Cleaning up and managing the environment

Bioremediation is cleaning up the environment using living organisms. Naturally occurring, as well as recombinant (genetically modified), micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi, and enzymes are used to break down toxic and hazardous substances present in the environment because of some human activity.

Huge numbers of bacteria exist naturally in soil, in rubbish, in recycling and land fill sites. Some of these bacteria slowly break down the many different types of waste. Some bacteria use oil as a source of nutrients just as we use food, and these bacteria can be used to break down oil spills at sea or on the shore.

Biological treatment to solve waste or hazardous chemical problems is not a new idea. What is new is the greatly increased range of treatments that may be possible using biotechnology.

Biotechnologists can use gene technology to recombine, or mix and match, the most desirable traits of several bacterial species to create recombinant (genetically engineered) varieties.

In the future they could, perhaps, extract a gene from one strain that allows it to break down some specific hazardous waste and the gene from another that allows it to withstand wide temperature ranges, lack of oxygen or other environmental extremes. These genes could then be transferred into a common, harmless bacterium that can be easily mass produced.

The ideal result would be a bacterium custom-made to clean up a specific problem waste at a particular site under defined conditions.

This site gives a great overview about bacteria / bioremediation and links to other sites, the Virtual Museum of Bacteria: http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/niches/wabacteria/ applied.shtml

Read about the natural bacteria that were found to eat thiocyanate, a by-product of gold mining: http://www.csiro.au/index.asp? type=mediaRelease&id=PoisoneatingBugsStrikeGold

Read about environmental applications of biotechnology from the Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage: http://www.deh.gov.au/settlements/biotechnology/applications.html

Read about current research going on at the Cooperative Research Centre for Environmental Biotechnology: http://www.ebcrc.com.au/

Try some genetic engineering to cut out a gene that can do some work for you – interactive

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What is biotechnology? Human uses Environment Biological control of pests Protecting threatened species Resurrecting extinct species Cleaning up and managing the environment Removing the excess Removing the hazardous Researching new products Regulation of research in Australia Ethics of research involving the environment Food and agriculture Careers	Cleaning up and managing the environment Bioremediation is cleaning up the environment using living organisms. Naturally occurring, as well as recombinant (genetically modified), micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi, and enzymes are used to break down toxic and hazardous substances present in the environment because of some human activity. Huge numbers of bacteria exist naturally in soil, in rubbish, in recycling and land fill sites. Some of these bacteria slowly break down the many different types of waste. Some bacteria use oil as a source of nutrients just as we use food, and these bacteria can be used to break down oil spills at sea or on the shore. Biological treatment to solve waste or hazardous chemical problems is not a new idea. What is new is the greatly increased range of treatments that may be possible using biotechnology. Biotechnologists can use gene technology to recombine, or mix and match, the most desirable traits of several bacterial species to create recombinant (genetically engineered) varieties. In the future they could, perhaps, extract a gene from one strain that allows it to break down some specific hazardous waste and the gene from another that allows it to withstand wide temperature ranges, lack of oxygen or other environmental extremes. These genes could then be transferred into a common, harmless bacterium that can be easily mass produced. The ideal result would be a bacterium custom-made to clean up a specific problem waste at a particular site under defined conditions. This site gives a great overview about bacteria / bioremediation and links to other sites, the Virtual Museum of Bacteria: http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/niches/wabacteria/ applied.shtml Read about the natural bacteria that were found to eat thiocyanate, a by-product of gold mining: http://www.csiro.au/index.asp? type=mediaRelease&id=PoisoneatingBugsStrikeGold Read about environmental applications of biotechnology from the Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage: http://www.deh.gov.au/settlements/biotechnology/applications.html Read about current research going on at the Cooperative Research Centre for Environmental Biotechnology: http://www.ebcrc.com.au/ Try some genetic engineering to cut out a gene that can do some work for you – interactive
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Cleaning up and managing the environment