What Is Bioremediation?
Masciandaro et al. (2013) asserted that bioremediation involves the use of living organisms in cleaning up or recovering contaminated medium that could include air, water, soil, and sediment. It, therefore, means using biological microorganisms in solving environmental problems such as soil and water contamination. Bioremediation is thus a helpful process to the environment as it enables the neutralization and removal of wastes. Other than the removal of wastes, its usefulness in the environment stems from the fact that it uses no chemicals. As such, bioremediation does not provide any harmful effect on the plans, humans, or animals. It further allows for the recycling of wastes once the wastes have been removed or neutralized. It could there enhance sustainability, which is an essential factor to consider when conserving the environment.
Organisms Used In Bioremediation
Critical to note while discussing the concept of bioremediation is the fact that the microorganisms used can either reduce toxicity or degrade the pollutants in the environment. The effectiveness of bioremediation stems from the proper interaction between the microbes and the contaminants. The microbes can either exist naturally at the pollution sites or can alternatively find their way through the process of artificial inoculation. Bacteria are the widely used microorganisms during the bioremediation. However, fungi can also be used but in a few cases. The extensive use of bacteria is due to their diversity. An example of a bacterium used in the bioremediation process is the Pseudomonas putida. It is a gram-negative bacterium found in the soil and can engage in the bioremediation of toluene, a component found in paint thinner (Masciandaro et al. 2013). The microbe can also degrade naphthalene a product used in petroleum refining.
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Another bacterium that could be used in the bioremediation process is Dechloromonas aromatica . It is a rod-shaped microbe that oxidizes aromatics such as chlorobenzoate, benzoate, and toluene. In its reactions to these substances, it effectively reduces chlorate, oxygen, and nitrate. Furthermore, it is the only organism that can oxidize benzene under anaerobic conditions. It possesses a high propensity for benzene contamination in water (Masciandaro et al. 2013).
Bioremediation in Solving Global Challenges
Several global challenges exist where the only viable solution could be the process of bioremediation. One of the problems facing the world today is increased pollution. As the world population continues to grow at an alarming rate, the large number of people will potentially result in air, water, and soil pollution. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total number of deaths caused by pollution is at 62 million per year (Singh, 2014). It is, therefore, a global challenge that people must control pollution, and this has been provided by the microbes through the process of bioremediation. The process will reduce the pollution experienced in the various media by the biological degradation of pollutants to non-toxic elements. Through either aerobic or anaerobic means, the microbes will potentially use the breakdown as an energy source. Singh (2014) pointed out that bioremediation provides an extra incentive since it enables the use of fewer resources and energy compared to other conventional means. Furthermore, it gives an added benefit because it does not lead to the accumulation of hazardous by-products.
The benefits of bioremediation in the countering the effect of pollution is that it provides a holistic guarantee of treatment as seen in its cleaning effects in the soil, water, and air. Furthermore, it also enhances sustainability because the recycles wastes can be recycled and put into use. Bioremediation can also reduce the environmental impact that occurs from artificial pollution. For instance, in oil spills, microorganisms can be used to detoxify or consume the hydrocarbons in the petroleum. As such, it ensures that environmental impact is reduced and further limits any additional problem that could arise from the presence of oil.
The second global challenge that bioremediation can effectively tackle is the public health of people. The public health is determined by several issues key among them is the level of contamination in the environment. When people live under unsanitary means, the likelihood that they will suffer from infections is high. Contamination by-products such as sewage, animal wastes, petroleum products, and heavy metals can all expose human beings to fatal health problems. Wasilkowski, Swedziol, and Mrozik (2012) asserted that the use of microorganisms could be a safe way in treating the toxins found within reach of human beings thus serving as a public health prevention method. Sewage material, for instance, can contain microbes, and other toxic substances that are could contaminate food and water leading to infection among humans. However, when all fecal and sewage materials are exposed to bioremediation, the toxicity will be mitigated hence reducing their chances of causing disease among people. Industrial wastes could also be subjected to a similar treatment before they are released to water sources all in a bid to improve the levels of public health.
The advantages of improving public and environmental health using this method include the fact that there are no significant side effects as seen in other strategies. The microorganisms purely use biological reasons in breaking the toxins and the resultant product does not have any residue from the microbe that could further implicate the health of the people. It is also cheap and requires the use of a relatively low amount of energy. It also guarantees sustainability as the remaining products can be put to other purposes such as fertilizers in the case of sewage wastes.
References
Masciandaro, G., Macci, C., Peruzzi, E., Ceccanti, B., & Doni, S. (2013). Organic matter–microorganism–plant in soil bioremediation: a synergic approach. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology , 12 (4), 399-419.
Singh, R. (2014). Microorganism as a tool of bioremediation technology for cleaning environment: a review. Proceedings of the International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences , 4 (1), 1.
Wasilkowski, D., Swedziol, Z., & Mrozik, A. (2012). The applicability of genetically modified microorganisms in bioremediation of contaminated environments. Chemik , 66 (8), 817-826.
