Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming, making its sustainable usage critical to climate change efforts. Plants are capable of naturally metabolizing CO2 but not methane; however, plant nanobionics offers the possibility of engineered methanotrophic plants by using nanomaterials to introduce this non-native function. This project aims to convert methane into plant-metabolizable products (formaldehyde, methanol) using visible light-activated nanocatalysts in H2O2 systems within plants, where H2O2 is supplied by basal plant levels or generated beyond natural levels using H2O2-forming enzymes within lipid vesicles. The project’s ultimate goal is to develop the first ever methanotrophic plant for sustainable methane phytoremediation of contaminated sites.

Through this SuperUROP I want to apply the knowledge from my chemical engineering and material science courses to develop a novel solution to sustainability. My interdisciplinary background has given me an understanding of nanotechnologies that I hope to enrich through this independent project. Specifically, I am most excited to optimize my system such that my plants can live. I like plants! 🌱