British students "magic" develop new flame retardants with bacteria

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University students in Leicester, England, are trying to use GM bacteria to develop new, safer flame retardants and improve the flame retardancy of polystyrene products.

Undergraduate students from the University of Leicester have formed a participating team to participate in this year's International Genetic Engineering Machinery Competition (iGEM). They successfully entered the competition last year.

The team hopes to use DNA as a flame retardant application to develop nonflammable expanded polystyrene (EPS).

In order to produce large quantities of DNA at a low cost, students want to use genetically modified bacteria to produce much more DNA than they normally do in cells.

Subsequently, DNA-rich bacteria will be added to the polystyrene to make it less flammable.

In addition, the team also hopes to use DNA technology to develop a regeneration method for recycling polystyrene waste for 3D printing.

They also plan to continue to develop genetically modified bacteria to effectively degrade polystyrene waste, and hope that through the cooperation with local schools, the citizens’ scientific experiments conducted last year will be renewed.