We believe iGEM can advance the cause of recycling in space.
Davy Hsu approached Nico Chung with a problem: Davy wanted astronauts to be able to recycle PET garbage into high-quality semi-crystalline PET filament for 3D printing. Nico suggested that AEI students were capable of genetically engineering e. coli to produce the necessary proteins to depolymerize PET. The challenges included operating at reasonably low temperatures and producing PET filament with adequate crystallinity.