Do microorganisms use to remove pollutants that contaminate our water soil & air & process of converting environmental pollutants to harmless products by microbes?
The process of converting environmental pollution into harmless products by naturally occurring products is called intrinsic bioremediation. Bioremediation relies on stimulating the growth of certain microbes that utilize contaminants like oil, solvents, and pesticides for sources of food and energy. These microbes convert contaminants into small amounts of water, as well as harmless gases like carbon dioxide. The microbes simply eat up contaminants such as oil and organic matter convert them and then let off carbon dioxide and water. The process uses naturally occurring bacteria, fungi or plants to degrade substances that are hazardous to human health or the environment.
Bioremediation is the process of using microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and plants to break down, change, remove, immobilize, or detoxify various physical and chemical pollutants in the environment. Bioremediation relies on stimulating the growth of certain microbes that utilize contaminants like oil, solvents, and pesticides for sources of food and energy. These microbes convert contaminants into small amounts of water, as well as harmless gases like carbon dioxide. The microbes simply eat up contaminants such as oil and organic matter convert them and then let off carbon dioxide and water. The process uses naturally occurring bacteria, fungi or plants to degrade substances that are hazardous to human health or the environment. The three most widely used biological processes for secondary sewage treatment are trickling filtration, activated sludge, and oxidation ponds. All three generate large amounts of microbial biomass to which viruses readily adsorb. Micro-organisms are well known for their ability to break down a huge range of organic compounds and absorb inorganic substances. On one hand, bacteria present in the untreated water may help in its purification through biodegradation of the contaminants. On the other hand, some bacteria may be human pathogens and pose a threat to consumers. Microbial pollution in aquatic environments is one of the crucial issues with regard to the sanitary state of water bodies used for drinking water supply, recreational activities and harvesting seafood due to a potential contamination by pathogenic bacteria, protozoa or viruses. Due to their close proximity to plant roots, soil microbes significantly affect soil and crop health. Some of the activities they perform include, nitrogen-fixation, phosphorus solubilization, suppression of pests and pathogens, improvement of plant stress, and decomposition that leads to soil aggregation.
Micro-organisms are well known for their ability to break down a huge range of organic compounds and absorb inorganic substances. Currently, microbes are used to clean up pollution treatment in processes as 'bioremediation'. Microorganisms alone have the potential to remove pollutants to some extent. Literature studies state that, bioremediation using microorganisms and phytoremediation using plants is the cheapest method employed for the removal of pollutants. Their slow process for removal is a disadvantage. Bioremediation is a natural process, which relies on bacteria, fungi, and plants to remove, reduce, degrade, or immobilize environmental pollutants from soil and water, thus restoring contaminated sites to a relatively clean nontoxic environment. Phytoremediation basically refers to the use of plants and associated soil microbes to reduce the concentrations or toxic effects of contaminants in the environment. Phytoremediation is widely accepted as a cost-effective environmental restoration technology. On one hand, bacteria present in the untreated water may help in its purification through biodegradation of the contaminants. On the other hand, some bacteria may be human pathogens and pose a threat to consumers. Due to their close proximity to plant roots, soil microbes significantly affect soil and crop health. Some of the activities they perform include nitrogen-fixation, phosphorus solubilization, suppression of pests and pathogens, improvement of plant stress, and decomposition that leads to soil aggregation. These organisms have many tasks, and are central to crop fertility, purifying the environment from pollutants, regulating carbon storage stocks and production/consumption of many significant green house gases, such as methane and nitrous oxides. The microbes simply eat up contaminants such as oil and organic matter convert them and then let off carbon dioxide and water. The process uses naturally occurring bacteria, fungi or plants to degrade substances that are hazardous to human health or the environment. Microorganisms help in cleaning up the environment. They decompose dead and decaying matter from plants and animals; convert them into simpler substances which are later used up by other plants and animals. Thus, they are used to breakdown harmful substances. Cleaning is a process that physically removes contamination, including some microorganisms and, if soiling is present, it is an essential step before effective disinfection or sterilisation can be performed. Cleaning does not necessarily destroy all microorganisms, even if a surface looks cleaner
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