Improving soil health with aeration curing for sludge management

Researchers demonstrate the potential of aeration curing for recycling sludge and immobilizing carbon dioxide in a cost-effective way.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

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INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING HOW AERATION CURING HELPS NEUTRALIZE THE ALKALINE NATURE OF SOIL THROUGH CARBON DIOXIDE IMMOBILIZATION.

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CREDIT: SHINYA INAZUMI FROM SIT, JAPAN

The construction industry is recognized for its high resource consumption and large waste generation. Among the waste products generated are construction-generated sludge (CGS) and construction-generated surplus soil (CGSS). These can be used for various applications such as backfilling, the creation of environmentally friendly building materials like bricks, and soil stabilization. However, these materials are highly alkaline, and this poses a risk of soil and water contamination, which adversely impacts plant and animal life. Furthermore, the large volume of CGS and CGSS generated, along with its unlawful dumping, pose further challenges. Therefore, newer solutions are required for their management and recycling.

In a recent study led by Professor Shinya Inazumi from the College of Engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan, a team of researchers has now addressed this issue by presenting a new, cost-effective strategy for the management of CGS. They have proposed the use of “aeration curing,” a technique that converts carbon dioxide to carbonate, as a solution. Their work was made available online on 23 November 2023 and published in Case Studies in Construction Materials on 01 July 2024.

Prof. Inazumi explains: “The initiation of the study on aeration curing was driven by the growing need to align construction practices with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). There is an urgent need for innovative solutions to effectively manage waste and reduce carbon footprints of the construction industry.”

The process of aeration curing involves carbon dioxide reacting with alkaline calcium hydroxide in the CGS to form less alkaline calcium carbonate. Notably, this neutralization method reduces the need for additional neutralizers, like sulfuric acid, typically required in more conventional treatment methods. Furthermore, traditional management practices are fighting rising costs of transportation, processing, and disposal.

For this study, aeration curing of CGS samples was conducted under various conditions. This involved manipulating factors, such as the speed of agitation, performing aeration curing within a drying oven, altering the surface area of the aerated region, and introducing a neutralizer to the samples. The findings revealed that the reduction in pH (a measure of alkalinity) was more pronounced at higher agitation speeds, during curing in a drying oven, and with a larger aerated surface area. Additionally, the aeration curing process required less neutralizer. These results highlight the potential of aeration curing as a sustainable construction practice for CGS management and carbon sequestration.

There are far-reaching implications of these findings, spanning various domains. Aside from waste management in the construction industry, the ability of the proposed method to neutralize soil can prove useful in land reclamation and remediation by preparing acidic or contaminated land for construction or agricultural use. Subsequently, this will help increase soil yields by improving overall soil health. Furthermore, this approach can be incorporated into academic curriculum and research projects that focus on environmental science and engineering, helping institutes explore sustainable waste management practices.

In the long term and from a big picture perspective, Prof. Inazumi speculates: “By aligning with the SDGs, aeration curing provides a practical tool for policymakers to promote sustainable practices in waste management and carbon sequestration. This, in turn, can influence regulations and guidelines related to construction and environmental protection. However, further refinement of the theoretical model is needed to accurately reflect real-world neutralization reactions.”

In summary, aeration curing, which can serve the dual purpose of soil neutralization and carbon sequestration, holds significant promise for influencing various disciplines and marks a crucial advancement in sustainable and environmentally responsible construction practices.

 

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Reference

Title of original paper: Aeration curing for recycling construction-generated sludge and its effect of immobilizing carbon dioxide

Journal: Case Studies in Construction Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02704

 

About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and will receive support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 8,000 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.

Website: https://www.shibaura-it.ac.jp/en/

 

About Professor Shinya Inazumi from SIT, Japan

Professor Shinya Inazumi is a faculty member at The College of Engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan. He earned his Ph.D. from Kyoto University and has an extensive academic record with over 105 publications and 350 citations. He specializes in civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering and has earned several prestigious awards, including the “ICE Publishing Awards 2020 (Environmental Geotechnics Prize)” from the Institution of Civil Engineers, the “International Research Award” from the International Society for Scientific Network Awards, and the “MEXT Young Scientists’ Prize” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2015.

