Team:Toulouse INSA-UPS/Sustainable
Overview
Sustainability is of paramount importance to any modern project in development. In this page, we will focus on the main points highlighted in our “Table of Issues” and on the United Nations sustainable development goals for our project. Furthermore, the long-term impact of our project must be taken into account in order to remain an ethical and sustainable company.
Ethical concerns
The ethics of our company is a very important aspect of our project. There are two ethical issues, highlighted by our issues table, that we believe to be essential to address:
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1- the dependence of small communities upon the cultivation of aromatic plants as their only means of income. Our production methods must not undermine their long-term employment.
Figure 1: some local populations depend on the cultivation of perfume plants for their subsistence
In Grasse (South of France), the cultivation of perfume plants and the know-how related to perfume are listed as an intangible heritage by UNESCO (UNESCO - The skills related to perfume in Pays de Grasse, 2018). Moreover, as we have seen in the implementation section, some local populations depend on the cultivation of perfume plants for their subsistence. However, our project focuses on the production of the violet accord, a mute flower that is therefore not cultivated for its fragrance. We are therefore not in direct competition with these populations, and we will not compromise their living conditions. However, the development of other fragrance production by synthetic biology could be more deleterious to these populations. We can only recommend carrying out in-depth surveys on the possible impacts and the identification of support solutions to preserve employment.
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2- the use of genetically modified organisms. We have to meet strict safety standards in order to contain these organisms (safety part). In addition, we must ensure that they could not end up in the final product.
According to French legislation (Pagès et al. 2014), all GMOs must be contained and all necessary measures must be taken to limit the risks of propagation in the environment. Thanks to the flat panel designed in the supporting entrepreneurship part, we can confine the GMOs of our co-culture. We must also ensure that no microorganisms are present in the finished product. For this purpose, extraction of the odorant molecules and culture medium from the microorganisms will be performed thanks to a membrane system of pervaporation. This ensures that the microorganisms will not contaminate the final product. Hence, it is essential to change the pervaporation membranes regularly to avoid malfunctions, maintain yields and prevent microorganisms from getting in the final product (Castel et al. 2020). Whatever the security measures in place, quality controls will be mandatory.
Sustainable Development Goals
Figure 2: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals stated by the United Nations will help us to address these issues at the same time as ensuring that we build a sustainable project. It consists of a list of 17 goals leading to the development of all nations and the protection of the planet. Among this list, ranging from the protection of the oceans to the eradication of poverty in all its forms, we have decided to focus on 4 goals, which are:
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Climate action (goal number 13)
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Responsible consumption and production (goal number 12)
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Industry, innovation and infrastructure (goal number 9)
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Decent work and economic growth (goal number 8)
Climate action
Figure 3: goal 13. climate action
This goal focuses on reducing greenhouse gases emissions and limiting climate change impacts. The objective is to minimize climate change by limiting the average rise in the atmosphere by 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Thanks to our coculture, we hope to be able to produce our violet accord in a sustainable way, with the lowest possible CO2 emissions. We have shown in the dimensioning part that half of the CO2 required for production is absorbed by the cyanobacteria biomass. Finally, our process emits 34 kg of CO2 equivalent for the production of 1 kg of violet accord. Our process could replace chemical production methods and thus reduce the use of oil-based raw materials in this field area.
However, the success and competitiveness of our production technology will depend on its cost. Production costs will have to be minimized to compete with chemical production. We have calculated theoretical production costs of €3,707 per kg of product in the supporting entrepreneurship section which is higher than the price of the two other means of production. However, this cost will also depend on environmental policies constraints, for instance carbon cost market.
Responsible consumption and production
The principle of responsible consumption and production is “doing more with less”. The objectives are to minimize the resources needed for production and the waste generated. Responsible consumption and reducing waste are also encouraged on the consumer side.
The aim of our scent production technology is to eliminate reliance on fossil resources, free up arable land for the cultivation of perfume plants and eradicate wildlife poaching. Moreover, our closed-cycle culture allows us to reduce the amount of external elements needed for the growth of both organisms. The substrate required by the yeast is produced by the cyanobacteria and the CO2 required by the cyanobacteria can be supplied via the ambient air enriched with CO2. This additional CO2 could come from industrial effluents to improve the sustainability of our process. Thus, in addition to using atmospheric carbon, no arable surfaces are required to produce the yeast sugar.
