Biotechnology Research Institute-NRC
BRI's Environment Sector focuses on the development of
bioprocesses for the prevention, remediation and monitoring of
pollution, as well as the development of new biotechnology
applications related to fighting climate change and achieving
sustainable industrial development. BRI scientists have unique
expertise in the biotreatment of contaminated soils,
groundwater, sediments, air, and industrial wastewater. The
Sector's multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers
works closely with the industry on the research and development
of innovative environmental technologies.
Our research is focused on the following areas:
Bioengineering: bioprocesses for the treatment of industrial
wastewater, bioremediation of groundwater contaminated with
chlorinated solvents and other recalcitrant contaminants.
Microbiology: biodegradation of pollutants, molecular
diagnostics, biotreatability and biomonitoring of contaminated
sites or transformation processes of organic residues.
Ecotoxicology: toxicological effects of pollutants, development
of bioassays, environmental risk assessment.
Genetics: catabolic pathways of pollutant biodegradation
(aromatics, PCB, etc.), Bacillus thuringiensis (biopesticides),
mode of action, DNA synthesis and sequencing, development
biochips for the detection of pathogens in the environment.
Analytical Chemistry: identification of contaminants and
degradation products in soil,water and biomass, method
development, environmental biochemistry.
Biosensors and Nanobiotechnology: detection or microorganisms,
development of biosensors for various contaminants such as PAHs,
chlorophenols, resin acids, and explosives.
Bioconversion and Sustainable Development: using functional
capabilities of microbes and natural microbial communities for
the development of bioconversion and biocatalytic processes in
value-additions and bioproducts.
Company Details
Company Information
Peter C.K. Lau
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6325
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
John H. Luong
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6175
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
Geoffrey I. Sunahara
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-8030
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
Charles Greer
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6182
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
Jalal Hawari
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6267
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
Serge R. Guiot
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6181
Fax:
(514) 496-6265
Email:
Click Here
Adrien Pilon
Title:
Director
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(514) 496-6180
Fax:
(514) 496-1575
Email:
Click Here
Eileen Raymond
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(514) 496-6349
Fax:
(514) 496-5007
Email:
Click Here
Roland Brousseau
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Research/Development/Engineering
Telephone:
(514) 496-6152
Fax:
(514) 496-6213
Email:
Click Here
Products
Environmental Products And Services
Bioprocess Services And Products
Bioprocess platform : Animal cell technology, microbial and
enzymatic technology, genomics and gene therapy vectors
Health Products And Services
Health Sector : Macromolecular structure, genetics, chemical
biology, enzymology, biomolecular NMR and protein research,
receptors, signaling and proteomics, computational chemistry and
biology, mammalian cell genetics
Amperometric Biosensors
Chlorophenols are a major group of pollutants of environmental concern because of their toxicity and widespread uses. Among the 19 congeners of chlorophenols, 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) are listed in the Priority Pollutant List of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
Measurement of chlorophenols is usually required in environmental analysis for the monitoring of pollution as well as in analysis of biological samples for the investigation of human and animal exposure. Therefore, simple 'mix and measure' methods for the measurement of a specific or a group of chlorophenols are of great interest for quick and cost-effective environmental monitoring and sample screening.
Our laboratory has developed a novel biosensor for the measurement using an enzymatic reaction for the regeneration of analytes. Chlorophenols were oxidized to quinoid compounds by ceric sulfate or chloroperoxidase and the resulting oxidation products were measured in an amperometric system using glucose oxidase immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode. In this system, glucose oxidase was readily reduced by its substrate, glucose, to provide a non-rate-limiting source of electron flow towards the electrode.
The quinoid products of chlorophenols then recycled the reduced enzyme to its original active form, i.e., mediating the rate-limiting electron transfer from the enzyme to the electrode. Analytical selectivity resulted from both the production of quinoid products and their electrocatalytic specificity for glucose oxidase, while high sensitivity was obtained from the amplified redox cycling of the analyte electrocatalyst.
While this method was able to differentiate para-chlorinated chlorophenols from other chlorophenols, its selectivity for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol was uniquely high. The detection limit of this method was about 1 nM and the detection principle was easily integrated into flow injection analysis for a sample throughput as high as one per min.
Ecotoxicological Techniques And Bioassay Screening Tools.
In 1994-95, an Applied Ecotoxicology Group was formed within the Environmental Biotechnology Sector of the Canadian National Research Council's Biotechnology Research Institute in Montral. The mission of this group is to provide industry with new techniques and screening tools for the assessment of environmental risk and toxicity. In light of current regulatory requirements, present methods of assessment are inadequate, cumbersome and time-consuming. The researchers of the Applied Ecotoxicology Group are developing cost-effective biochemical and molecular assays capable of revealing potentially harmful conditions not detected by chemical methods. New knowledge and expertise in this area will reduce costs of compliance in a highly regulated industry.
The Group has identified a number of key areas of research associated with environmental risk assessment and site remediation. Currently, a battery of soil ecotoxicity bioassays is being used to assess the levels of contamination and the presence of toxic end-products from different remediation technologies. The BRI Applied Ecotoxicology Group is concerned with the applicability of these available methods, and will evaluate and develop new tools to improve the current techniques used to monitor contaminated sites and restoration technology.
The specific objectives of the Group: assess the potential ecotoxicological effects of selected environmental contaminants and to evaluate the use of bioassays as ecotoxicity monitoring and screening tools; develop and apply new direct contact soil ecotoxicity bioassays; implement GLPs (Good Laboratory Practices) for quality assurance and control of ecotoxicity data and improve communication links with industry; establish an international network of scientific expertise in the field of soil ecotoxicology and site remediation.
Enzyme/Knowledge-based Bioremediation And Innovative Dna Technology.
The thrust of Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI)'s R&D effort is to seek innovative solutions to the abatement of aromatic hydrocarbons and other environmental pollutants. Molecular techniques and approaches are applied to develop a strong scientific knowledge-based bioremediation technology and associated enabling technologies.
Specific objectives of BRI's research include: the development of genetic tools to analyze, express and improve the catabolic potential of degradative microorganisms for PAHs and PCB; development of refined DNA probes (general-purpose, pathway- or strain-specific, A+T -rich, regulatory genes) for biomonitoring purposes; applying 16S rDNA sequencing to strain identification and bacterial taxonomy in order to meet stringent requirements for current bioremediation risk assessment schemes. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis technique is also applied for genome analysis and strain characterization. Non-radioactive probing and automated fluorescence DNA sequencing are routine techniques used in our research. Plasmid-based technology is also developed.
BRI has determined the exact DNA sequences of numerous detoxifying enzyme-encoding genes as well as regulatory genes from the degradative pathways of toluene, PCB, PAH (fluoranthene) of bacterial sources. This requisite information allows tailor-made gene expressions and possible combinations to improve biodegradative performance or expand substrate specificities. Some degradative enzymes are potentially useful in biocatalysis and biotransformations.
Cyclodextrin Modified Capillary Electrophoresis
Capillary electrophoresis (CE), a powerful separation procedure based on physical size and charge, has recently emerged as one of the most efficient analytical methods for detection of components in mixtures. However, it is limited to the analysis of water-soluble and charged species. For the analysis of neutral and water-insoluble PAHs, our research group has recently developed an unprecedented CE procedure using a buffer containing a mixture of a neutral (methyl-b-cyclodextrin, CD) and an anionic b-cyclodextrin derivative (sulfobutylether-b-CD).
The introduction of the cyclodextrins to the running buffer significantly improves the solubility of water-insoluble PAHs to permit sensitive analysis. Such a mixture also provides separation based on differential partitioning of the various PAHs between the two CD phases which migrate at different rates (Anal. Chem., 67:3004-3010, 1995). The cyclodextrin mixtures provides much better separation of PAH isomers, including benzo[e]pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene, than has been reported previously using CE. In addition, there is significantly reduced sensitivity to operating parameters such as temperature and applied potential compared with CE methods using micelles.
Our laboratory has also demonstrated the applicability of this CE technique for analysis of the 16 U.S. EPA priority pollutant PAHs in contaminated soils (Anal. Chem., 68(2):287-292, 1996). Satisfactory separation of all 16 PAHs is achieved in under 16 min and laser-induced fluorescence detection provides sensitive detection with detection limits measured typically in the ppb range. The results obtained agree very well with those of the EPA certified HPLC procedure.
Bioengineering Of Anaerobic/Aerobic Processes.
Biotechnological engineered processes are typically cost-effective problem solving approaches to environmental issues. The Environmental Engineering Group is currently developing innovative bioprocess concepts, with a focus on fluidized bed, anaerobic/aerobic hybrid single-processes and subsurface bioreactive barriers. Such biofilm-based systems are structurally and functionally tailored using various techniques of microorganism immobilization together with dynamic modelling of populations and microbial monitoring.
The Group has the capacity to assess continuous bioprocess performance in applications on industrial wastewaters (pulp & paper, petrochemical, chemical), groundwaters (aboveground reactor; subsurface bioprocessing), soil slurries and liquid extracts (namely thanks to close links with the Environmental Analytical Chemistry Group) and for the biological survey of processes under start-up at pilot or industrial-scale and in field applications (namely thanks to close links with the Environmental Genetics and Microbiology Groups). Capacities also include the homologation of existing technologies. Biodegradation priority is given to solvents, chlorinated aliphatics, chlorobenzenes, chlorophenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitro-aromatics.
The Group is also equipped to routinely assess waste biotreatability (both aerobic and anaerobic biodegradability tests and radiorespirometry) and to assess chemical-specific kinetic parameters for system design.
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