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JOURNAL

Case Studies in Construction Materials

DOI

10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02704 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Aeration curing for recycling construction-generated sludge and its effect of immobilizing carbon dioxide

 £2.6 million center to train mineral resources experts for a new generation

Training and Research Group for Energy Transition Mineral Resources (TARGET) to be led by University of Leicester with universities, research organisations and industrial partners from across the UK

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

 

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COPPER MINE IN ARIZONA

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CREDIT: SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

A new generation of mineral resource experts to enable the United Kingdom’s transition to sustainable energy are to be trained by a consortium representing academia and industry, led by the University of Leicester.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation, have announced £2.6 million to support a multi-institution centre for doctoral training, the Training and Research Group for Energy Transition Mineral Resources (TARGET), to address the skills and research needs for the UK.

It is one of four new Natural Environment Research Council-funded centres that will teach the next generation of PhD students who will go on to build careers in research, business and public service.

Each year, over 3 billion tonnes of metals are produced from mineral resources. Mineral resources underpin society – without them we would have no infrastructure, no industry and no technology.

The UK’s transition to renewable energy generation and use – through wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles for example – is increasing the demand for mineral resources. Some of them are considered ‘critical’ – economically important but with challenged supply chains that are vulnerable to disruption. Growing expertise in critical mineral resources will help to develop secure and sustainable supply.

The TARGET centre is a UK wide group of universities, research organisations and industrial partners, led by the University of Leicester’s Centre for Sustainable Resource Extraction that will provide doctoral-level training in the full lifecycle of minerals from sector leaders. TARGET is recruiting its first cohort of researchers to start in October 2024, with further information available at https://target.le.ac.uk/

TARGET’s leader Dr Dan Smith, from the University of Leicester School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, said: “TARGET is a really exciting opportunity for us to train a next generation of researchers with the skills they need to tackle some of the biggest challenges in mineral resources: how do they form? How can we find the raw materials we need? How can we process and extract them efficiently, and how can we be more sustainable whilst doing so?

“It’s not just about getting more resources either. We know we need more careful stewardship of the resources we do have – considering circular economy models, better waste management, and more efficient use of mineral products.”

The TARGET Centre will combine PhD research projects with a multidisciplinary training programme that will provide skills in mineral exploration, processing, finance, policy and sustainability at all stages of a mineral’s use – from a rock in the ground to the end of a product’s useful life. TARGET’s training will be led by a mix of academic researchers and industry practitioners, and the parentship of the centre includes some of the most important global companies in mining, mineral analysis, environmental standards, and finance.

TARGET will operate alongside other UKRI programmes, including the £15 million CLIMATES programme being delivered by Innovate UK, boosting rare earth circularity, to provide opportunities for UK industry and research to enhance the responsible supply of minerals.

Science, Research and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, said: “Backing our brightest students to tackle issues as vital as flooding and protecting our water quality is an investment in protecting the landscape of the UK, while defending our planet and the resources we need to deliver us all healthier and more prosperous lives.

“With more than £10m in funding over the coming years it will also help to skill-up students in high-value research, which will grow the UK economy and ensure we fulfil the potential of the talent spread throughout our country.”

Professor Peter Liss, Interim Executive Chair of NERC, said: “This investment by NERC will equip the next generation of environmental science researchers with the technical and professional skills to tackle some of the most significant challenges facing the UK and globally. 

“The new centres for doctoral training will focus on the key themes of flood management, freshwater quality, sustainable mineral resources and wetland conservation.”

• TARGET is recruiting its first cohort of researchers to start in October 2024, for more information or to apply visit: https://target.le.ac.uk/
• TARGET partners are University of Leicester, Cardiff University, University of Exeter, Natural History Museum, Imperial College, the British Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, University of Liverpool, University of Leeds, Brighton University, St Andrews University, University College London, University of Aberdeen, the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Southampton and University of Edinburgh.

Truck working at a mine

Drill rig in South Pacific.

CREDIT

Source: University of Leicester

 

Innovating Wastewater Treatment: A Leap from Experience to Intelligence

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHINESE SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

 

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GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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CREDIT: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY

In a recent study published online 18 December 2023 in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, scientists from Peking University introduced a groundbreaking Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform to address the escalating complexities of pollutants and inadequacies in traditional WWTPs. This platform, inspired by the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), is poised to revolutionize the field of environmental engineering and microbiome research.

The innovative platform harnesses extensive microbiome and engineering data from WWTPs around the world. By utilizing advanced AI-driven tools, it analyzes the data to identify optimal microbiomes, upgrade facilities, and effectively respond to pollution accidents. This AI-driven platform strives for a stronger, faster, and globally integrated wastewater treatment solution, thereby enhancing WWTPs' indispensable role in pollution control and environmental sustainability.

