Learning Objectives:

• That microorganisms have an important

role in decay
• That microorganisms have potential
benefits to the environment.
• Investigate how microorganisms can
break down waste, clean up pollution and
help produce bio-fuels
‘ What are microbes useful for?’

As a class, write down as many

ideas as possible on this slide .
No judgement are to be made
About the answers given until all
ideas from the class are in
and discussions take place
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Banana
peelings What goes into your compost? Tea bags

Garden
waste Potato
peelings

Old
Egg shells vegetables

How microorganisms are involved in decay

 This type of waste is biodegradable which means it can be
broken down into simpler substances by decomposing
microbes and other life forms such as worms.

 Microbes carry out respiration and so get their energy

from this waste. They need this energy to grow, the by-
product is compost.

 Compost is great for the garden as it provides the soil

with essential nutrients and improves the structure of the
soil.
 Composting reduces the amount of waste
put into landfill sites.

 Kitchen and garden waste buried in landfill

sites cannot rot properly due to the lack of
Oxygen.

 The site will start to smell and due to the

anaerobic conditions that develop, a mixture
of microbes break down the organic matter
giving off methane and carbon dioxide.
Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes
to global warming
 Air is bubbled in
and the good
bacteria
multiply
It then sinks to digesting the
the bottom and harmful
Firstly, sewage is forms a ‘soup’ at bacteria
sieved to get rid of the top
solid items like
toothbrushes! It is then
sent to The sludge left at
All that goes down
your toilet normally aeration the bottom is
ends up at a tanks heated up…
sewage works

How microorganisms contribute to the breakdown of waste

Hmmm… why is it that plastic bags take
That’s a good point!
so long to break down? If it is bacteria
Discuss with your
that break down the bag, why is it we
partner what you think
can’t isolate the bacteria and encourage
would be needed for the
them to grow in larger quantities?
bacteria to grow in large
numbers.
 It’s true! A 16 year old
student came up with the
idea behind us plastic
degrading microbes! He
put together some
household items to make a
medium for the bacteria
to grow in. After tests to
isolate the bacteria, he
encouraged us to multiply
and provided us with
strips of plastic bags to
break down! It only took
us 6 weeks!
 Can you come up with any ideas as to what might be
important uses for microbes for the future?

I have discovered microbes

that…
 Produce a leaflet or poster explaining the advantages and
disadvantages of the use of microorganisms for bio-fuels.
Remember to use more than two sources of information to
improve the reliability of your work
Discuss with your partner:

• That microorganisms have an important role in decay…

• That microorganisms have potential benefits to the

environment…

• That microorganisms can break down waste, clean up

pollution and can help produce biofuels…

Learning outcomes
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