Team:Alberta-North-RBI E/projectfuture

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== The Problem/Opportunity ==
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== Environmental Impact ==  
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Biomass represents one of the only foreseeable abundant resources that can be used for low cost production of organic fuels, chemicals and other materials. Furthermore, recovering biomass has benefits at every stage in the life cycle of a consumer product - including sustainable resource supply, energy security, and waste disposal. So, what kind of biomass feedstock are we interested in?
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Public awareness of the increasing threats to our environment governs the interest towards mitigation methods regarding municipal sold waste. Planning effective and sustainable investments requires an understanding of the needs and preferences of a wide variety of stakeholders and the corresponding social impacts. The needs of a society and the extent to which users take ownership of systems and facilities are dependent on the specific local/country values.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s study on municipal solid waste generation, recycling, and disposal found that there was 250,000,000 metric tons of MSW disposed of in the United States in 2010 alone  <html><a href="http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm">[EPA]</a></html>. The figure below shows the weight generated per year of some of the major constituent materials of the MSW from 1960 to 2010 in the United States. Over the last few decades, the generation of MSW has changed substantially. Solid waste generation has increased from 3.66 to 4.43 pounds per person per day between 1980 and 2010 <html><a href="http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm">[EPA]</a></html>. Additionally, over the past 5 years paper products alone have accounted for 31% of the total MSW by weight before recycling <html><a href="http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm">[EPA]</a></html>.
    
    
    
    
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Several hundred million metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is disposed of in Canada and the United States annually. Paper products alone account for approximately 30% of MSW by weight before recycling. (For more information on waste generation, recycling, and disposal view our  <html><a href="https://2012e.igem.org/Team:Alberta-North-RBI_E/recycling">Waste Management Trends</a></html>). 
 
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  Recycled paper processing plants use paper as their feedstock and recover fibre that can be used to produce new paper products. Paper is essentially composed of a fibre mat. Virgin fibres are straight, smooth and largely undamaged. However, to make a quality piece of paper, the fibres must be flattened to increase contact area and bond potential between them. Additionally, in the paper recycling process, fibres are subjected to a number of chemical and mechanical processes which decrease the length of the fibres. As a result, paper fibre cannot be recycled endlessly. It is generally accepted that a fibre can be used six to seven times before it becomes too short to be utilized in new paper products.
 
    
    
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Due to environmental concern, government regulations and economic considerations, there has been a consistent increased effort in recycling endeavours over the past years.  Recycling rates have increased from less than 10% of MSW generated in 1980 to about 34% in 2010 <html><a href="http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm">[EPA]</a></html>. Additionally, the disposal of waste to a landfill has decreased from 89% of the amount generated in 1980 to about 54% of MSW in 2010 <html><a href="http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm">[EPA]</a></html>. As seen in the figure below, the highest recovery rates in 2010 were achieved with paper and paperboard products. More than 62 percent of the paper generated was recycled. As a result, recycling paper products not only affects the upstream processes in paper production (where raw materials are acquired), but also has consequences on the downstream portion of paper use (waste-disposal).
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  <center> <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012e/c/c4/Waste_Recovered.JPG" width="600px" height="350px" alt="" style="margin:auto;display:block;"></center>
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Actually, this unusable fibre accounts for 15-20% of the recycled fibres fed to the recycling plant and are considered waste. Paper recycling companies pay to have this waste buried in a landfill or sent out in a waste waster stream. Where others see waste, Upcycled Aromatics sees opportunity. 
 
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The major constituent of these paper fibres is cellulose, a homopolysaccharide made up of β-D-glucose. Ergo, the unusable, short fibre in the waste stream of paper recycling plants is a significant source of potentially exploitable cellulose. This feedstock is more attractive than other lignocellulosic biomass because it is processed prior to its utilization and requires no pre-treatment as a result. Additionally, the integration of this process into an already existing infrastructure eliminates transportation costs. For the recycling plant, value is added to their waste stream and there is a more sustainable solution for an already green industry.
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Our process has the potential to divert approximately 50 ton/day of solid by-product from paper recycling plants and pulp and paper mills away from landfill. We will utilize the cellulose within these streams for the production of high value specialty chemicals. The solids which remain after fermentation will be composted. The current cost of disposal of these effluent streams is $25/wet ton. Not only are we exploring a more sustainable solution for these plants but we are also removing a previously unavoidable cost.
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== '''Social Impact''' ==
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== Building Expertise in Synthetic Biology ==
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According to a new market report published by <html><a href=" http://www.bccresearch.com/report/global-synthetic-biology-markets-bio066b.html">BCC, </a></html> the global synthetic biology market was worth $1.1 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach $10.8 billion by 2016. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.8%. Additionally, the global value of the enabled products segment reached $944.7 million in 2010. It is expected to grow to nearly $9.5 billion by 2016 at a CAGR of 46.5%.
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Our business opportunity will build expertise in the in the rapidly expanding industry of synthetic biology. The industry as a whole is comprised of two essential components: (1) the development of a platform technology, and (2) the application of projects across a range of fields. Those involved in our venture will gain skills related to the engineering principles of standardisation, modularisation, and characterisation, coupled with industrial system design.
    
