A University of Waterloo professor has received $100,000 from the Scotiabank Climate Action Research Fund to advance bacteria-powered technology that turns mixed waste streams into low-carbon products.
Dr. Christian Euler from the Department of Chemical Engineering is investigating how landfill gas by-products and other waste materials can be transformed into valuable bioplastics at industrial scale.
Euler’s research group focuses on using the bacterium Cupriavidus necator to convert combined waste streams — including CO₂ and plastic-derived molecules — into tailored biopolymers. By adjusting what the bacteria consumes, the team expects to design materials with specific properties for uses such as biodegradable packaging.
“It’s amazing to see this turn into something tangible,” Euler said. “Technology that not only reduces emissions but creates value from waste.”
The funding supports a collaboration with Comcor Environmental Limited, an environmental engineering firm in southern Ontario.
Comcor’s existing projects, through Integrated Gas Recovery Services Inc., collect landfill gas that is treated to produce renewable natural gas. While this process already reduces greenhouse gas emissions, it also generates CO₂ and hydrogen waste streams that are not fully utilized. Working with Euler’s team, Comcor aims to turn those streams into inputs for bioplastic production, improving both the environmental and economic performance of its operations.
Dr. Christian Euler, professor of chemical engineering.
Support from the Scotiabank Climate Action Research Fund also enables techno-economic and life cycle assessments to evaluate industrial deployment using the waste streams available in southern Ontario. Lab-scale data fed into process models that compare the economic and environmental costs and benefits, help to quantify risk and product value.
Euler plans to recruit an entrepreneurial PhD student to help translate the concept into a viable, scalable technology linking academic research, industrial partners and corporate climate investment.
Go to Using bacteria to power a sustainable future for the full story.