Development of optimized phosphate binding proteins for improved phosphate recovery systems
PhD defence by Nadja Joachim
Assessment Committee
Professor Lars Ellgaard, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate Professor Attila Jancsó, University of Szeged
Professor Peter Westh, Technical University of Denmark
Supervisors
Associate Professor Kaare Teilum
Department
Department of Biology
Place
Building: Copenhagen Biocenter, Room: 1.2.03, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N
Email address to gain access to the thesis: nadja.joachim@bio.ku.dk.
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Short description of the thesis
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all living organisms, and phosphate is therefore widely used as a fertilizer component in agriculture. Although phosphate rock is a non-renewable resource, most phosphate that ends up in wastewater is currently not recycled. One promising approach for phosphate recovery is the use of phosphate binding proteins, which
bind phosphate with high affinity and selectivity. In this thesis, phosphate binding proteins optimized for the given purpose were identified and investigated. By immobilizing a highly stable protein with desireable properties, a durable phosphate-recovery device was produced, which enabled phosphate recovery from solutions of varying concentration and complexity. The results represent an important step towards the application of protein-based phosphate recovery from wastewater.