ABU DHABI’S Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has collected soil sediments to find microbes from which material such as cellulose can be processed and which have characteristics suitable for environmental applications including pesticide and contaminant degradation. 

A team of faculty and students successfully collected soil sediments that are closely associated with roots of mangrove trees in Abu Dhabi for novel enzymes.

The mangrove ecosystem in the UAE is unique, characterised by higher than average salinities and temperatures that may be tolerable to a select number of microbes. These microbes could produce biomass degrading enzymes with ‘unique’ characteristics that have biotechnological utility. The enzymes from this environment are known to have a wider activity range under high salt concentrations and temperatures.

The collection of soil sediments was part of a project titled ‘Molecular and Biochemical Screening of Mangrove Sediments in Abu Dhabi for Biomass Degrading Enzymes’.

The project is being undertaken by Dr Lina F Yousef, Water Environment and Engineering (WEE) programme, and Dr Andreas Henschel of the Computing and Information System (CIS) programme, both of whom are the principal investigators. Dr. Farrukh Ahmad, associate professor, WEE, is a co-principal investigator.

Other members of the group include Areej Al Sheikh, S2EM lab manager/research engineer, WEE programme, and students Naeema Al Nofeli, Sumaya Al Hosani and Celia Lopez.

The Masdar Institute is a research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies. Serving as a key pillar of innovation and human capital, it remains fundamental to Masdar Company’s core objectives of developing Abu Dhabi’s knowledge economy and finding solutions to humanity’s toughest challenges such as climate change.

Dr Yousef said: “The trip was successful with students learning proper techniques for soil sampling, sample-handling and storage. The sediments are currently being analysed at the S2EM lab for their physical, chemical and biological properties.

“We are screening mangrove root sediments for novel biomass degrading enzymes using a culture independent ‘omics’ approach. This approach involves the study of many genomes (metagenomics), gene transcripts (metatranscriptomics), and proteins (proteomics) – all at once from an environmental sample. This holistic approach will provide information on resident microbial communities and their relevant enzymatic activities in mangrove sediments of the UAE.”

Approximately 99 per cent of soil microbes cannot be cultured and studied in the lab. However, these unknown microbes are potential sources of new drugs, enzymes and other macromolecules with biotechnological utility. Fortunately, recent advances in molecular biology have enabled researches to study these microbes in their natural environment without having to culture them into artificial media.

The Sustainable Soil and Environmental Microbiology Lab at Masdar Institute that conducted the first sampling trip in the mangrove areas, is mandated to apply world-class research to support technological advancements in preserving the UAE’s natural resource. The lab aims to develop a better understanding of microbial ecology.