Team:Alberta-North-RBI E
From 2012e.igem.org
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+ | ==Success! Thanks!== | ||
+ | University of Alberta's Upcycled Aromatics is proud and honoured to have won the 2012 iGEM E World Championship! | ||
+ | Thanks everyone who supported Upcycled Aromatics, our sponsors, advisors and fellow iGEM'ers. All the hard work paid off, and certainly now there is a lot more work to be done! | ||
==The Pitch== | ==The Pitch== | ||
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==Project Overview== | ==Project Overview== | ||
- | New developments in synthetic biology have allowed scientists to explore innovative ways of producing important, high-value chemicals from what was once seen as industrial waste. In particular, paper recycling plants, as a byproduct of their operation, produce a waste sludge composed of paper fibres too short for further processing. This is a significant source of potentially exploitable cellulose. Aromatics represent a potentially lucrative chemical endpoint for this cellulose, having high price per unit mass and a sustainable market in both the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries. The conversion of this waste into valuable industrial chemicals is a relatively unexplored business opportunity and provides a unique niche which Upcycled Aromatics can fill. | + | New developments in synthetic biology have allowed scientists to explore innovative ways of producing important, high-value chemicals from what was once seen as industrial waste. In particular, paper recycling plants, as a byproduct of their operation, produce a waste sludge composed of paper fibres too short for further processing. This is a significant source of potentially exploitable cellulose. Aromatics represent a potentially lucrative chemical endpoint for this cellulose, having high price per unit mass and a sustainable market in both the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries. The conversion of this waste into valuable industrial chemicals is a relatively unexplored business opportunity and provides a unique niche which '''Upcycled Aromatics''' can fill. |
- | Our company’s proposed process has two parts: in the first, cellulose from waste sludge from recycling plants is converted into glucose; in the second, glucose from the first part is used as a feedstock for the production of aromatic chemicals. The cellulose | + | Our company’s proposed process has two parts: in the first, cellulose from waste sludge from recycling plants is converted into glucose; in the second, glucose from the first part is used as a feedstock for the production of aromatic chemicals. The cellulose to glucose to products conversion will be done “on-site”. The products are high value aromatic compounds used in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, fragrances and flavouring and specialty chemicals. |
- | In the glucose | + | In the glucose to aromatics conversion, we plan to use only a single metabolic pathway with “on/off genetic switches” at different “steps” of the process. This gives us the freedom to produce any of three desired compounds as an end product: shikimate, cinnamic acid or 4-hydroxycinnamic acid. Possible switch activators include temperature pH, or the addition of a inhibiting chemical such as phosphate. |
=='''Sponsors'''== | =='''Sponsors'''== | ||
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- | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/b/ba/AITF.jpg" width="300px" height="100px" ; > | + | <a href="http://www.albertatechfutures.ca/"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/b/ba/AITF.jpg" width="300px" height="100px" ; ></a> |
- | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/f/ff/CityOfEdmonton.jpg" width="350px" height="100px"; > | + | <a href="http://www.edmonton.ca/"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/f/ff/CityOfEdmonton.jpg" width="350px" height="100px"; ></a> |
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- | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/5/50/URI.jpg" width="150px" height="100px"; > | + | <a href="http://www.uri.ualberta.ca/"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/5/50/URI.jpg" width="150px" height="100px"; ></a> |
</center> | </center> | ||
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Latest revision as of 02:40, 7 November 2012
Contents |
Success! Thanks!
University of Alberta's Upcycled Aromatics is proud and honoured to have won the 2012 iGEM E World Championship! Thanks everyone who supported Upcycled Aromatics, our sponsors, advisors and fellow iGEM'ers. All the hard work paid off, and certainly now there is a lot more work to be done!
The Pitch
Project Overview
New developments in synthetic biology have allowed scientists to explore innovative ways of producing important, high-value chemicals from what was once seen as industrial waste. In particular, paper recycling plants, as a byproduct of their operation, produce a waste sludge composed of paper fibres too short for further processing. This is a significant source of potentially exploitable cellulose. Aromatics represent a potentially lucrative chemical endpoint for this cellulose, having high price per unit mass and a sustainable market in both the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries. The conversion of this waste into valuable industrial chemicals is a relatively unexplored business opportunity and provides a unique niche which Upcycled Aromatics can fill.
Our company’s proposed process has two parts: in the first, cellulose from waste sludge from recycling plants is converted into glucose; in the second, glucose from the first part is used as a feedstock for the production of aromatic chemicals. The cellulose to glucose to products conversion will be done “on-site”. The products are high value aromatic compounds used in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, fragrances and flavouring and specialty chemicals.
In the glucose to aromatics conversion, we plan to use only a single metabolic pathway with “on/off genetic switches” at different “steps” of the process. This gives us the freedom to produce any of three desired compounds as an end product: shikimate, cinnamic acid or 4-hydroxycinnamic acid. Possible switch activators include temperature pH, or the addition of a inhibiting chemical such as phosphate.
Sponsors
Gold
Bronze