How microbes clean up our surrounding
The article chosen is the cleanup strategy of the environmental mess known as bioremediation. The strategy utilizes genetically modified or naturally occurring microbes to clean up our environmental contamination. The topic is of interest because it gives a view to keep a clean surrounding.
The article is about bioremediation – a clean and friendly way to remove pollutants from the environment by utilizing the microbes. Microbes are living organisms that devour the dead, decomposing, and inert substances that pollute the Earth’s surface. Mary (2011) says that some genetically modified microbes can survive in mercury and remove it from contaminated sites. Creating genetically modified microbes helps eliminate contaminants where there are no known natural organisms capable of doing it.
Dangi et al. (2019) suggest that many microbe species are used in bioremediation such as Pseudomonas Putida, Dechloromonas aromatic, and Methylibium Petroleiphilum, among others.
Mary (2011) says that microbes are important in the garbage disposal since they devour the dead, decomposing, and chemically inactive substances that pollute the environs. The organism naturally loves to eat pollutants or are genetically modified to have a good taste of toxins. The process helps in creating a cleaner environment.
According to Mary (2011), the technology of using natural and genetically altered organisms is widely in contaminated sites such as in radioactive waste sites, oil spillage, and in sites with high levels of mercury. The Inter American University of Puerto Rico altered Escherichia Coli bacteria with genes that permit microorganism’s survival in mercury.
Escherichia coli bacteria is a microbe species genetically modified to clean up mercury from the Earth’s surface. The genetically altered bacteria can survive and remove mercury from waste sites.
The major disadvantage of using bioremediation is that it can lead to toxic by-products that may be more harmful than the initial contamination if not properly controlled.
Works cited
Dangi, Arun Kumar, et al. “Bioremediation through microbes: systems biology and metabolic engineering approach.” Critical reviews in biotechnology 39.1 (2019): 79-98.
Mary, Beth Griggs. “How microbes clean up our environmental messes.” http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a7176/how-microbes-will-clean-up-our-messes/