As society has developed and the world population has grown, threats to the health of the planet have multiplied. Pollution, degradation, biodiversity, and more are impacted by irresponsible practices of industry. At the same time, keeping up a healthy environment is growing more important.
Physical and chemical attempts to confront pollution tend to be expensive, selective, and have toxic byproducts. Gray Biotechnology encompasses efforts to protect and revitalize unhealthy environments around the world using natural processes.
Plastics are some of the most versatile materials in society. They have long shelf life, chemical uses, and mechanical applications. After disposal plastics are slow to decompose and release hazardous compounds in the process.
Bacteria for biodegradation can be used in nearly any environment. Many have been named after the type of plastics they use for growth. Individual species, multiple types working together, or biofilms are applied to polluted environments. Hyperthermophilic Composting Technology (hTC) is the use of bacteria at high temperatures, over 90 degrees Celsius, to rapidly degrade plastic pollution.
Fungi are versatile in their ability to degrade plastics without pre-treatment. Polyethylene is the usual target, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Fungi can colonize, form biofilms, and biodegrade at an effective pace.
The direct application of microbial enzymes has become another viable method for degrading plastics. These loose enzymes are harvested from microorganisms and placed directly on the plastics. (Kumari et al. 2022)
Dyes in the environment have mutagenic effects including cancer, embryonic malformation, and more. Current strategies for breaking down dye pollutants may result in worse toxic compounds. Primarily, bacteria are used to remediate dye-polluted environments using a variety of chemical pathways.
Pesticides are essential to accommodate the growing needs of society for food. They protect crops from all kinds of problems that could reduce yields. Unintentional negative effects of pesticides may appear elsewhere. This can damage soil, plants, animals, and humans in numerous ways.
Microorganisms capable of degrading the pesticides are applied. Biofilms made of bacteria are common for cleaning river pollutants.
Microbial fuel cells are being designed which can simultaneously produce electricity while degrading organic waste.
Pharmaceuticals crafted with Red (Medicinal) Biotechnology are especially dangerous contaminants as they are designed to act at low concentrations. Disposal of drugs directly or through sewage can send toxic pharmaceutical chemicals into the environment. Accumulated, these can be neurotoxic or have other consequences for aquatic life. Bacteria or fungi may be used to degrade pharmaceutical-based toxins.
Residue from explosives is often toxic. TNT used for mining or RDX in military weapons are the most common sources. The typical afflictions relate to developing tissues or the cardiovascular system. Bacteria capable of denitration can break apart toxic molecular rings from explosive waste into smaller molecules.
PAHs usually come from volcanos or forest fires but also result from human activities related to coal combustion, vehicle exhaust, and more. These toxins can linger in air, soil, or water for long periods of time. Aerobic bacteria and algae can purify the air while anaerobic bacteria and fungi purify soil and water. (Monga et al. 2021)
Biofuels are a candidate for creating renewable energy. Electric vehicles have low horsepower preventing them from carrying heavy loads. Electricity has limited production or storage, making long-distance travel impractical. Biofuels, on the other hand, can be used for long-distance shipment and travel of any kind, including aviation.
First-generation biofuels are Green (Plant) Biotechnology harvested from food crops such as corn and sugarcane. Extracting lignocellulose from cell walls of non-food plants is considered second-generation biofuel. Next came research into Algal biofuels, using Blue (Marine) Biotechnology. Novel biofuels such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are crafted using White (Industrial) Biotechnology. (Ambaye et al. 2021)
There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to each of the biofuel sources listed above. Scientists work to perfect renewable energy that is reliable, clean, and easy to mass-produce.
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Ambaye, T. G., Vaccari, M., Bonilla-Petriciolet, A., Prasad, S., van Hullebusch, E. D., & Rtimi, S. (2021). Emerging technologies for biofuel production: A critical review on recent progress, challenges and perspectives. Journal of Environmental Management, 290, 112627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112627
Kumari A., Rajput, V. D., Mandzhieva, S. S., Rajput, S., Minkina, T., Kaur, R., Sushkova, S., Kumari, P., Ranjan, A., Kalinitchenko, V. P., & Glinushkin, A. P. (2022). Microplastic Pollution: An Emerging Threat to Terrestrial Plants and Insights into Its Remediation Strategies. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 11(3), 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030340
Monga, D., Kaur, P., & Singh, B. (2021). Microbe mediated remediation of dyes, explosive waste and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and Pharmaceuticals. Current research in microbial sciences, 3, 100092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100092