:5:1.
The overnight gas production is measured in both digesters and
TPA is tested by UV photometer at 240nm after chromatographic
separation.
Once an efficient culture is obtained, standard mutagenesis
procedures are followed to obtain a faster and more efficient culture
as opposed wild strain.

Project Proposal

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Project Duration and Time Frame

Data Gathering

Input

Testing cultures
on plastic agar.
Testing cultures
on TPA agar.

Output

Bacteria Culture
templates

Activities

2m

Results of
Testing were
recorded.
Project Plan
submission to
committee.

Data Analysis
1m

Recorded results
of testing

Analysis of:
Degradation
Byproducts
Bacteria Used

Detailed analysis and knowledge

of all Bacteria which degrade
plastics as well as their carbon
source.
Project Report submission to
committee.

Project Proposal

Improvement

Implementation

18m

15m

Bacteria
which
are
capable of degrading
plastics or terephthalic
acid.

Bacteria
cultures
and
catalysts
capable
of
degrading Plastics or TPA
efficiently.

Searching for catalysts

of the degradation
process.
Improving efficiency
through cross-breeding
and mutagenesis.

The Genomes for the bacteria

are sequenced and a suitable
method of mass producing
the bacteria is identified.
Industrial
methods
are
devised to improve cost
efficiency of the process.

Bacteria cultures and

catalysts capable of
degrading plastics/TPA
efficiently obtained.
Progress Reports are
submitted monthly to
committee.

A cost-effective solution to
plastic degradation has been
devised.
Project Completion Report is
submitted.

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Budget
Non-recurring Expenditures:- 30 lakhs
Digesters
Photometers
Chromatographic Seperator

Recurring Expenditures:- 40 lakhs.

Staff
TPA
Glucose
Base Cultures

Contingency for Unexpected Events:- 30 lakhs.

Total Budget:- 1 crore
Project Proposal

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Status of Research at International Level

Kevin O'Connor, University College Dublin, Ireland: Recycling process simply converts the low value PET bottles into
more PET.
They wanted to see if they could turn the plastic into something
of higher value in an environmentally friendly way.
They knew that some bacteria can grow and thrive on TA, and
that other bacteria produce a high-value biodegradable plastic
PHA when stressed.
His team studied cultures from around the world known to grow
on TA, but none produced PHA. So they decided to look for
undiscovered strains, in environments that naturally contain TA.

Project Proposal

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Status of Research at International Level

Analysing soil bacteria from a PET bottle processing plant
yielded 32 colonies that could survive in the lab using TA as their
only energy source.
On screening each culture for PHA, three cultures, all similar to
known strains of Pseudomonas accumulated detectable
quantities of the valuable plastic.

Daniel Burd, Grade 11, Waterloo Collegiate Institute,

Ottawa, Canada: Daniel knew that plastic, one of the most indestructible of
manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose.
This means there must be microorganisms out there to do the
decomposing.

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Status of Research at International Level

He wondered if these microbes could be bred to do the job
faster.
He put this to the test with a very simple and clever process of
immersing ground plastic in a yeast solution that encourages
microbial growth, and then isolating the most productive
organisms.
The preliminary results were encouraging, so he kept at it,
selecting out the most effective strains and interbreeding them.
After several weeks of tweaking and optimizing temperatures
Burd was achieved a 43 percent degradation of plastic in six
weeks, an almost inconceivable accomplishment.

Project Proposal

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Deliverables and Beneficiaries of Project

Deliverables:-

Project Design Document

Project Plan
Monthly Progress Reports
Project Completion Report

Beneficiaries:-

Project Committee
Chennai Corporation
Society

Project Proposal

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Publications relevant to Proposal

1. Burd Report by Daniel Burd
2. The conversion of waste PET plastic to a high value added
biodegradable plastic by Dr. Kevin O Connor, Shane T. Kenny and
Jasmina Nikodinovic Runic.
3. Effect of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pseudomonas putida
and Sphingomonas macrogoltabidus on the Degradation of HDPE
Plastic with Chemical, UV, and Thermal Pre-treatments by Cara
Broshkevitch, Anne Richards, and Jacqueline Curley.
4. Biological degradation of plastics: A comprehensive review by
Aamer Ali Shah, Fariha Hasan, Abdul Hameed and Safia Ahmed.
5. Mechanistic implications of plastic degradation by Baljit Singh and
Nisha Sharma.
. All relevant publications are attached to document.
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Thank You
Nabeel Mohammed and Harish Kumar
BE12B017 and BS12B042
Students of Biological Engineering, Second Year
nabeelfrom95@gmail.com
Project Proposal

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