Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology Group
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
RESEARCH THEMES
1. Microbiology of the engineered subsurface
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The deep biosphere harbours an extraordinary diversity of microbial life. These communities are impacted by - and in turn impact upon - engineering activites associated with resource recovery (e.g. oil, natural gas, geothermal energy), permanent waste disposal (e.g. nuclear waste, CO2 emissions) and short term gas storage (e.g. hydrogen).
3. Bioconversion of waste CO2​
All life on Earth is ultimately driven by the bioconversion of inorganic carbon into essential organic compounds used for growth and nutrition. Microorganisms encode myriad ways to 'fix' inorganic carbon. We are investigating how to harness CO2-driven communities for value-added product synthesis from captured CO2 emissions.
4. Limits to life on Earth ​
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Understanding the limits to life on Earth - defined by such extremes as temperature, pressure, pH, salinity or radiation - not only helps guide in the search for life elsewhere, but has the potential to uncover new enzymatic tools of biotechnological promise.
CONTACT US
@NixonLabUoM
2. Microbial degradation of polymers​
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We research the microbial biodegradation of large natural and synthetic organic polymers with the view to harness these processes for remediation and reprocessing of plastic waste and biodegradable polymer design.
