[priyasaravanan_1406]

Microbes - where not it is present? They are present within us and around us and in all essentials (air, water, food, soil) used by us. There are both beneficial microbes and pathogenic microbes and the outcome of various studies on microbes is remarkable for these microscopic creatures are inseparable part and parcel of this universe. The application of microbes in various fields of science dates back to ages and today they are widely used in Biotechnology industries, pharmaceutical industries, food and textile industry and in effective environment management. Yes the detection of microbes with the capacity to degrade various environmental pollutants is quite interesting for it can be used to treat the polluted environment (Bioremediation). The microbes used in bioremediation are either degraders by nature or genetically engineered to degrade the pollutants. Listed below are some of the microbes employed in bioremediation and the type of pollutant they act upon.

Pseudomonas putida – Toluene, Naphthalene

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Flavobacteria, Staphylococcacea – oil spills

Dechloromonas aromatica – Aromatic compounds, perchlorate

Acinetobacter – Aromatic compounds

Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrobacter hamburgensis, Paracoccus denitrificans – Acts on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate compounds

Phanerochaete chrysosporium – Pesticides, Poly aromatic hydro carbons, dioxins, dyes, cyanides, nitro based explosives

Psudomonas Species (Pseudomonas A3, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Serratia marinorubra - Fungicide

Deinococcus radiodurans – Heavy metals (This organism is genetically engineered to act upon ionic mercury based nuclear pollution).One of the research studies states the efficiency of species like Enterobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Chryseobacterium, Ochrobacterium in the removal of heavy metals like Copper, cadmium, cobalt and chromium respectively.

Geobacter metallireducens – Uranium

Bacillus species and Serratia merinorubra- Used to treat effluent from textile industries. These species acts upon the azo reactive dye present in the effluent and thus decolourizes the effluent.

Trichoderma viride – Effluents from industries

There are various ongoing research studies in identifying the plastic degrading bacterial species and the positive outcome of these studies will provide a solution to the haunting plastic pollution.