In a game-changing breakthrough, Chinese scientists have engineered a powerful bacteria strain that can simultaneously break down five major pollutants from high-salinity industrial wastewater 🚀. Developed by a joint team from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, this innovation uses synthetic biology to combine five degradation pathways into one super-efficient microbe.
The bacterium targets biphenyl, phenol, naphthalene, dibenzofuran, and toluene. In lab tests, it removed over 60% of these contaminants within just 48 hours – completely degrading biphenyl and achieving nearly 90% degradation for tricky compounds like toluene and dibenzofuran. 🌱
This breakthrough holds exciting potential for environmental cleanup projects including oil spill remediation, industrial site restoration, and even microplastic biodegradation. It’s a glimpse into a future where eco-friendly microbes help us address challenging pollution issues and build a cleaner, greener world.
Reference(s):
Chinese scientists develop engineered bacteria to degrade pollutants
cgtn.com