Highlights

• A “Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform” is proposed.
• The Platform employs AI-driven modeling and analyzing for WWTP-relevant parties.
• The Platform aims to enhance the biodegradation efficiency of pollutants on Earth.
• The Platform will be of significance for our human society and natural environment.

"The Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform is not just a technological advancement; it's a paradigm shift in how we cope with environmental challenges," stated Donghui Wen, a leading figure in environmental engineering. "By harnessing the power of AI and global data, we're moving from mere experience-based methods to an era of informed intelligence."

The implications of this platform are vast. It is expected to significantly enhance the performance of WWTPs in pollution control, contributing to a more harmonious and healthy future for human society and the natural environment. It supports multidisciplinary research, documents microbial evolution, advances wastewater-based epidemiology, and enhances global resource sharing.

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References

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100370

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2023.100370

Funding information

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (51938001, 52170185, 42007291, 52070111)； The China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M721815).

About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. The latest impact factor of ESE is 12.6, according to the Journal Citation ReportTM 2022.

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100370 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform: From experience to intelligence

 

Unlocking green entrepreneurial intentions in emerging economies

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY

 

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PROPOSED MODEL.

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CREDIT: ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

The impact of global warming and harmful human activities has led to the rise of "sustainability" as a solution to environmental challenges. Central to this is Green Entrepreneurship (GE), which combines innovation and environmental commitment in business practices. GE is crucial for addressing environmental challenges, with green entrepreneurs prioritizing environmental and social value.  This approach is driven by personal environmental values and personality traits.

In a compelling study published on 20 November 2023 in Entrepreneurship Education, researchers delve into the various factors that drive green entrepreneurial intentions among undergraduate students in an emerging economy. The study highlights the role of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in fostering this mindset among students, who are key to sustainable business practices.

The study takes a deep dive into the dynamics of environmental entrepreneurship among undergraduates, applying theoretical frameworks such as the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Flow Theory (FT), and Generational Theory (GT). It examines how their attitude toward entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial knowledge and motivation, proactiveness for entrepreneurship (as a personality trait), and their environmental values interact with the support provided by universities to shape their green entrepreneurial intentions. The study integrates theories like the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Flow Theory (FT), and Generational Theory (GT) to develop a comprehensive understanding of the variables influencing these intentions.

Sanjoy Kumar Roy, the study's lead researcher, emphasizes the critical role of nurturing green entrepreneurial mindsets among young adults, particularly in addressing environmental challenges through innovative business ventures. This research underscores the critical importance of education and supportive ecosystems in cultivating green entrepreneurial intentions among students, advocating for a comprehensive approach to instill sustainable business practices in emerging economies.

The study offers invaluable insights for educational institutions and policymakers, guiding them in shaping strategies that nurture environmentally sustainable business mindsets in future entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the study highlights the necessity for further research in diverse cultural contexts to broaden the global understanding of green entrepreneurial intentions and to develop effective strategies that foster sustainable entrepreneurship on a worldwide scale.

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References

DOI

10.1007/s41959-023-00105-2

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-023-00105-2

About Entrepreneurship Education

Entrepreneurship Education is dedicated to exchanging the latest academic research and practical findings on various aspects of entrepreneurship education. It serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas among academic researchers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs, in order to explore practical experience and summarize theoretical reflections. The journal draws on high-quality work in social sciences, particularly in education, with an interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed approach. The journal primarily focuses on entrepreneurship education with a wide spectrum of sub-fields such as innovative education, technical and vocational education and training, maker education, lifelong learning and skill development, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial universities, curriculum and instruction, policy and governance. We welcome original research, review article, book review, and other types of manuscripts based on the method of international and comparison, policy analysis, case study, quantitative and qualitative study, etc.

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JOURNAL

Entrepreneurship Education

DOI

10.1007/s41959-023-00105-2 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Factors influencing undergraduate students’ green entrepreneurial intentions: evidence from an emerging economy

Core-shell ‘chemical looping’ boosts efficiency of greener approach to ethylene production

Multi-university team, including researchers from Lehigh University, reports catalysis breakthrough that could support oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) as an economically viable, more sustainable method for producing the essential chemical feedstock

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

 

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ISRAEL WACHS IS G. WHITNEY SNYDER PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING AND DIRECTOR OF THE OPERANDO MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY AND CATALYSIS RESEARCH LAB AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY. 

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CREDIT: LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

Ethylene is sometimes called the most important chemical in the petrochemical industry because it serves as the feedstock for a huge range of everyday products. It’s used in the production of antifreeze, vinyl, synthetic rubber, foam insulation, and plastics of all kinds. 

