Introduction to

Environmental
Biotechnology
BITS Pilani Dr. Judith M. Braganca
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Pilani Campus
 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

EE ZG512/SSTM ZG522
Lecture 1 & 2
 Course Title : ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

• Text Book : Environmental Biotechnology by Alan

Scragg, Pearson Education Limited, UK.
• 1999.
•
• Reference Book
• RB-1 : Biotechnology, a comprehensive treatise, ed by
Rehm H J and Reed G, VCH Verleg, Germany, 1999
•
• RB-2 : Introduction to environmental biotechnology by A
K Chaterjee, PHI, India, 2000
Introduction

According to the international Society for

environmental Biotechnology the environmental
Biotechnology is defined as

an environment that helps to develop, efficiently use

and regulate the biological systems and prevent the
environment from pollution or from contamination of
land, air and water, work efficiently to sustain an
environment friendly Society.

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Definitions

• Biotechnology?
• “Any technique that uses living organisms or
substances from those organism, to make or
modify a product, to improve plant or animals, or
to develop microorganism for specific uses”
• Thus biotechnology encompasses
– Tools and techniques
– Living organism i.e. plant, animal or microorganism
– Products from these organism can be new or rare

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
In simple words,

it can be described as "the optimal use of nature, in the form

of plants, bacteria, fungi and algae, to produce renewable
energy, food and nutrients in a cycle of profit making
processes where the waste of each process becomes the
feedstock for another process".

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 Developing countries in Asia have high levels of atmospheric
pollution (both in air and water) and coupled with increasing
population, creates enormous sewage and waste disposal
problems.

 Improper disposal of solid and hazardous waste not only damages

the environment but causes the maximum health issues.

 Incineration was considered the best way of disposing solid wastes,

especially domestic wastes.

 Today using the process of anaerobic digestion, bio-degradable solid

wastes can be converted into bio-gas and organic material.
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Environmental Biotechnology

Key intervention points of environmental biotechnology

Advantages of Environmental
Biotechnology
i. useful ways to help clean up the environment and keep it green for the
future generations.

ii. Eliminating the use of pollutants and wastes that affect our environment,
there is a need to promote and sustain the development of our society
with the lowest possible impact on the environment.

i. distinguish between similar species and ensure species are not at risk of
extinction.

ii. create alternative energy sources (i.e. Biofuel, biogas, biodiesel).

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Significance towards industrial
biotechnology

Among the most significant of environmental technology

solutions that is offered by research and development into
environmental biotechnology is that of the production of
waste-based feedstocks.

Feedstocks are useless materials produced by one industrial

process that can find additional value in another process
instead of being an environmental pollutant and waste product
both in material and energy costs.

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 In the case of oil spills in the oceans which require cleanup,
microbes isolated from oil rich environments like oil wells, oil
transfer pipelines...etc. have been found having the potential to
degrade oil or use it as an energy source. Thus they serve as a
remedy to oil spills.

 Wood pulp and bark waste from paper production can be used to
produce biofuels.

 Other types of feedstock includes corn stover, a waste corn

byproduct that can be used to create ethanol,

 Soybean soapstock, a byproduct of soybean oil production that can

be used to create biodiesel fuel.
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 Corn stover, algae and cellulose (from wood and grass) can be
converted into biofuel………………...

 In Penicillin manufacture, the fungal biomass that remains after

making penicillin can be converted to animal feed.

 Bleaching process in textile industry needs chemicals that can now

be substituted with enzymes causing lesser effluents and requiring
lesser energy.

 One of the practical appl. Of Env. Bio. is to use a combination of

bacteria and plants to reconfigure any piece of land and make it free
of toxic substances……………industrial land into land suitable for
human habitation. BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

Basic concept of environment and

its components
What is Environment?

The term environment comes from the

French word “environ” and means
everything that surround us.
The totality of the surrounding conditions
for comfortable living of organism.
Environment is the area in which we live.

