Project description
Bacterial quorum sensing in biofilms for wastewater treatment
The global water community is beginning to recognise wastewater’s potential as a resource for green energy and biopolymers. Specifically, quorum sensing plays a key role in biofilm formation. This involves introducing external quorum-sensing signalling molecules into high-rate activated sludge biofilms to enhance biopolymer production and bioflocculation. With support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BIORESCue project will use advanced bioanalytical techniques to investigate bacterial quorum sensing in wastewater biofilms. It aims to understand the diversity and activity of signalling molecules, optimise resource recovery, and revolutionise wastewater treatment. The project aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to clean water, affordable energy, and sustainable industries.
Objective
BIORESCue delves into the role of bacterial quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication in wastewater biofilms. The hypothesis posits that quorum sensing holds a key role to understanding biofilm formation, and that introducing exogenous quorum sensing signaling molecules in high-rate activated sludge biofilms has the potential to enhance biopolymer production and bioflocculation. As the global water community increasingly recognizes the untapped potential of wastewater as a resource for green energy and biopolymer, this project aims to address a significant knowledge gap in the field. I will develop advanced bioanalytical techniques combining bioassays with chemical screening to explore uncharted diversity, concentration, and activity of signaling molecules in wastewater biofilms. I will explore the dose-effect relationship of signaling molecules in high-rate activated sludge, to offer practical strategies for optimizing resource recovery. By combining this unique dataset with a detailed analysis of bioflocculation and biopolymer composition, I seek to uncover valuable insights on the role and effects of quorum sensing in biofilms. Implemented at the Aarhus University and the host research group, this project will allow me to enhance scientific, communication and project management skills, through a well-designed training program (courses, workshops, regular meeting with supervisors), as well as measures for knowledge exchange and dissemination. Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the interests of clean water, affordable energy, and sustainable industries, this project has the potential to revolutionize wastewater treatment, transforming treatment plants into net energy producers and fostering sustainable resource recovery, thus addressing pressing global challenges while advancing scientific understanding and innovation in wastewater treatment.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark