COSMOS predicted {that a} co-culture of Shewanella oneidensis and Klebsiella pneumoniae produce 1,3-propanediol – a key chemical for plastics – extra effectively than both species alone.
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valiantsin suprunovich
Scientists at IIT Madras have developed a computational device that might reshape how industries harness microbes for sustainable manufacturing. The system, known as COSMOS (Community and Single Microbe Optimisation System), makes use of simulations to find out whether or not a single microbe or a fastidiously engineered group will yield higher outcomes for biomanufacturing.
COSMOS predicted {that a} co-culture of Shewanella oneidensis and Klebsiella pneumoniae produce 1,3-propanediol – a key chemical for plastics – extra effectively than both species alone. The prediction aligns with experimental outcomes, demonstrating the system’s potential to information real-world microbial design. The 1,3-propanediol (PDO) is a sought-after industrial chemical as a result of it serves as a constructing block for high-performance plastics and fibres.
Its essential use is in producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), a polyester valued in textiles, carpets, and engineering plastics for its power, elasticity, and stain resistance. PDO additionally feeds into polyurethane foams, coatings, and adhesives, in addition to cosmetics and solvents. Importantly, when produced from renewable feedstocks corresponding to corn sugar or glycerol, PDO affords a sustainable various to petroleum-based glycols, aligning with the push for greener supplies.
The stakes are excessive. Bioprocessing underpins the rising bioeconomy, changing agricultural waste, wastewater, and different renewable assets into precious outputs corresponding to biofuels, prescription drugs, and bioplastics. Companies should always determine whether or not to depend on monocultures, that are easy to handle however susceptible to productiveness limits, or communities, which may cooperate metabolically however require cautious optimisation. COSMOS tackles this trade-off instantly, providing a technique to just about “test-drive” microbial methods, earlier than investing in pricey lab trials.
Not only a filter
The framework doesn’t solely spotlight when communities outperform monocultures, it additionally reveals instances the place sticking with a single microbe is smarter. That perception might save companies each money and time, avoiding pointless complexity when positive factors are marginal. By simulating completely different feedstocks, oxygen circumstances, and inoculum ratios, COSMOS helps corporations tailor processes to particular industrial contexts.
Biofuel producers might display which microbes thrive on crop residues; pharmaceutical companies might design consortia for complicated drug precursors; and supplies corporations might discover probably the most environment friendly path to bioplastics. At a time when industries are beneath mounting strain to decarbonise, the flexibility to optimise microbial manufacturing in silico affords each a scientific and aggressive edge.
Though the mannequin nonetheless depends on generalised parameters and can’t but seize each strain-specific element, its validation in opposition to lab information reveals it may well reliably seize efficiency developments. That makes COSMOS much less a alternative for experiments than a strong filter, one which narrows the sphere to probably the most promising candidates for industrial testing.
Published on September 5, 2025