Figure 4: goal 12. responsible consumption and production
However, a significant amount of biomass is produced during the process. This GMO biomass must be treated to meet legal requirements. In addition, a large amount of fresh water is required for the culture medium of our microorganisms. The product purification and extraction steps are also critical as it can account for up to 50% of all production energy (Liu and Jin 2021). To limit the energy consumption linked to the extraction process, we have chosen the pervaporation which allows a great energy saving compared to a classical distillation installation (Castel et al. 2020). Finally, the lighting and heating of the fermenter are also energy intensive but solutions, detailed in the dimensioning section, exist to minimize the energy used.
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Figure 5: goal 9. industry, innovation and infrastructure
The objectives of this goal are multiple and interrelated. It encourages the construction of clever and resilient infrastructure to prevent any risk in case of accidents and to reduce environmental impacts through the use of renewable energy, new technologies with low electricity consumption. In addition to being environmentally friendly, these new industries must be inclusive. Ultimately, the goals are to promote new technologies, intelligent use of resources, and job creation.
A clever and resilient infrastructure
The layout of the flat panel bioreactor outside allows us to reduce the surface area of the
building and to use the light provided by the sun directly. Ideally, the company would be
located near the ocean or the sea to benefit from the water that will be used to heat or
cool our reactors. For a better understanding of the scheme, please see the dimensioning
section of the supporting entrepreneurship page. We will also have to
consider the French local policies in term of urban growth to fit with a
sustainable development, while respecting town planning, housing and urban transport
policies and ensure that the building's construction choices allow it to withstand the
climatic events that affect the coastline (flooding, wind and salt).
Risk minimization
Our flat panel design as well as pervaporation ensures biocontainment of microorganisms.
Safety training and regular inspections ensure that risks are minimized. In addition, no
hazardous chemicals are required for the production of our molecules. The construction of
the production plant has been thought to limit the accidents linked to the climatic risks
and the polluting spills.
Reduced environmental impact
The factory has to use renewable energy: natural sunlight to light the flats panels,
sea/ocean water to heat them and solar panel to supply electricity to buildings. In
addition, our process uses less electricity than a chemical
process. Co-cultivation itself reduces the environmental impact because it allows the
absorption of atmospheric CO2. The possible reuse of microorganisms for several
process
cycles also reduces waste. Finally, ideally the plant would be built as close as possible to
our customer, i.e. near Grasse, in order to reduce the carbon impact of transport as much as
possible.
Inclusivity
Decreasing the cost of natural products will allow more people to have access to them.
Job opportunities
Our project is part of a niche market. The establishment of our company will therefore create
jobs in surrounding area, not only during its construction but also internally (employees needed).
If some of the tasks will require well-trained persons, others could be routinely performed
by employees without special qualification. Hiring of local people will be a plus for the
welcoming of our plant.
Decent work and economic growth
The point of this goal is the Green Economy. According to the United Nations, a Green Economy is defined as “one [an economy] that improves human well-being and builds social equity while reducing environmental risks and scarcities”. In addition to this definition, a green economy pushes for knowledge sharing between companies, private and public entities.
We want to establish our factories in Europe, where our idea was born. This will create many jobs for different categories of people: qualified engineers for starting and monitoring fermentations, technicians for routine handling and extraction of odorous compounds, etc. The iGEM competition will serve as a kick start to develop our project. It is also an opportunity to share our knowledge and the development of our production technique. We want to be as transparent as possible about our production methods, the composition of our products and the living conditions of our employees, even if our modified microorganisms are very likely to be patented.
Figure 6: goal 12. responsible consumption and production
References
Castel C, Favre É, Rode S, Roizard D, Carretier É, Arnal-Hérault C, Clément R, Jonquières A. 2020. Pervaporation - Des matériaux membranaires aux procédés et à leurs applications industrielles. :38.
Liu G, Jin W. 2021. Pervaporation membrane materials: Recent trends and perspectives. Journal of Membrane Science. 636:119557. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119557.
Pagès J-C, Leguay J-J, Dassa E, Bagnis C, Boireau P, Darlix J-L, De Verneuil H, Drillien R, Dubart-Kupperschmitt A, Franche C, et al. 2014. Manuel du HCB pour l’utilisation confinée d’organismes génétiquement modifiés. :212 p.-212 p.
UNESCO - The skills related to perfume in Pays de Grasse: the cultivation of perfume plants, the knowledge and processing of natural raw materials, and the art of perfume composition. 2018. [accessed 2021 Oct 9]. https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists.
