Microbes & Enzymes in Bioremediation

Microbes and Enzymes in Bioremediation

Jeff Walters, Unit C Research Question, March 1st 2016

For my Grade 11 chemistry summative I was asked to pick a topic regarding an issue that pertains to chemistry and present. While others chose topics from the given list of ideas I knew immediately that I wanted to cover the Sydney Tar Ponds, where tons and tons of toxins were dispensed over decades causing much damage to both the workers and the environment, and as well as for some historical aspects I decided to choose the ponds. A brief synopsis of the the Sydney Tar Ponds would include that in the late 1800’s coal mining and steel production companies on Cape Breton had built and industry that created the worst toxicological disaster in Canadian history. The workers were treated as slaves and had children who were born with horrifying defects. Fortunately production was halted and the government  decided to clean up the tar ponds. It has taken over 30 years but they have almost reached their goal of purifying or at least doing the best they can to remediate Sydney. uring my assignment I discovered many natural remedies for remediating the tar ponds.  

Bioremediation with microbes and enzymes is a cost effective and natural way of remediating damage that the Earth already has instilled in its nature. Beginning with the detoxification of toxic organic compounds by multiple cultures of  bacteria and fungi as well as higher plants through an  oxidative coupling process which is mediated with oxidoreductases. Microbes extract energy through an energy-yielding biochemical reaction controlled by these enzymes to split chemical bonds and to help the transfer of electrons from a reduced organic substrate into another chemical compound. During such oxidation-reduction reactions, the contaminants are finally oxidized to a harmless compound. For example in an excerpt from Hindawi Enzyme Research, “chlorinated phenolic compounds are abundant recalcitrant wastes found in the effluents generated by the paper and pulp industry. These compounds are produced upon the partial degradation of lignin during pulp bleaching process. Many fungal species are considered to be suitable for the removal of chlorinated phenolic compounds from the contaminated environments. The activity of fungi is mainly due to the action of extracellular oxidoreductase enzymes, like laccase, manganese peroxidase, and lignin peroxidase, which are released from fungal mycelium into their nearby environment. Being filamentous, fungi can reach the soil pollutants more effectively than bacteria.” The pulp and paper industry is an industry with disastrous effects all over the world and in Canada including northern Ontario and Quebec in particular but can hopefully be fixed using some of these methods. Another one includes water that is polluted with phenolic compounds can be de-contaminated by plants with the help of enzymes exuded by their roots. The plant families of Fabaceae, Gramineae, and Solanaceae release oxidoreductases which assist in oxidative degradation of some soil constituents. Phytoremediation of organic contaminants has been generally focused on three classes of compounds: chlorinated solvents, explosives, and petroleum hydrocarbons. This is also applicable as well to oil spills and leakage which surface on the ocean. These are just some of the ways bioremediation is being used to solve multiple environmental dilemmas.   

I hope that we can incorporate these scientifically proven methods in more remediation projects and dedicate more time and money into rehabilitating the environment as well as adjusting our slothful and destructive ways to become more in-tune with nature and each other.