there are reports of several species brought to near-extinction, most likely by the effects of diclofenac accumulation. [Quelle 2] Diclofenac was added to the EU watchlist of priority substances in 2015 due to its rising concentration in European wastewater. [Quelle 3] We acknowledge this new threat to the health of our ecosystems and our own so we designed wastewater-treating B. subtilis biofilms. They are capable of rendering pharmaceuticals like diclofenac less toxic by enzymatical activity of laccases like EreB, CotA or CuO fused to the major biofilm matrix component TasA [Link zu Biofilm TasA Text).
Überschrift: How to use it
Our engineered biofilm is implemented into wastewater treatment plants by growing B. subtilis biofilms on reuseable “biofilm carriers” which are dropped into the wastewater. They are ping pong ball sized, porous spheres designed to maximize the surface area between biofilm and wastewater. Here, our TasA fusion proteins come into contact with pharmaceutical compounds to render them less toxic. Potentially, the protein fused with TasA may be exchangeable for similar uses targeting different compounds and chemical structures.
Überschrift: UN Sustainable Development Goals
We apply for Best Sustainable Development Impact because our project is able to increase the efficiency of wastewater treatment as well as decrease environmental pollution by pharmaceutical compounds.
SDG #6 inspires us to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” [Quelle]. Our project identifies most with target 6.3 since it is our intention to improve water quality by reducing pollution, enabling safe wastewater reuse globally. We believe our project can improve water management and quality all around the globe by decreasing the level of pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater. We specifically intend its use to be easy and cost-effective to make it feasible even for limited budgets. By fusing the TasA protein to other enzymes, future users may even be able to adjust our genetically engineered machine for their needs.
SDG #14 aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. It is of great importance to us that marine pollution is reduced to a minimum to ensure stable ecosystems for animals and mankind. That is why target 14.1 is most similar to the goals of this project. Reduction of marine pollution ensures a reduction of health-risks due to e.g. diclofenac accumulation in the food chain. The more consumption of pharmaceuticals and the world population continue to increase, the more important it will it be to prevent pollution of our aquatic ecosystems and food sources.


[1] Thomas H. Miller, Nicolas R. Bury, Stewart F. Owen et. al, A review of the pharmaceutical exposome in aquatic fauna, Environmental Pollution, (2018), 239:129-146, 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.012  [2] Gerry Swan, Vinasan Naidoo, Richard Cuthbert, et. al, Removing the threat of diclofenac to critically endangered Asian vultures, PLoS Biol., (2006), 4(3):395-402, 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040066  [3] German Environment Agency: Chemikalienwirkung, https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/chemikalien/chemikalienwirkungen#prufen-der-umweltwirkung-von-chemikalien, accessed on July 15th 2020