Project Abstract
The CHIPS and Science Act is accelerating development of new semiconductor chip fabrication plants throughout the country; two are being built near Oneonta. Water is crucial to the process of manufacturing these chips. Prior to release or recycling, fabricators purify their wastewater, processing millions of gallons of wastewater daily by adjusting pH and removing other contaminants. Real-time pH adjustment is a challenge at this scale. The goal of our project, pHish and CHIPS, is to build a pH-sensitive wastewater system using synthetic biology. In the presence of pH extremes, our device will “turn on” and release buffers to neutralize the water. With this device, pHish and CHIPS aims to promote sustainable manufacturing technologies for semiconductor fabrication. Our team also investigated the ethical and regulatory landscape related to our project and considered how to better engage the public with these issues.
