synthetic biology brine waste Solutions
Brine waste creates economic and environmental bottlenecks towards using desalination to meet the world’s water needs.
Brine waste produced by fracking poses great environmental and seismic risk, with increasing regulations putting strain on energy production.
The problem
We use brine waste as a growth medium for salt-loving, genetically-modified microorganisms, called halophiles.
These halophiles produce valuable compounds, sequester carbon, and bioremediate brine waste, turning brine waste into a valuable resource.
Our Solution
How it Works:
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Step 1: Compositional Analysis
Brine waste is variable. To ensure optimal growth and yield, a compositional analysis must be done to inform halophile and product selection.
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Step 2: Selection
Information gathered during compositional analysis is used to select an ideal halophile for modification to produce a desired product.
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Step 3: Modifcation
Cultures of the selected halophile species are genetically modified to become bio-refineries for creating a desired compound.
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Step 4: Pretreatment
Brine waste is processed to neutralize growth-inhibitors and optimize for growth and production.
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Step 5: Inocculation
The pretreated brine waste medium is then inoculated with genetically-modified halophile cultures.
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Step 6: Growth & Production
The inoculated brine waste is monitored to ensure optimum growth of halophile cultures and production levels of the desired compound.
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Step 7: Extraction
The target compounds - along with other economically viable coproducts such as macromolecules, biofertilizers, biochar, nutraceuticals, and other compounds - are extracted from the brine waste.
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Step 8: ZLD Process
Post extraction brine waste then goes through a zero liquid discharge process separating freshwater water and salt content.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Our method turns salt loving microorganisms into mini-factories to produce chemical compounds.
Compounds with a history of research with halophiles, such as PHA plastics, biofuels, and other compounds, are ideal candidates for the method.
Moreover, advancements in genetic engineering may allow for a greater range of compounds which could be produced by the method.
We are currently raising funding for further research and development into maximizing efficiency and yield of the method, as well as its feasibility at scale.
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The method is currently at TRL 2, meaning the next step is to validate and iterate in order to move toward full scale commercialization.
Several components of the method are either currently in use or researched-backed. By integrating the tried and true as well as the cutting edge techniques of multiple disciplines, we hope to de-risk and accelerate scaling of the method.
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The U.N.‘s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) provide a framework for building a more prosperous and sustainable world for all.
Implementation of our method will contribute to several SDGs by aiding in alleviating water scarcity (SDG 3 & 6), innovate wastewater infrastructure and biomanufacturing (SDG 8, 9, 11, & 12), eliminating toxic waste effluents from fracking (SDG 7, 11, 12, 15) and protect the environment while addressing climate change through carbon sequestration (SDG 13 &14).
