Fuel-eating Antarctic microorganisms may help in plastic clean-up

Environment and Ecology Waste Management

09-Feb-22

Context: A team of Argentine scientists is using Antarctic microorganisms to clean up pollution from fuels which may offer a low impact way to break down plastics.
Bioremediation

Bioremediation is a branch of biotechnology that employs the use of microorganisms to remove contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil, water, and other environments.
It is used to clean up oil spills or contaminated groundwater.
It may be done "in situ"–at the site of the contamination–or "ex situ"–away from the site.
Bioremediation relies on stimulating the growth of certain microbes that utilize contaminants for sources of food and energy.
Bioremediation requires a combination of the right temperature, nutrients, and foods
These microbes convert contaminants into small amounts of water, as well as harmless gases like carbon dioxide.
It may take several months to several years to complete, depending on different variables.

Critical conditions for bioremediation include

Host microbial contaminants that provide fuel and energy to parasitical microbes
Parasitical microbes that feed off their harmful hosts and destroy them
Oxygen in sufficient amounts to support aerobic biodegradation
Water, either in liquid form or in soil moisture content
Carbon is the foundation of microbial life and its energy source
Temperature, not too cold or hot for microbial life to flourish
Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulphur to support microbe growth
Acid and alkaline proportions or pH ratio in the range of 6.5 to 7.5

Advantages of Bioremediation

The natural process of bio-remediation minimizes damage to ecosystems.
It does not disrupt nearby communities as much as other clean-up methodologies.
It creates relatively few harmful by-products (such as water and carbon dioxide)
It is cheaper because it does not require any substantial equipment or labor.

Disadvantages of Bioremediation

Some highly chlorinated contaminants are not readily amenable to microbial degradation.
Heavy metals and radionuclides are elements cannot be biodegraded.
The microbial degradation of some chemicals may lead to the production of more toxic intermediates.
It is a research-intensive technology, whose consequences could be disastrous, if done without prior understanding of microbial processes.
Additional research is required to ensure that the products from biodegradation are less toxic than the original contaminant.

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (The Madrid Protocol)

Also known as the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, it is part of the Antarctic Treaty System.
It provides for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems.
It was adopted on 1991.
The Parties to the Protocol commit to comprehensively protect the environment of the Antarctic region, the area south of 60 degrees South latitude.
The Protocol is also accompanied by Annexes that detail specific measures and procedures.

The Protocol

Designates Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.

Establishes environmental principles that must be a fundamental consideration in the planning and conduct of all activities. It includes:

prior assessment of the environmental impacts of all activities
regular and effective monitoring to assess predicted impacts and to detect unforeseen impacts.

Prohibits any activity related to mining, other than scientific research.

Establishes the Committee for Environmental Protection to develop advice and formulate recommendations to the Antarctic Treaty Parties on implementation of the Protocol.

Requires the development of contingency plans to respond to environmental emergencies.