(303a) Engineering Biology to Develop “a Taste for Waste”

Chemical sustainability requires a fully circular economy. The valorization and remediation of waste (whether anthropogenic, environmental, or industrial) using biology presents itself as a viable route for both environmental stewardship and sustainable industrial bioproduction. This approach is becoming more feasible thanks to advances in metabolic strain engineering, synthetic biology, and machine learning. This talk will cover examples of how microbial systems and enzyme can achieve the goal of sustainable chemical production and waste valorization by rewiring biology to develop “a taste for waste”. Highlighted examples include plastic waste depolymerization, unconventional carbon utilization, and feedstock expansions to include unique waste sources. Underlying metabolic and protein engineering principles will be highlighted through these examples. Collectively, this work helps to usher in a new approach for biologically-enabled sustainability.