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Environmental Biotechnology
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Biotechnological Approaches
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Environmental BiotechnologyMeaning
Environmental biotechnology in particular is the application of processes for the protection and
restoration of the quality of the environment. Environmental biotechnology can be used to detect,
prevent and remediate the emission of pollutants into the environment in a number of ways.
Solid, liquid and gaseous wastes can be modified, either by recycling to make new products, or
by purifying so that the end product is less harmful to the environment. Replacing chemical
materials and processes with biological technologies can reduce environmental damage.
In this way environmental biotechnology can make a significant contribution to sustainable
development. Environmental Biotechnology is one of today’s fastest growing and most
practically useful scientific fields. Research into the genetics, biochemistry and physiology of
exploitable microorganisms is rapidly being translated into commercially available technologies
for reversing and preventing further deterioration of the earth’s environment.
Objectives of Environmental Biotechnology (According to Agenda 21):
The aim of environmental biotechnology is to prevent, arrest and reverse environmental
degradation through the appropriate use of biotechnology in combination with other
technologies, while supporting safety procedures as a primary component of the programme.
Specific Objectives are:
1. To adopt production processes that make optimal use of natural resources, by recycling
biomass, recovering energy and minimizing waste generation.
2. To promote the use of biotechnological techniques with emphasis on bioremediation of land
and water, waste treatment, soil conservation, reforestation, afforestation and land rehabilitation.
,3. To apply biotechnological processes and their products to protect environmental integrity with
a view to long-term ecological security.
Fermentation
What Is Fermentation?
Fermentation is any metabolic process in which microorganisms’ activity creates a desirable
change in food and beverages, whether it’s increasing flavor, preserving foodstuffs, providing
health benefits, or more.
The word “ferment” comes from the Latin verb “fervere,” which means “to boil.” Ironically,
fermentation is possible without heat.
How Does Fermentation Work?
To master fermentation, you need to understand the science behind the chemical process.
Microorganisms survive using carbohydrates (sugars, such as glucose) for energy and
fuel.
Organic chemicals like adenosine triphosphate (ATP) deliver that energy to every part
of a cell when needed.
Microbes generate ATP using respiration. Aerobic respiration, which requires oxygen,
is the most efficient way to do that. Aerobic respiration begins with glycolysis, where
glucose is converted into pyruvic acid. When there’s enough oxygen present, aerobic
respiration occurs.
Fermentation is similar to anaerobic respiration—the kind that takes place when there
isn’t enough oxygen present. However, fermentation leads to the production of different
organic molecules like lactic acid, which also leads to ATP, unlike respiration, which
uses pyruvic acid.
Depending upon environmental conditions, individual cells and microbes have the
ability to switch between the two different modes of energy production.
, Organisms commonly obtain energy anaerobically through fermentation, but some
systems use sulfate as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain.
Biological Role of Fermentation
Along with photosynthesis and aerobic respiration, fermentation is a method to extract energy
from molecules. This method is the only one common to all bacteria and eukaryotes. It is
therefore considered the oldest metabolic pathway, suitable for primeval environments – before
plantlife on Earth, that is, before oxygen in the atmosphere.
Yeast, a form of fungus, occurs in almost any environment capable of supporting microbes, from
the skins of fruits to the guts of insects and mammals to the deep ocean. Yeasts convert (break
down) sugar-rich molecules to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Fermentative bacteria play an essential role in the production of methane in habitats ranging
from the rumens of cattle to sewage digesters and freshwater sediments. They produce hydrogen,
carbon dioxide, formate and acetate and carboxylic acids. Then consortia of microbes convert the
carbon dioxide and acetate to methane. Acetogenic bacteria oxidize the acids, obtaining more
acetate and either hydrogen or formate. Finally, methanogens (in the domain Archea) convert
acetate to methane.
What Happens During the Fermentation Process?
Fermentation occurs in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), and in the presence of
beneficial microorganisms (yeasts, molds, and bacteria) that obtain their energy through
fermentation. If enough sugar is available, some yeast cells, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
prefer fermentation to aerobic respiration even when oxygen is abundant.
During the fermentation process, these beneficial microbes break down sugars and
starches into alcohols and acids, making food more nutritious and preserving it so
people can store it for longer periods of time without it spoiling.
Fermentation products provide enzymes necessary for digestion. This is important
because humans are born with a finite number of enzymes, and they decrease with age.
Fermented foods contain the enzymes required to break them down.
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