Environmental+Cleanup

 **Environmental Cleanup by Erin Flannelly and Kelsie Landis** Scientists are now harnessing the skills of microorganisms that are able to transform different chemicals and compounds. They are now engineering these metabolic capabilities. Now certain bacteria can obtain heavy metals such as copper, lead, and nickel from the environment and then incorporate these metals into compounds such as copper sulfate or lead sulfate, in which all of are recoverable. Genetically altered microbes are now vastly important in mining minerals (especially since the ore reserves are depleted) and working with toxic mineral waste. Also many sewage plants also rely on microbes to decompose their waste into nontoxic forms. Although some compounds are being released into the environment that the natural organisms cannot compose fast enough, so Biotechnologists are now trying to create microbes to handle these compounds. These "new" microbes could be used in water treatment plants or by manufactures to use on the compounds before they are released into the environment. Engineering and creating microbes to help detoxify toxic dumps and spills are also types of environmental cleanups. For example there are some bacterial strains that can now degrade some of the compounds in an oil spill. Environmental cleanup organisms must be able to withstand harsh conditions and be able to detoxify complex compounds in order to be considered effective.

http://www.planetware.com/picture/rio-tinto-mining-area-e-e1306.htm http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/1802/18023701.jpg http://www.microscopesblog.com/uploaded_images/bioremediation-768259.jpg