Kalumbi D. Financing a future for public biological data. Biocatalysis is important in the bioremediation of hazardous wastes and in the development of non-polluting fermentation processes for manufacturing chemicals. Several projects concern the biological breakdown of halogenated organic compounds, an important class of priority pollutants. One such project is focused on the biodegradation of the chlorinated herbicide atrazine with a dual interest in understanding metabolic mechanisms and applying that knowledge to biologically treated atrazine wastes. Another project deals with the redesign of enzymes and metabolic pathways for enhanced biodegradation of polyhalogenated compounds, a class of pollutants that is particularly resistant to breakdown by bacteria found in nature.
Several projects involve bacterial oxygenases.
These enzymes are essential for the recycling of many organic chemicals in the environment, and some are being recruited to biodegrade halogenated compounds. Additionally, the laboratory uses bacterial enzymes for the biosynthesis of high-value specialty chemicals. This computer resource supports the laboratory's efforts in metabolic engineering and, additionally, is available to the international community of scientists via the World Wide Web. The reactions covered are studied for a basic understanding of nature, biocatalysis lending to specialty chemical manufacture, and biodegradation of environmental pollutants. Engineering Deinococcus radiodurans for metal remediation in radioactive mixed waste environments.