Developing novel biodegradable biopolymers with superior barrier properties for use within the drinks industry

我博士学位的目的是建立克里斯·查克教授的生物聚合物的生命终结行为。这包括调查导致土壤环境退化的微生物，以及确定这一过程的两种产物。希望减少环境中的塑料垃圾。这种生物聚合物很容易分解，不会留下毒素，使其对海洋安全。该博士是与全球酒精行业领先者帝亚吉欧合作的。帝亚吉欧的社会2030计划旨在创造一个更可持续的世界，希望确保到2030年100%的塑料被回收/再利用/堆肥。在开始我的博士学位之前，我调查了纤维素酶对我们生物聚合物中一些常见材料的影响。根据这些结果，我现在想研究一下我们如何才能切断糖酸键。我会用脂肪酶来测试这个。我博士学位的下一步是建立含有我们的生物聚合物的堆肥区，以监测随着时间的推移的降解情况。我将从生物聚合物中提取样本，并使用16S/28S rRNA测序来调查负责降解的微生物。我将在接下来的几周内进行这个实验，然后在夏季的几个月里再次进行实验，以比较温度对降解的影响。在这些实验中，我将在实验室条件下培养3种已知的产生纤维素酶的微生物，使用生物聚合物作为唯一的碳源。我将通过DNS测试来测量葡萄糖的释放，以评估生物聚合物的分解情况。我希望建立的另一个实验将调查这些生物聚合物是否可以食用。我将在低pH值下使用胃酶来模拟胃环境。另一个可能感兴趣的领域可能是研究海洋环境中的分解。

The aim of my PhD is to establish the end-of-life behaviour of Professor Chris Chuck's biopolymers. This includes investigations of the microorganisms responsible for the degradation in soil environments, as well as determining the biproducts of this process.The hope is to reduce plastic litter in the environment. The biopolymer will readily decompose, leaving no toxins, making it marine-safe.The PhD is a collaboration with Diageo, a global leader in the alcohol industry. Diageo's plan 'Society 2030' is designed to create a more sustainable world, hoping to ensure 100% of plastics are recycled/reused/compostable by 2030.To begin my PhD I have investigated the affect of cellulase on some of the common materials found in our biopolymers. From these results I now wish to investigate how we can cleave the sugar-acid bond. I will use lipases to test this. The next step in my PhD is to set up compost plots containing our biopolymers to monitor the degradation over time. I will take samples from the biopolymers and use 16s/28s rRNA sequencing to investigate the microorganisms which are responsible for the degradation. I will set this experiment up within the next few weeks and then again during the summer months to compare the affects of temperature on degradation.Alongside these experiments I will grow 3 different microorganisms known to produce the cellulase enzyme, under lab conditions using the biopolymers as a sole carbon source. I will measure the release of glucose via a DNS assay to assess the breakdown of the biopolymers.An additional experiment I wish to set up will investigate whether the biopolymers are edible. I will use stomach enzymes at a low pH to mimic the stomach environment.Another potential area of interest could be to investigate the breakdown in marine environments.