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Natural
Environment
The components of natural
environment are air, water,
soil, land, radiations, forests,
wildlife, flora and fauna etc.
 Manmade
Environment
It include transportation, housing,
agricultural and livestock farms,
aquatic farms, industries, dams,
energy such as hydro thermal and
nuclear energy plants etc.
Components of Environment

1. Abiotic components

2. Biotic components

3. Biophysical components

4. Energy components

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1.Abiotic components

the components which surround us but

these are non living.
Abiotic components are non living
chemical and physical factors in the
environment, which affect ecosystems.
The abiotic components of an ecosystem
can be listed as: Soil, Water, Air,
Temperature and Sunlight.

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Common abiotic components

a) Atmosphere
b) water
c) Air or wind
d) Temperature and sunlight
e) Chemical elements

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the earth is the

envelop which surround us.
Animals and other creatures breathe
oxygen or filter it from water, and plants
grow because of the presence of carbon
dioxide.
It protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet rays coming from sun.

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Layers of the Atmosphere

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Water

All living organisms needs some water intake. Water

covers 70% of the earth’s surface and falls as rain or
snow over land.
In an environment with little water, only organisms
requiring a small percentage of water can survive. Other
organisms thrive in conditions with large amounts of
water, such as marine animals and plants in oceans.
Water is essential to survival, but every organisms
needs a different amount of water.

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Air or Wind

Often biotic factors are affected by other

factors. Air or wind is consist of many
gases, some of these gases are essential
for living like oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The wind speed and direction affects the
temperature and humidity of an area.
It also carries seeds and aids pollination,
spreading life.

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Temperature and Sunlight

Temperature of the air and water affect animals, plants and

human in ecosystems.
A rise in temperature has the potential to change the
way a living thing develops, because it changes the
metabolic activites of organism.
All living organisms have a tolerance level of
temperature.e.g a human would die if he stood out in
minus 50 degree temperature.
Light exposure often affects the temperature. Areas with
direct sunlight are warmer.

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Chemical elements

Chemical elements act within the

environment to impact what type of
organism can grow in the area.
The chemical composition, including
acidity level, has a large impact on the
plants in an area.
Chemical elements make up all matter,
including other abiotic factors.

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2. Biotic Components

components which surround us but

includes living components.
Biotic components include:
a) Producers
b) Consumers
c) Decomposers

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Common biotic components

a) Producers (autotrophs)
For example; plants

b) Consumers (heterotrophs)
For example; animals

c) Decomposers (detritivores)
For example; micro-organisms (fungi & bacteria)

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Decomposers

Bring about the

decomposition of dead
plants and animals
Return various
important minerals
For the running of the
biogeochemical cycles

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
3. Biophysical components

Living and non living components both are

when combined they form biophysical
components.
It includes all the factors that have an
influence on the survival, development
and evolution of organisms. For example
these components form
a) Marine environment
b) Atmospheric environment
c) Terrestrial environment BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Common biophysical
Environments
a) Marine environment
b) Terrestrial environment

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Marine Environment

Saline water present on the earth covers

approximately 72% of planet surface.
It is the habitat of 230000 known species
of animals and aquatic plants.

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Terrestrial environment

The environment belonging to the land as

opposed to the sea or air.
It include all the plants and animals grow
up and develop on the surface of earth.
For example: human, animals, plants,
crops etc.

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Factors responsible for
change in Environment
1. Deforestation for wood and bringing land under
cultivation this cause erosion of the soil. This activity
has been going on from the past thousand of years.
2. Killing the gentle animals for food and fierce animals
due to safety reasons.
3. The industrial and scientific revolution in the recent
past has the tremendous affect on environment. This
aspect is mainly responsible for polluting the water
bodies with the chemicals from industries waste.

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 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

Biotechnology for environment;

definitions and facts
Applications of Environmental
Biotechnology
 Environmental biotechnology have most popular and
commonly practiced applications of environmental
biotechnology in various fields and industries.
I. Bio-composting
II. Bio-energy
III. Bioremediation
IV. Bio-Transformation
V. Bio-markers

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Bio-composting

 involves combining organic materials under certain controlled

conditions that decomposes them at a faster rate than they
would decompose under natural conditions in free
surroundings.

