Team:OLS Canmore AB CA/Description
Description
This year our team chose to tackle the hairy global issue of keratin waste build-up. We are working to solve this issue by constructing a Keratinase-expressing E. coli system that will break down the keratin protein, leading to the rapid degradation of both hair and feathers in industrial waste streams. The reason that both hair and feathers present waste-management problems is that they are made up of the same protein: keratin. Keratin is one of the strongest proteins found in nature due to its hydrogen bonds, disulphide bonds, and its tightly wrapped helixes (1), or parallel sheets of polypeptide chains with amino acids (3). Keratinase is a proteolytic enzyme that is capable of breaking the strong bonds that hold keratin together. In nature, Keratinases are expressed in a variety of organisms, including bacteria and fungi, which exist in many different habitats. These habitats include Antarctic soils, soybean waste, Mediterranean Sea, solfataric muds, polluted rivers, and hot springs (2). The current understanding of Keratinase shows the Bacillus genera to be the most prominent natural Keratinase producers (2). |
 Picture from http://blogs.inquirer.net/insidescience/2008/08/01/filipino-scientist-finds-good-use-for-chicken-feathers/
 Picture from http://slocumbros.com/category/news/ and the San Antonio Water System |
Our inspiration to tackle the issue of hair and feather build came from a cartoon that was published in our local paper entitled “The Epic Poo Race”. This cartoon was published as a funny way to educate the public about the issue that was effecting our town. Hair being flushed into wastewater treatment systems was getting tangled and trapped to the point of restricting the flow of sewage. |
Photo courtesy of the Town of Canmore |
From visiting our local waste water treatment plant we learnt that these build-ups of hair can be so damaging that they can stop pumps from working leading to backup in waste, blockages, and the breaking of many wastewater treatment equipment costing millions in repairs. Perhaps the worst thing about this issue is how the hair is currently removed from the waste treatment facilities. These clogs, no matter their size, must be removed manually by the unlucky worker given the task. Our team knew there must be a better way to tackle this problem. Of course, we thought that synthetic biology would be the perfect answer to this problem. |
Team member Alina Arvisais at the Canmore Waste Water Treatment Plant |
Designing a biological system that can produce functional Keratinase at a low cost and high output rate provides an opportunity for real improvement in the current reality of keratin waste management. Aside from the industrial applications already discussed, Keratinases can have expanded application value in the cosmetic industry; as a natural alternative to caustic drain cleaner products; in the leather production industry, to assist in dehairing hides; or as an animal feed supplement, allowing livestock to receive more nutrients from their food (2).
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