Researching ways to solve biofilm fouling in heat exchangers
Synthetic biology is transforming industries by engineering microorganisms to solve pressing global challenges. Among these is biofouling in heat exchangers, a problem that reduces efficiency, drives up energy use, and contributes significantly to carbon emissions. Maastricht University’ s iGEM team, CoreSpin, is developing an innovative spider silk – based solution to prevent biofilm formation and improve heat exchanger performance.
By Katya Mannar and Antonin Śmigiel, CoreSpin, Maastricht University
From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, to the medicines we take, synthetic biology is quietly shaping our modern life. This rapidly advancing field of science entails the engineering of natural microorganisms and eukaryotic cells to either optimise their native properties or to introduce novel functions through the redesign of a cell’ s genome( Roberts et al., 2013). While grounded in biological principles, the realm of synthetic biology extends beyond the traditional disciplines of biology. Situated at the interface of science and industry, synthetic biology is a highly interdisciplinary field of research which aims to merge the knowledge of life sciences together with principles from engineering, computer science, and chemistry, amongst others, to design and construct biological
46 Heat Exchanger World October 2025 www. heat-exchanger-world. com