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Bioenergy

 Fuels like biogas, biomass, and hydrogen being used for

industrial, domestic purposes. All these fuels belong to the category of

Bioenergy.

 Energy generation from organic waste or biomass is the finest

example of green energy.

 As per the recent need it is concluded that the need of clean energy

out of these fuels and alternative ways of finding clean energy is the

need of the hour.

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Bioremediation

 Bioremediation is a clean-up technology that uses naturally

occurring microorganisms to degrade hazardous substances
into less toxic or nontoxic compounds.

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Bioremediation

• Bioremediation is the use of micro-organism

metabolism to remove pollutants

– These methods are almost typical “end-of-pipe

processes” applied to remove, degrade, or
detoxify pollution in environmental

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• Removal/ separation: a process that removes
the contaminant from the host medium
• Destruction/degradation: a process that
chemically or biologically destroys or
neutralizes the contaminant to produce less
toxic compounds
• Containment/immobilization: a process that
impedes or immobilizes the surface and
subsurface migration of the contaminant
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Microorganisms and
processes
• Bacteria:
– (requires sufficient oxygen: Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Sphingomonas,
Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium)
– degrade pesticides and hydrocarbons, both alkanes and poly-aromatic compounds
– bacteria use the contaminant as the sole source of carbon and energy
– it is a faster process
– anaerobic bacteria are used for bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
in river sediments, de-chlorination of the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE),
chloroform
• Ligninolytic fungi:
– have the ability to degrade an extremely diverse range of persistent or toxic
environmental pollutants (as white rot fungus Phanaerochaete chrysosporium)
• Methylotrophs
– grow utilizing methane for carbon and energy
– are active against a wide range of compounds, including the chlorinated aliphatics
trichloroethylene and 1,2-dichloroethane DDT

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 Bioremediation Basics
 Bioremediation Genomics Programs
• Stimulating Bioremediation
• Add fertilizers (nutrient enrichment) to stimulate the
growth of indigenous microorganisms
• Adding bacteria or fungus to assist indigenous
microbes is known as bioaugumentation or seeding
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 Bioaccumulation and
Bioconcentration
• Metals are clearly not degraded by
biological systems but a no.of. plants and
microorganisms can accumulate metals –
bioaccumulation.
• The lower the solubility of a compound in
water, the greater its solubility in cellular
lipids.
Dr. Bhakti Salgaonkar 51
Factors Influencing
Bioremediation

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Bio-Transformation

 Bio-Transformation
is a process of Biological changes of
complex compound to simpler toxic to non-toxic or vice-versa.

 Itis used in manufacturing industries where toxic substances

are released as byproducts.

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Chromium (VI) from Leather
Tanneries
• Chromium is a toxic heavy metal that is widely
used in electroplating, leather tanning, textile
dyeing, and metal processing industries.
• European Union recommends total chromium
limits of 0.05 and 0.1 mg/L for potable and
industrial wastewater respectively
• Many microorganisms have been reported to
reduce the highly soluble and toxic Cr(VI) to the
less soluble and less toxic Cr(III), e.g.,
Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas sp.
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Phytoremediation

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Phytoremediation

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 Bioremediation Basics
 Phytomediation
• Utilizing plants to clean up chemicals
• Ex: cottonwoods, poplar, juniper trees, grasses, alfalfa
• Low cost, low maintenance and it adds beauty to the site
Applying Genetically Engineered Strains to
Clean Up the Enviroment

Petroleum eating bacteria

• Ananda Chakrabarty at General Electric
Heavy metals (bioaccumulation)
• Bacteria sequester heavy and radioactive
metals
Biosensors
• lux genes
Biomarker

 This type of application of environmental Biotechnology gives

response to a chemical that helps to measure the level of damage
caused or the exposure of the toxic or the pollution effect caused.
 Biomarker can also be called as the Biological markers the major
use of this applications helps to relate the connection between the
oils and its sources.
 In principle, Environmental biotechnology may include:
a) Cleaning of effluents and treatment of waste
b) Alternative and more environmental friendly processes
c) Alternative and more environmental friendly products

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Bioindicators and Biomarkers

• Can be used to monitor pollution in situ

• Bioindicators are whole organisms
• Biomarkers are physiological, biochemical
and molecular characteristics of organisms
• (eg: 5β-Coprostanol: a biomarker for the
presence of human faecal matter in the
environment).