    
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On the other end, aromatics represent a potentially lucrative chemical endpoint for this cellulose. Up to this point, studies have concentrated on the conversion of the cellulose in the paper waste to ethanol (Yamshita et al. 2006; Vamvuka et al. 2009; Kang et al. 2010, 2011) and lactic acid (Marques et al. 2008; Mukhopadhyay 2009). Ethanol and lactic acid production is high yield, low value requiring large amounts of feedstock. On the other hand, aromatics production is a lower yield, higher value venture. Aromatics have a high price per unit mass and a variety of applications as entry point chemicals in a number of industries. Pharmaceticals, plastics, scents, and flavorings are a few of the potential end products for the aromatic compounds. The conversion of this waste into valuable industrial chemicals is a relatively unexplored business opportunity and is desirable from the standpoint of green and clean processing.
 
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== Rural Communities ==
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Although we are designing our first plants to utilize effluent streams from paper recycling plants and pulp & paper mills, we plan to expand our feedstocks in the future. Ideally, we will develop processes using agricultural (lignocellulosic) biomass residues such as barley, corn, canola, oat and wheat straw. However, this plant material must undergo delignification before it can be used. There has been an increase in biotechnological research on the subjects of synthesis of lignin in plants and the degradation of lignin by microorganisms. Once these technologies are further developed, the use of agricultural biomass as a feedstock for our process is more likely.
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Use of agricultural biomass is a stimulus to rural economies. The socioeconomic benefits include employment, infrastructure improvements, increased land value, and income from smallholder cultivation. Cellulose is contained in nearly every natural, free-growing plant thus there is a wide variety of possible source materials. The demand for suitable crops will provide economic stimulation to the agricultural industry. Local job creation and increased land value are a few of the benefits for rural communities. 
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Latest revision as of 00:49, 21 October 2012

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Contents

Environmental Impact

Public awareness of the increasing threats to our environment governs the interest towards mitigation methods regarding municipal sold waste. Planning effective and sustainable investments requires an understanding of the needs and preferences of a wide variety of stakeholders and the corresponding social impacts. The needs of a society and the extent to which users take ownership of systems and facilities are dependent on the specific local/country values.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s study on municipal solid waste generation, recycling, and disposal found that there was 250,000,000 metric tons of MSW disposed of in the United States in 2010 alone [EPA]. The figure below shows the weight generated per year of some of the major constituent materials of the MSW from 1960 to 2010 in the United States. Over the last few decades, the generation of MSW has changed substantially. Solid waste generation has increased from 3.66 to 4.43 pounds per person per day between 1980 and 2010 [EPA]. Additionally, over the past 5 years paper products alone have accounted for 31% of the total MSW by weight before recycling [EPA].



Due to environmental concern, government regulations and economic considerations, there has been a consistent increased effort in recycling endeavours over the past years. Recycling rates have increased from less than 10% of MSW generated in 1980 to about 34% in 2010 [EPA]. Additionally, the disposal of waste to a landfill has decreased from 89% of the amount generated in 1980 to about 54% of MSW in 2010 [EPA]. As seen in the figure below, the highest recovery rates in 2010 were achieved with paper and paperboard products. More than 62 percent of the paper generated was recycled. As a result, recycling paper products not only affects the upstream processes in paper production (where raw materials are acquired), but also has consequences on the downstream portion of paper use (waste-disposal).



Our process has the potential to divert approximately 50 ton/day of solid by-product from paper recycling plants and pulp and paper mills away from landfill. We will utilize the cellulose within these streams for the production of high value specialty chemicals. The solids which remain after fermentation will be composted. The current cost of disposal of these effluent streams is $25/wet ton. Not only are we exploring a more sustainable solution for these plants but we are also removing a previously unavoidable cost.


Social Impact

Building Expertise in Synthetic Biology

According to a new market report published by BCC, the global synthetic biology market was worth $1.1 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach $10.8 billion by 2016. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.8%. Additionally, the global value of the enabled products segment reached $944.7 million in 2010. It is expected to grow to nearly $9.5 billion by 2016 at a CAGR of 46.5%.


Our business opportunity will build expertise in the in the rapidly expanding industry of synthetic biology. The industry as a whole is comprised of two essential components: (1) the development of a platform technology, and (2) the application of projects across a range of fields. Those involved in our venture will gain skills related to the engineering principles of standardisation, modularisation, and characterisation, coupled with industrial system design.



Rural Communities

Although we are designing our first plants to utilize effluent streams from paper recycling plants and pulp & paper mills, we plan to expand our feedstocks in the future. Ideally, we will develop processes using agricultural (lignocellulosic) biomass residues such as barley, corn, canola, oat and wheat straw. However, this plant material must undergo delignification before it can be used. There has been an increase in biotechnological research on the subjects of synthesis of lignin in plants and the degradation of lignin by microorganisms. Once these technologies are further developed, the use of agricultural biomass as a feedstock for our process is more likely.


Use of agricultural biomass is a stimulus to rural economies. The socioeconomic benefits include employment, infrastructure improvements, increased land value, and income from smallholder cultivation. Cellulose is contained in nearly every natural, free-growing plant thus there is a wide variety of possible source materials. The demand for suitable crops will provide economic stimulation to the agricultural industry. Local job creation and increased land value are a few of the benefits for rural communities.




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