Commodity Chemical Production Using Extremophillic Bacteria
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Mormile, Melanie R.
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
In our changing world, it is becoming more and more important to be able to create things in an environmentally benign way. Currently, a majority of commodity chemicals come from fossil fuels, not an environmental-friendly option. An alternative to some chemical production is to use microorganisms to produce industrially relevant compounds. In addition, it would be beneficial to produce these compounds from waste materials. Currently, glycerol is a waste product from biodiesel production. Enrichments will be prepared from sediment from Red Lake, located at the Rocky Fork/Finger Lakes Conservation Area, just north of Columbia, Missouri, to obtain microorganisms that can ferment glycerol under acidophilic conditions. The use of extremophilic bacteria provides numerous benefits, such as a lack of contamination. Ideally, this process will give us the ability to created commodity chemicals in an efficient and environmentally benign manner.
Biography
Olivia Fleming is a sophomore in biological sciences.
Research Category
Research Proposals
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hall
Presentation Date
16 Apr 2014, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Commodity Chemical Production Using Extremophillic Bacteria
Upper Atrium/Hall
In our changing world, it is becoming more and more important to be able to create things in an environmentally benign way. Currently, a majority of commodity chemicals come from fossil fuels, not an environmental-friendly option. An alternative to some chemical production is to use microorganisms to produce industrially relevant compounds. In addition, it would be beneficial to produce these compounds from waste materials. Currently, glycerol is a waste product from biodiesel production. Enrichments will be prepared from sediment from Red Lake, located at the Rocky Fork/Finger Lakes Conservation Area, just north of Columbia, Missouri, to obtain microorganisms that can ferment glycerol under acidophilic conditions. The use of extremophilic bacteria provides numerous benefits, such as a lack of contamination. Ideally, this process will give us the ability to created commodity chemicals in an efficient and environmentally benign manner.
