Background
Every year, millions of tons of garden waste — leaves, branches, grass clippings — are discarded, often ending up in landfills where they decompose anaerobically, releasing methane and other harmful greenhouse gases. Traditional disposal methods are inefficient and environmentally costly.
Our project leverages engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) to break down lignin and cellulose in garden waste, converting them into valuable bioproducts. This approach offers a sustainable, cost-effective solution to urban green waste management.
[Background Illustration]
[Problem Illustration]
Problem
Garden waste decomposition in landfills generates methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO₂. Open burning of yard waste releases particulate matter and toxic compounds, contributing to air pollution and respiratory issues.
Current composting methods are slow and require large land areas. There is a pressing need for a faster, more efficient biological approach that can transform garden waste into useful products rather than environmental burdens.
Solution
We engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce a powerful cocktail of lignocellulolytic enzymes — cellulases, hemicellulases, and lignin peroxidases — enabling direct breakdown of garden waste components.
Our modified yeast strain can be cultivated on-site using garden waste as feedstock, creating a closed-loop system. The resulting sugars are fermented into bioethanol and other valuable biochemicals, while the residual biomass serves as nutrient-rich soil amendment.
[Yeast Illustration]
Promotion Video
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Meet Our Team
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Student Leaders
Student Leader 1
Team Leader
Leads the overall project direction and coordinates team efforts.
Student Leader 2
Lab Coordinator
Oversees wet lab experiments and safety protocols.
Student Leader 3
Modeling Lead
Develops computational models for enzyme kinetics.
Students
Student A
Student B
Student C
Student D
Student E
Student F
Student G
Student H
Advisors
Dr. Advisor 1
Principal Investigator
Dr. Advisor 2
Lab Advisor
Attribution
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of every team member, advisor, and supporter who made this project possible.
Student Leader 1
Project conceptualization, team coordination, wiki design oversight, presentation preparation
Student Leader 2
Lab protocol design, experimental execution, safety compliance, data collection
Student Leader 3
Mathematical modeling, simulations, bioinformatics analysis, data visualization
Student A
Wet lab experiments, sample preparation, assay measurements
Student B
Literature review, documentation, wiki content writing
Student C
Graphic design, illustration, video production, social media
Student D
Human practices, stakeholder interviews, education outreach
Dr. Advisor 1
Project supervision, funding acquisition, laboratory resources
Dr. Advisor 2
Technical guidance, experimental design consultation, safety oversight