Currently, ethylene is produced through an energy- and resource-intensive process called steam cracking, where extremes of temperature and pressure produce ethylene from crude oil in the presence of steam—and in the process, emit tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Another way in which ethylene can be produced, however, is through a process called oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). It has the potential to be a greener alternative to steam cracking, but until recently, the amount of ethylene it yields did not make the process economically viable.

“So far, the catalytic yield has been below 30 percent for a single pass, meaning just passing the methane and oxygen through the catalyst and getting ethylene on the other side,” says Bar Mosevitzky Lis, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. “Studies that have simulated the entire industrial process using OCM have shown that the technology doesn’t become profitable until the single pass yield reaches between 30 and 35 percent.”  

OCM is now one step closer to leaving the lab and entering the real world. For the first time, researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Lehigh University, in collaboration with researchers from the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion and the East China University of Science and Technology, have developed an OCM catalyst that exceeds 30 percent when it comes to the production of ethylene. The paper describing their breakthrough was recently published in Nature Communications.  

The collaboration was led by Fanxing Li, Alcoa Professor of Engineering at NCSU. His team developed a class of core-shell Li2CO3-coated mixed rare earth oxides as catalysts for the oxidative coupling of methane using a chemical looping scheme. The result was a single-pass yield of up to 30.6 percent.

“The idea with chemical looping is that instead of doing a co-feed of methane and oxygen into the chamber with the catalyst, you do it sequentially,” says Mosevitzky Lis, who is also one of the study’s coauthors. “Over time, you lose oxygen from the catalyst and it becomes ineffective. With chemical looping, you start with methane, then switch to oxygen, then back to methane, and the oxygen serves to continually reoxidize the catalyst, thereby replenishing its ability to provide oxygen for the reaction.”

Mosevitzky Lis and his team at Lehigh—led by Israel Wachs, G. Whitney Snyder Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director of the Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Research Lab—did the characterization of the catalyst. 

“Our specialization is with in situ surface characterization,” says Mosevitzky Lis, “meaning we characterize the surface of catalysts while the reaction is running. We apply a wide array of physical and chemical techniques to understand the transformations catalysts undergo while the catalytic reaction is running on their surface and how these transformations relate to what makes them such good catalysts.”

He says the catalyst is composed from a mixed oxide core covered by lithium carbonate, and it’s the interaction between the core and the shell during chemical looping that is responsible for the high yield. The results mean that, for the first time, upgrading methane—which can be found in natural gas and biogas—into ethylene could be within reach for industry. 

“OCM has the potential to be cheaper and more efficient when it comes to energy and emissions,” he says. “Plus, instead of using crude oil, you’re using methane that typically comes from natural gas but may also be generated in the future from biogas and the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. And once you have ethylene, you’re able to transform it into countless products that are used by the whole world.”

The next step is to determine the suitability of the catalyst for industrial scale production while trying to push the yield even further up. For now, however, having finally improved on a method that’s remained an unfulfilled promise since the 1980s marks a milestone.    

“The intricacy of the system and the dynamics that take place, it’s almost like art,” says Mosevitzky Lis. “Both the core and the shell of the catalyst undergo very extreme processes, generating all kinds of interesting things on the surface. It’s beautiful.”

Related Links: 

• Nature Communications: "Lithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides as a generalized strategy for oxidative coupling..."
• Rossin College Faculty Profile: Israel E. Wachs
• Lehigh University: Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Research Lab
• NC State University: Li Research Group

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-43682-5 

ARTICLE TITLE

Lithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides as a generalized strategy for oxidative coupling of methane with exceptional yields

 

Researchers create light-powered yeast, providing insights into evolution, biofuels, cellular aging

Peer-Reviewed Publication

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

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GREEN RHODOPSIN PROTEINS INSIDE THE BLUE CELL WALLS HELP THESE YEAST GROW FASTER WHEN EXPOSED TO LIGHT.

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CREDIT: ANTHONY BURNETTI, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

You may be familiar with yeast as the organism content to turn carbs into products like bread and beer when left to ferment in the dark. In these cases, exposure to light can hinder or even spoil the process. 

In a new study published in Current Biology, researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of Biological Sciences have engineered one of the world’s first strains of yeast that may be happier with the lights on.

“We were frankly shocked by how simple it was to turn the yeast into phototrophs (organisms that can harness and use energy from light),” says Anthony Burnetti, a research scientist working in Associate Professor William Ratcliff’s laboratory and corresponding author of the study. “All we needed to do was move a single gene, and they grew 2% faster in the light than in the dark. Without any fine-tuning or careful coaxing, it just worked.”

Easily equipping the yeast with such an evolutionarily important trait could mean big things for our understanding of how this trait originated — and how it can be used to study things like biofuel production, evolution, and cellular aging.

Looking for an energy boost

The research was inspired by the group’s past work investigating the evolution of multicellular life. The group published their first report on their Multicellularity Long-Term Evolution Experiment (MuLTEE) in Nature last year, uncovering how their single-celled model organism, “snowflake yeast,” was able to evolve multicellularity over 3,000 generations.

Throughout these evolution experiments, one major limitation for multicellular evolution appeared: energy.

“Oxygen has a hard time diffusing deep into tissues, and you get tissues without the ability to get energy as a result,” says Burnetti. “I was looking for ways to get around this oxygen-based energy limitation.”

One way to give organisms an energy boost without using oxygen is through light. But the ability to turn light into usable energy can be complicated from an evolutionary standpoint. For example, the molecular machinery that allows plants to use light for energy involves a host of genes and proteins that are hard to synthesize and transfer to other organisms — both in the lab and naturally through evolution. 

Luckily, plants are not the only organisms that can convert light to energy.

Keeping it simple

A simpler way for organisms to use light is with rhodopsins: proteins that can convert light into energy without additional cellular machinery.

“Rhodopsins are found all over the tree of life and apparently are acquired by organisms obtaining genes from each other over evolutionary time,” says Autumn Peterson, a biology Ph.D. student working with Ratcliff and lead author of the study.

This type of genetic exchange is called horizontal gene transfer and involves sharing genetic information between organisms that aren’t closely related. Horizontal gene transfer can cause seemingly big evolutionary jumps in a short time, like how bacteria are quickly able to develop resistance to certain antibiotics. This can happen with all kinds of genetic information and is particularly common with rhodopsin proteins.

“In the process of figuring out a way to get rhodopsins into multi-celled yeast,” explains Burnetti, “we found we could learn about horizontal transfer of rhodopsins that has occurred across evolution in the past by transferring it into regular, single-celled yeast where it has never been before.”

To see if they could outfit a single-celled organism with solar-powered rhodopsin, researchers added a rhodopsin gene synthesized from a parasitic fungus to common baker’s yeast. This specific gene is coded for a form of rhodopsin that would be inserted into the cell’s vacuole, a part of the cell that, like mitochondria, can turn chemical gradients made by proteins like rhodopsin into energy. 

Biology Ph.D. student Autumn Peterson, the study's lead author, looks at yeast cells with Research Scientist Anthony Burnetti, the study's corresponding author, in the lab.

Georgia Tech biology researchers who worked on the study include (from left to right) School of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor William Ratcliff, Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection grant writer Carina Baskett, biology Ph.D. student Autumn Peterson (lead author), and Research Scientist Anthony Burnetti (corresponding author).

CREDIT

Audra Davidson, Georgia Institute of Technology

Equipped with vacuolar rhodopsin, the yeast grew roughly 2% faster when lit — a huge benefit in terms of evolution.

“Here we have a single gene, and we're just yanking it across contexts into a lineage that's never been a phototroph before, and it just works,” says Burnetti. “This says that it really is that easy for this kind of a system, at least sometimes, to do its job in a new organism.”

This simplicity provides key evolutionary insights and says a lot about “the ease with which rhodopsins have been able to spread across so many lineages and why that may be so,” explains Peterson, who Peterson recently received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship for her work. Carina Baskett, grant writer for Georgia Tech’s Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, also worked on the study.

Because vacuolar function may contribute to cellular aging, the group has also initiated collaborations to study how rhodopsins may be able to reduce aging effects in the yeast. Other researchers are already starting to use similar new, solar-powered yeast to study advancing bioproduction, which could mark big improvements for things like synthesizing biofuels.

Ratcliff and his group, however, are mostly keen to explore how this added benefit could impact the single-celled yeast’s journey to a multicellular organism. 

“We have this beautiful model system of simple multicellularity,” says Burnetti, referring to the long-running Multicellularity Long-Term Evolution Experiment (MuLTEE). “We want to give it phototrophy and see how it changes its evolution.”

Citation: Peterson et al., 2024, Current Biology 34, 1–7.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.044

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JOURNAL

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.044 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Transforming yeast into a facultative photoheterotroph via expression of vacuolar rhodopsin

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Feb-2024