One of the biggest challenges facing the world is climate change, primarily caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. These gasses trap heat re-radiated from the Earth's surface after absorbing energy from the sun.
Methane accounts for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions and is over 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
Human-caused methane emissions arise from various sources, including livestock, natural gas pipelines, landfills, and fossil fuel production. Landfills alone contribute to 20% of global methane emissions.
Methane extraction from landfills typically involves the use of perforated tubes to capture the gas. While this method helps reduce emissions in closed landfills, it is significantly less effective in open and active ones.
At the Khan Lab School iGEM Team, we are developing a solution for methane from open landfills using Bacillus subtilis, a naturally occurring soil bacterium that can survive in landfill environments.
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