Environmental Biotechnology

ENV- 608 Lecture # 1

Prepared by: Noor Fatima

Environmental Biotechnology
Course Outline (3+0)

Module-I Biotechnology- Definition, Principal and Processes Applications of Biotechnology Structural and Functional Dynamics of Microbial Life Microbial Metabolism, Growth and Biokinetics
Module-II Microbial Genetics General Principles of Recombination and Plasmids Recombinant DNA Technology DNA Transformation Polymerase Chain Reactions (Cont..)

Environmental Biotechnology
Course Outline (Cont.)

Fundamental of cloning Bio-reactors: Types & Construction Biofilm Processes

Module-III Biotechnology for pollution monitoring and control. Bio-sensors: development and used for pollution monitoring. Green Technology: Phytoremediation, Bio fertilizers & Bio pesticides. Biodegradation of toxic chemicals. Bio-absorption and Bio-accumulation of heavy metals. Bioremediation for soil, water and air environment.

Module-I
Introduction to Environmental Biotechnology

Environmental Biotechnology
Biotechnology
Any technique that uses living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific use. OR Use of living organism to produce products beneficial to the mankind .

Environmental Biotechnology
Environmental Biotechnology The development, use and regulation of biological system for remediation of contaminated environments (land, water, air), and for environment-friendly processes ( green manufacturing technologies and sustainable developments). OR The application of all components of biotechnology to solve environmental problems

History of Biotechnology
o Pre-1800: Early Applications

o 1800-1900: Significant advances in basic understanding

o 1900-1953: Genetics o 1953-1976: DNA research, science explodes o 1977-Present: Modern Biotechnology

The term Biotechnology" was coined in 1919 by Karl Ereky. The term meant all the lines of work by which products are produced from raw materials with the aid of living organisms

History started realizing the fact that microorganism are:

The oldest inhabitants of earth. Masters in versatility & adaptability Prove to be most cost effective partners in our efforts for

sustainable development. So limitations faced by physical and chemical methods of pollution control will be overcome if we take the help of these environmental masters (micro-organisms).

Branches of Biotechnology

Green Biotechnology Blue Biotechnology Red Biotechnology

Bioinformatics

Biotechnology

White Biotechnology

Branches of Biotechnology
White Biotechnology: Applied to industrial processes.

The using of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals. Consume less in resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods.
Red Biotechnology is applied to medical processes.

e.g are the designing of organisms to produce antibiotics, vaccines, hormones etc.

Branches of Biotechnology (cont.)

Green Biotechnology: Applied to agricultural processes. e.g Pest Resistant Plant Can produce more environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial agriculture. Blue Biotechnology: The marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, but its use is relatively rare. Antibiotic active compounds, pigments, antioxidants, vitamins, or enzymes.

Branches of Biotechnology (cont.)

Bioinformatics: The computational analysis and storage of
biological data. Conceptualizing biology in terms of molecules and then applying informatics techniques to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large scale.

Commonly used software tools and technologies in this field include Java, XML, Perl, C, C++, Python, R, MySQL, SQL, CU DA,MATLAB, and Microsoft Excel

Genome Viewer Screen Shot

Applications of Biotechnology

Environmental Applications
Bioremediation for soil, water and air environment. Metals and minerals recovery Production of biofuels Used of Bio-sensor for pollution monitoring.

Phytoremediation, Bio fertilizers & Bio pesticides.

Biodegradation of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste. Bio-absorption and Bio-accumulation of heavy metals.

Status in Pakistan
The National Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) Concentrating on research into plant, environmental, and medical biotechnology.

A biotechnology-based solution which may help to eliminate recurring cotton leaf-curl virus (CLCV).
Methods to extract copper and uranium using bacteria. A rewarding programme of reclaiming nearly 11 million acres of saline and sodic soils by biological methods. Researching to extract minerals and fossil fuels.