Bacteriology & Antibiotics

Bacteria and pollution control

Bacteria may be better than chemicals or absorbent materials at controlling emissions of volatile solvents that contribute to low-level smog and at eliminating the odors of sewage treatment plants and composting operations. Although the use of bacteria to clean up pollution on land and in water is still in the experimental stage. Remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater is often a costly and complicated affair. One of the newer methods within bioremediation is to utilize the ability of bacteria to break down a number of chemical substances, such as chlorinated hydrocarbons and oil components. Bioremediation can utilize naturally occurring bacteria or bacteria that have been added and contain special characteristics to decompose the unwanted chemicals. In both cases, it is important to monitor and control the bacteria and their activity during the process. Some species of bacteria have been used as indicators in monitoring environmental quality, e.g. Coliform, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Vibrio sp., Clostridia sp., Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Arcobacter sp., Thiobacillus sp., and etc. The bacteria act as an indicator of household waste, heavy metal pollution, crude oils and other pollution.