Application Of Biotechnology in Environment

• The use of Biotechnology for solving environmental problems and ecosystems is known as Environmental Biotechnology
• It is applied to study the natural environment and natural habitat of living organisms
• According to the International Society for Environment Biotechnology (ISEB), environmental biotechnology is defined as the development, use and regulation of biological systems such as cells, cell compartment, enzymes, for remediation of contaminated environments (land, water, air, and sediments), and for environment-friendly processes (green manufacturing technologies and sustainable environment)

Bioenergy

• Biogas, biomass, fills, and hydrogen constitute the source for bioenergy
• The utilization of Environmental Biotechnology can be seen  at domestic, industrial and space level programs
• According to the current status of the nation, it can be stated that clean energy is the need of the hour and can be used as an alternative way to exhaustible sources of energy
• One of the pioneer examples of green energy is the waste collected from the organic and biomass wastes, which is processed to produce clean energy
• Every country is opting for biomass energy as it is less harmful to the environment.

Bioremediation

• Bioremediation is a part of biotechnology, which utilizes living beings, similar to microorganisms and microbes, in the expulsion of foreign substances, contaminations, and poisons from the soil, water, and different conditions
• Bioremediation deals with problems related to the environment. With the use of contaminants and fungi, the process of bioremediation cleans pollutants from the environment
• Vital microbes such as bacteria break the complex dead organisms into useful organic matter and nutrients. But according to the researchers, there are some contaminants that cannot be degraded from the environment by the process of bioremediation. E.g.- Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) cannot be decomposed by the microorganisms
• The process of bioremediation occurs aerobically and anaerobically. In the aerobic condition, there is the requirement of oxygen to perform the process. Ample amount of oxygen acts on  contaminants and toxins and hence yields water, and carbon. In case of anaerobic conditions, there is no requirement of oxygen and the microbes work with the chemical compounds present in the soil to decompose the contaminants
• Bioremediation is utilized to tidy up oil slicks or polluted groundwater.  For, e.g., the Oil zapper (formulated by TERI) benefits from hydrocarbon intensifies present in unrefined petroleum and slick muck (a dangerous hydrocarbon squander produced by petroleum treatment facilities) and converts them into innocuous CO2 and water.

Following are the types of bioremediations:

1. Biotransformation: It is a process of bioremediation in which a complex compound is converted to non-toxic form. This process mainly refers to pharmacologic activity, mainly drugs and xenobiotics
2. Phytoremediation: The term Phyto meaning plant and remedial meaning restoring balance. In this process of phytoremediation, green plants and microorganisms are used to decrease the contaminated soils, sludges, sediments, ground and surface water
3. Microbial Remediation: In this process of microbial remediation, microorganisms are used to degrade organic contaminants. The process of microbial remediation can be aerobic or  anaerobic
4. Molecular Ecology: this process is associated with evolutionary biology by applying different methods like population genetics, phylogenetics, etc. DNA fingerprinting is used to understand the aspects of nature. This technique is also used to study the population diversity of wild animals, especially the footprints of cheetah and polar bears
5. Mycoremediation: In this process of bioremediation, fungi are used for decontamination. Mycoremediation is so called as there is use of fungal-mycelia in the process of bioremediation. In an ecosystem, fungus breaks down the organic substances into smaller and simplest forms. Fungal mycelia produce extracellular enzymes and acids which help in the breakdown of lignin and cellulose.

Biotransformation

• The changes in the biology of the environment, which are changes of the complex compound from simple non-toxic to toxic, is called the biotransformation process
• It is used in the Manufacturing sector where poisonous substances are converted to by-products

Biomarker

• Biomarker is also an application of environmental biotechnology by measuring levels of chemicals or toxic or pollution that damages the environment. 
• It is a major tool to create a link between the oils and its sources.

Benefits

• It helps to keep our environment safe and clean for future generations
• It helps the creatures and the architects to observe valuable methods of getting adjusted to the changes in the environment and keep the environment clean and green
• The advantage of ecological biotechnology assists us with staying away from perilous toxins and squanders
• The development of society should be done in such a way that it helps to protect our environment
• Environmental biotechnology has a role to play in the removal of pollutants
• It is becoming an advantage for scientists and environmentalists to find ways to convert waste into reusable products. 

Conclusion:

From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the application of biotechnology in the field of environment is immense. The application of biotechnology helps to reduce or solve the problems related to the environment and thus cleans the ecosystem for living organisms. Prominent institutes, like ISEB, carry on research on different microorganisms in order to find solutions to clean the ecosystem in an eco-friendly way and finding the source of clean energy. The main goal of the International Society for Environmental Biotechnology is to protect the natural ecosystem like land, water, air, soil and sediments. Because of industrialization, urbanization and anthropogenic activities, the environment is facing different issues like depletion of natural resources, pollution of natural bodies, etc.; by applying the applications of biotechnology, these problems can be effectively and efficiently solved.