Project Description

Vision Beyond the Lab: Reimagining Waste and Agriculture

Every year, mountains of chitin-rich waste shrimp and crab shells from seafood factories, insect husks from agriculture, fungal byproducts from biotech labs, are discarded. What many see as “trash” is actually a hidden treasure: a natural source of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, waiting to be transformed into something useful.

Yet, most of this biomass never finds a second life. It piles up in landfills, where it slowly decomposes and releases greenhouse gases, or it undergoes harsh chemical treatments that consume enormous energy and create toxic byproducts. At the same time, farmers are relying on synthetic fertilizers that degrade soil health, pollute waterways, and contribute to climate change.

This is where Chitinator et al. comes in. We asked ourselves: What if waste could become growth?

By genetically engineering E. coli BL21 as our initial expression chassis, we produce a fusion enzyme composed of endochitinase and exochitinase, capable of efficiently breaking down chitin into simple, nutrient-rich molecules. Our vision does not stop there: we plan to transfer this system into Bacillus subtilis 168, a robust and agriculturally relevant chassis with natural advantages for field applications. In this way, we transform industrial chitin waste into bioactivator that can enrich soils and strengthen plant growth.

Our first agricultural focus is on garlic crops, with special emphasis on Greek garlic, which is globally renowned for its intense flavor, premium quality, and cultural value. By applying our bioactivator to garlic fields, we aim not only to enhance soil vitality and increase yields but also to support a national product of worldwide reputation.

In doing so, we highlight how biotechnology can protect and promote one of Greece’s most iconic agricultural treasures while offering a scalable, sustainable solution that reimagines how waste is handled across industries.

Our Project Through Numbers

From the earliest stages of ideation, our team shared a common vision: to create a project that would not only demonstrate the power of synthetic biology but also deliver tangible environmental and agricultural benefits. In our first brainstorming sessions, we aligned around two guiding priorities. First, our work needed to address a pressing environmental challenge, turning a problematic resource into something valuable. Second, the outcome of our project should contribute directly to sustainable agriculture, reducing dependence on chemical inputs through the development of biofertilizers or bio-based soil enhancers.

The initial spark came from our team leader, who brought to the table an idea that would eventually become Chitinator et al.. Drawing inspiration from her background and research, she proposed building the project around chitin, a biopolymer regarded as one of the most abundant and versatile natural materials on Earth. While rich in potential, chitin is frequently discarded, especially in seafood-processing industries.

In Greece and other coastal nations, tons of shrimp and crab shells are thrown away every year, where they not only waste their latent value but often contribute to environmental pollution in landfills and coastal areas. This paradox, the coexistence of abundance and waste, ignited the vision to transform chitin into a resource, not refuse.

As the team explored the broader context, we discovered that this issue extends far beyond Greece: worldwide, chitin-rich waste streams are neglected while modern farming relies heavily on chemical fertilizers that degrade soil biodiversity and burden farmers with rising costs.

These realizations solidified our path. Guided by our leader’s vision, we committed to designing a synthetic biology platform that could upcycle chitin waste into valuable products, such as biofertilizer enhancers and nutrient feedstocks, that would not only reduce chemical inputs but also advance the principles of the Circular Bioeconomy, turning discarded biomass into tools for a more sustainable future.

Challenges of Current Chitin Waste Management

Today, most chitin-rich waste is either discarded into landfills or oceans or processed through harsh chemical treatments (using strong acids and bases). While chemical methods can extract valuable compounds like chitosan, they are:

• Expensive and energy-intensive
• Polluting, generating toxic byproducts
• Unsuitable for large-scale, eco-friendly use

Biological degradation exists naturally but is slow and inefficient, often taking months and producing inconsistent results.

As a result, the majority of the 6 million tons of crustacean shells discarded annually remain underutilized, while farmers continue relying on synthetic fertilizers that harm soil and water ecosystems.

Our Innovative Solution: The Chitinator Fusion Enzyme

Our project, Chitinator et al., tackles the problem of underused chitin-rich waste by creating a single, multifunctional fusion enzyme that can efficiently degrade chitin into bioavailable nutrients.

Instead of producing separate enzymes, we designed a fusion protein that combines the catalytic domains of endochitinase and exochitinase. This design allows the enzyme to simultaneously cut internal bonds within the chitin polymer (endo activity) and cleave terminal residues (exo activity), resulting in faster and more complete chitin breakdown.

To achieve this, we first express the fusion gene in E. coli BL21 for testing and optimization. Once validated, the construct will be transferred into Bacillus subtilis 168, a robust agricultural chassis, enabling large-scale and field-relevant applications. Through this system, industrial chitin waste is converted into bioactivator, nutrient-rich molecules that boost soil vitality and plant growth.

Turning Waste Into a Sustainable Future: The Vision Behind Chitinator et al.

Every year, vast amounts of chitin-rich biomass are discarded, despite being packed with valuable elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Most of this material is left to rot in landfills or treated with chemicals that damage the environment, missing the opportunity to be reintegrated into nature’s cycle.

At Chitinator et al. our vision is rooted in the principles of the circular bioeconomy. We see waste not as an endpoint but as the beginning of a new cycle, where industrial byproducts are safely transformed into resources that support agriculture and respect natural ecosystems.

A key aspect of our philosophy is environmental responsibility: we do not release genetically modified microorganisms into the soil. Instead, we use them under controlled conditions to produce bioactivators, nutrient-rich compounds that return to the land without disturbing ecological balance. This ensures that we close the loop between industry and agriculture in a safe, sustainable way.

By replacing harmful practices with this eco-friendly alternative, we reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers, cut pollution, and create a system where growth and sustainability go hand in hand. Our initial focus on garlic crops, and especially Greek garlic, highlights how biotechnology can protect soil vitality while also strengthening a product of international cultural and economic value.

Chitinator et al. represents more than a scientific project: it is a model of how biotechnology can uphold the circular bioeconomy, showing that respect for nature and innovation can work together to build a greener, more resilient future.

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