Bioremediation of Plastic Pollution to Conserve Biodiversity (2026-2027)

Background

Plastic is now the most widespread human-made material on Earth. Much of it ends up in rivers, lakes and oceans, where it forms massive debris fields and accumulates throughout the water column. Marine species that ingest plastics suffer health consequences, and plastic additives can bioaccumulate up the food chain — ultimately reaching humans. Despite the public’s increased awareness of environmental harms, plastic continues to accumulate at staggering rates, creating an urgent need for scalable solutions.

Recent scientific advances have identified microbes capable of breaking down plastics into biodegradable components. Some of these organisms produce enzymes that can initiate polymer degradation, offering a potential foundation for bioremediation strategies. However, the microbes and enzymes discovered so far are not efficient enough for rapid, real-world use. This gap presents an opportunity for bioengineering approaches that enhance plastic degradation while also deepening our understanding of the health risks associated with plastic additives.

Project Description

This interdisciplinary project team will build on years of successful Bass Connections work to develop, test and refine biological systems that can remediate plastic pollution and to investigate and shine light on the health risks posed by plastic additives.

The team will pursue two overarching goals:

1. Optimize engineered microbial systems for efficient plastic degradation

Students will use computational, molecular and systems biology techniques to improve the plastic-degrading abilities of two microbial systems:

Pseudomonas stutzeri, a recently discovered plastic-degrading species validated by this team, will undergo directed evolution for the selection of mutants capable of breaking down plastics more rapidly.
A system using the bacterium thermus thermophilus to create a temperature-tolerant plastic-degrading enzyme will be tested across a range of temperatures to determine whether heat accelerates the degradation process.

In the long term, the team is collaborating with researchers at Pennsylvania State University, Behrend to engineer a solar-powered, portable bioreactor for field deployment.

2. Determine the harmful effects of plastic additives on cellular health

Plastic often contains combinations of chemical additives, including over 100 that are known carcinogens and thousands more that have not yet been tested. Using cell culture experiments, team members will test combinations of additives that may synergize to both increase DNA damage and prevent cell death. They will observe and quantify cancer-like behaviors in the cells along with expression of detoxification genes.

Anticipated Outputs

Two peer-reviewed manuscripts: one on enzyme development for degrading low-density polyethylene and one on the carcinogenic potential of additive mixtures
An at-home bioreactor prototype that uses P. stutzeri to compost polystyrene
Proposals to generate further extramural funding

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this team will include 3 graduate students and 5 undergraduate students from a range of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, genetic engineering, computer science, environmental science, bioinformatics, marine science and public policy. Students will participate at multiple levels in laboratory and computational research, gaining skills in:

Bioengineering and genetic manipulation
Directed evolution and enzyme optimization
Molecular and cell biology techniques
Computational modeling
Toxicology and cancer biology
Scientific communication, including presentations and manuscript preparation
Mentoring and leadership opportunities, with senior students guiding new team members

The team’s collaborative structure includes subteam meetings, all-team meetings, journal clubs, asynchronous learning modules and Slack communication. Graduate students and a dedicated project manager will support ongoing coordination.

Timing

Summer 2026 – Spring 2027

Summer 2026 (optional):

Continuing students work on research and publications
Monthly orientation and scientific background sessions for new members

Fall 2026:

Background learning, literature review and informational interviews
Experimental design, data collection, troubleshooting and analysis
Weekly presentations and preparation of report materials

Spring 2027:

Continued experimentation, data analysis and manuscript writing
Participation in journal clubs, seminars and conference presentations

Summer 2027 (optional):

Additional lab work and prototype development for interested students

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters