ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND BIOREMEDIATION

No. 11

Applications of Environmental Biotechnology Include

 Environmental monitoring
 Prevention of pollution
 Reduction or removal of wastes
 Remediation of polluted sites

List of Environmental Pollutants

1. Inorganic
 Metals (Cd, Hg, Ag, Co, Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe)
 Radionuclides
 Nitrates, nitrites, phosphates
 Cyanides
 Asbestos

2. Organic
 Agricultural wastes
 Sewage
 Petrochemicals
 Xenobiotics (synthetic pesticides)

3. Biological
 Pathogens (bacteria, viruses)

4. Gaseous
 Gases (SO2, NOx, methane)
 Volatiles (chlorofluorocarbons)
 Particulates

Environmental Monitoring is Used to Determine

 What chemicals or substances are present or being released in a particular area

 Their concentrations
 Their potential environmental risks
Specific examples where biotechnology can be used in environmental monitoring

1. Recombinant DNA techniques such as PCR can be used to determine microbial

populations in environmental areas
2. Determine impact of pollution on DNA
3. Use of microorganisms to monitor pollution
4. Use reporter genes to assess changes in microorganisms within the environment
upon exposure to pollution
5. Biosensors to determine levels of contaminants
6. Techniques to follow introduction of GMOs into the environment
7. Use to study microbial ecology of soils and water
8. Assess groundwater contamination

What are Biosensors?

Biosensor is a device that detects, records, and transmits information regarding a physiological
change or the presence of various chemical or biological materials in the environment (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Basic components of a biosensor. A biosensor detects, records, and

transmits biological change in the environment. The components include a
biological material of interest, a transducerm and a data processor (Yokoyama,
2000).

Biosensors Can Detect and Measure Concentrations of:

 Specific bacteria or organism

 Hazardous chemicals
What is Bioremediation?

Bioremediation is the use of living organisms, such as bacteria, fungi or plants, to degrade the
environmental contaminants into less toxic forms. These organisms may be indigenous to a
contaminated area or they may be isolated from elsewhere and brought to the contaminated
site.

For bioremediation to be effective, microorganisms must enzymatically attack the pollutants)

and convert them to harmless products. As bioremediation can be effective only where
environmental conditions permit microbial growth and activity, its application often involves
the manipulation of environmental conditions to allow optimum microbial growth and
degradation.

Figure 2. Basic process of bioremediation by a microorganism. The microbe

consumes and digests the oil, turning it into non-toxic substances such as
water and gases. The microbe then releases the water and gases back into
the environment (from http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites).

Bioremediation Processes

1. Biosorption
- Adsorption of metals by biological materials

2. Microbial degradation
- Degradation of xenobiotic compounds and petro chemicals by bacteria or fungi
- Microbes utilize these compounds as source of energy and carbon compounds for cell
synthesis

3. Phytoremediation
- Use of plants to remove contaminants and metals from soil
- Certain plants are able to take up metals and accumulate them in their leaves and stems

Types of Phytoremediation:

 Phytoextraction – uptakee and concentration of metal via direct uptake into the plant
tissue with subsequent removal of the plants
 Phytotransformation – plant uptake and degradation of organic compounds
 Phytostabilization – root exudates cause metal to precipitate and become less available
 Phytodegradation – enhances microbial degradation in soil
 Rhizofiltration - uptake of metals into plant roots
 Phytovolatilization - plants evapotranspirate selenium, mercury, and volatile
hydrocarbons

Table 1. Some contaminants potentially suitable for

bioremediation