Anthropogenic activities of the fossil fuel industry are key contributor to environmental pollution, producing more than one billion tons of waste sludge annually. This sludge is a complex water-oil emulsion containing toxic levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals that causes severe damage to the ecosystem and public health1,2. Bioremediation exploits the catabolic machinery of microbes to convert hydrocarbons into non-hazardous forms3,4, but its efficacy is contingent upon the selection of appropriate microbial consortia and optimising environmental conditions, such as pH, moisture and temperature1. Climate change could alter the efficacy of microbial consortia in breaking down toxic hydrocarbons either due to the direct effects of changes in temperate or moisture, or due to indirect effects, e.g., climate-driven shifts in microbial community that can lead to a reduction in biodegradation rates5,6. In this study, an advanced culture-independent approach combining metagenomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics will be applied to investigate composition of microbial consortia and biodesulfurizing capacities under simulated environmental conditions mimicking climate change (a range of temperatures, acidity and moisture content) in the laboratory. The physiochemical properties of sludge including concentration of heavy metals will be periodically monitored. The modelling of the obtained data and optimisation of reaction kinetics would be carried out that will guide an efficient bioremediation approach.
The student will be part of a multidisciplinary team of experts and will greatly benefit by developing well- sought skills in soil ecology, enzyme kinetics, microbiology, omics and big data handling. They will be provided appropriate training and opportunities to present the findings in international meetings.
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