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Biomarkers

use of multiple biomarkers is also useful.

 Biological assays —› in vivo biomarkers, in vivo

bioassay and in vitro bioassay.

Biological assay (Bioassay) —› is a biological

standardization type of scientific experiment.

A bioassay involves the use of live animal or plant (in
vivo) or tissue or cell (in vitro) to determine the
biological activity of a substance such as a hormone
or drug.

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Biosensors

Biosensors are defined as analytical devices

incorporating a biological material.

Biosensors are used for the sensitive biological

elements such as:
(e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell
receptors, enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids,
natural products).

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Biosensors

Current uses of biosensors include:

Detecting levels of toxins in an ecosystem.

Detecting airborne pathogens (i.e. anthrax).

Monitoring blood glucose levels.

One of the most common example of biosensor

is Glucometer.
Glucometer —› Glucometer is a medical device

for determining the approximate concentration

of glucose in the blood.
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Biosensors

Microbial Biosensors:
 Using biological engineering researchers have

created many microbial biosensor.

E.g. Arsenic biosensor to detect arsenic they use the

Ars operon.
using bacteria, researchers can detect pollutants in
samples.

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Pollutants present three main problems in
the environment which can be addressed by
biotechnological processes
• Problem of existing pollution of land, water and
air.
• Current industrial, agricultural and domestic
processes still producing pollutants eg: sewage
• Industrial, agricultural and transport sectors.

Application of biotechnology to industrial

processes is known as CLEAN TECHNOLOGY
 Clean Technology
• The use of enzymes or bacteria instead of
chemical processes has the potential to reduce
the use of feedstock and the energy required for
the processes.
- Biodesulphurization of coal
- Bioplastics
- Biofuel

To combine the protection of environment and an

industrial processes is known as integrated
pollution control.
Biofuels

Biofuels are fuels derived from biomass any

matter derived from plants or animals.
A fuel is nothing to more then something from

which we get energy.

Biomass  biomass is simply organic matter.

In other words it is a dead material that was once
living.
Kernels of corn, mats of algae, and stalks of sugar
cane are all biomass.
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Biofuels

1st Generation Biofuels:

 Bioalcohol (Corn, sugarcane)

 Biodiesel

 Syngas

 Biogas

2. 2nd Generation Biofuels:

 Cellulosic Biofuels

 Biohydrogen

 Bioethanol

3. 3rd Generation Biofules:

 Algae fuel

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Biofuels

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Bio-Plastic (Biodegradable
Plastic)

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Case Study 7 – Biodegradable plastic

Polyhydroxyalkanoate
Hydroxybutyrate & Hydroxyvalerate

Ralstonia eutrophus – 90% of its dry weight into

PHA
When grown on glucose and proprionic acid is a
random polyester of HB and HV
Lower melting point than HB alone – better
mechanical and processing characterisitics
Imperial Chemical Industries - UK
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 Commercial Substrate
2% Glucose
NaClO

Spectrophotometric
XRD
DSC
FT-IR
1H NMR Characterization Acetone

P(3HB-co-3HV)

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 Cleanup Sites and Strategies

Bioremediation of Water
• Wastewater treatment
 Cleanup Sites and Strategies

Bioremediation of Water
• Groundwater Cleanup
Molecular Ecology

Molecular ecology is a field of evolutionary biology

that is concerned with applying molecular
population genetics,molecular phylogenetics, and
morer ecently genomics to traditional ecological
questions.

(e.g., species diagnosis, conservation and assessment

of biodiversity, species-area relationships, and
many questions in behavioral ecology).

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 Bt insecticide in crop plants

• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

• Pro toxin
• Ingested by the insect, proteolytic
cleavage releases the active toxin
• Dies of dehydration