SDG Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Heavy metal water pollution can lead to serious, interrelated consequences. The chain of events typically follows: Pollution sources release heavy metals → they enter water bodies → aquatic organisms are poisoned → the metals are enriched and amplified through the food chain → they enter the human body and accumulate over time → this causes serious health problems and socio-economic crises.

Through our project's technology, we aim to prevent heavy metals in water bodies from affecting subsequent processes, thereby ensuring people's health.

SDG Goal 4: Quality Education

We have provided education tailored to different age groups and knowledge levels of adolescents, with an emphasis on inclusivity.

• Kindergarten: We provide drawing and clay education, using DIY methods to stimulate children's interest in biology and give them a preliminary understanding of environmental protection and pollution. We also guide them to observe these phenomena in their daily lives.
• Primary school: We created picture books telling the story of "Hero Chela" saving the environment from pollution. This helps children feel the importance of environmental protection, enhances their sense of mission, and vividly conveys knowledge in a story format, avoiding the boredom that can come from overly specialized content.
• Junior high school: Knowing that children in this age group have some knowledge of biology and environmental issues, we explained more in-depth gene editing technology and introduced them to basic experiments, such as bacterial drawings, to deepen their understanding and interest in biotechnology.
• High school: High school students have a more mature understanding of biology. We explained more detailed knowledge and set up booths and eco-bottle activities to let them experience the joy of biology amidst their stressful studies.

SDG Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

We aim to use genetic engineering to modify Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, enabling it to express plant metallothioneins and phytochelatins in response to urea induction in our project. This is expected to significantly enhance the strain’s tolerance to, and accumulation of, heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, and copper, as well as facilitate the reduction of these metal ions into insoluble particles. Once the cyanobacterial cells are saturated with heavy metals, a metal-inducible promoter will be used to drive the expression of limonene, promoting cell aggregation for easier collection. Through this approach, we hope to achieve an environmentally friendly and efficient method for heavy metal removal.
This method is more eco-friendly than traditional chemical treatment methods and does not cause secondary pollution, hence our project ensures sustainable management of water and sanitation.

SDG Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

We aim to improve water quality in wetland. By doing so, we not only purify the water but also promote the development of wetland infrastructure, fostering innovation and sustainable practices within the community.

SDG Goal 14: Life below water

First, we can decrease the rate that fish deformities, liver damage, and loss of reproductive ability. And lead to underwater biodiversity. In Suzhou there are a lot of factories, they will put the waste into the river, and there is no life in those rivers. So, our project can solve this problem.