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Environmental Management Systems:
Role of Bioprocesses
[Introduction to Environmental bioprocesses]
What is EMS (ISO 14001):
A system that enables any organization to:
* Manage environmental Impacts arising out of
its Activities, Products & Services;
*Ensures Compliance to Regulations;
Brings continual Improvement;
• Demonstrate
High Environmental Performance to others by
conforming to Policy, Objectives and Targets.
Examples of Bioprocesses in EMS:
1. Biological Wastewater Treatment systems; Solid
and Sludge Disposal by Composting, and Landfills Technology;
2.Biodegradation of xeno-biotic compounds;
3.Bioremediation; 4.Bio-fuel Technology to provide supplements to fossil fuels;
5.Bio-fertilizers, Bio-pesticides and Plant Biotechnology for Agriculture; 6.Bio-leaching of ores.
Environmental Biotechnology:
Efficient sewage treatment, deodorization of human excreta
Degradation of petroleum and management of oil spills
Detoxification of wastes and industrial effluents
Bio-control of plant disease and insect pests by using viruses, bacteria, amoebae, fungi etc.
Natural Sciences Perspective
Natural order:Food Webs and energy
Industrial and Scientific Revolutions:Population boom
Integral Life Cycle management
Biotechnology: New revolution
Natural Order: [Food Webs and Energy]
Our natural order of life on earth consists of
interactions that each organism (with our species
as most significant player) has with other
organisms and with its non-biotic environment.
Within the biosphere, organisms are arranged
into food webs. In such food webs, plants are the
primary producers, consumed by animals and other
organisms that may be devoured by predators.
Nutritional relationships form the energy basis for
the natural struggle for life.
If we consider the biosphere in terms of
the turnover of elements rather than in
terms of energy flow, then cyclical
patterns are observed.
Life on earth depends on
(1) chemical recycling; it is also dependent
on
(2) oneway energy flow through the
biosphere.
Summary of some critical problems that can occur in an ecological system:
1. Disruption of essential chemical cycles on a global or local scale:
a. Breaking the Cycle; e.g., desertification, global warming and change of climate
b. Changing the rate of cycling by chemical overloads or leaks in the cycle. e.g.,
upsetting oxygen and carbon cycle by deforestation, dumping industrial wastes in
lakes and rivers
.... critical problems that can occur in an ecological system:
2. Disruption of energy flow on a local or global scale:
a. Decreasing or increasing solar energy input by changing the properties of the local or global atmosphere. E.g., green house gases and ozone depleting chemical
release into atmosphere. b. Heat or entropy build up in the environment
due to use of too much energy, large scale combustion of fossil fuels for electricity generation.- we cannot ignore
the second law of thermodynamics.
Evolution of human society
in recent ten thousand years.
In early stage of hunting, primitive agriculture and
with skillful use of tools, manual and animal
nutrition derived power was the limiting energy
source. Organic molecules generated through
photosynthesis in plants with solar energy as the
source of energy, provided food for herbivorous
animal species (including humans) and animal
aided development.
The efficiency of energy conversions in nature is
high. A living organism not only produces
materials it needs to function and in doing this
uses energy in a highly efficient way. In times of a
positive energy balance energy is stored in
compounds such as starch, glycogen and lipids.
Each living organism degrades bio-molecules
that have fulfilled their biological function to
smaller units and subsequently uses these for
the production of new bio-molecules or as a
cellular fuel.
Microorganisms- built-in integrated recycling can
after the death of the organism, use the bio-
molecules present in an organism.
The non-bio-gradable nature of manufactured
products such as synthetic plastics, may cause
problems by accumulation in the environment.
Effect on Environment due to human activities:
Rapid evolution of human society took place in
recent ten thousand years. Several developments
have made an immense consequence on the
natural environment due to human activities.
In the last two hundred years, it has been
observed that the use of energy resources on a
large scale affects the general flow of matter in
the biosphere contributing to disturbances in
natural cycles, beyond earth’s bearing capability.
Resource depletion and pollution became a real
possibility.
Integral Life Cycle management:
Mankind is withdrawing fossil energy and raw materials from the earth’s reserves to for
making products for fulfilling social needs.
During the process of manufacture, wastes
and degraded energy may be released to environment and after usage the product may
become a disposable material in the environment.
Recycle of material can involve some more energy input.
When we make a choice of a product, a
consideration of the total impact on environment
of producing it, using it and finally handling it as
waste should be made. If its utility is less than the
adverse impact then we should forgo the use of it.
In addition to considering economic feasibility of a
process in a situation, energy and environmental
factors are also satisfactory; society can support the
product both from producer and consumer point of
view.
Biotechnology: New Revolution:
Biotechnology is the application of organisms, biological systems or biological processes to manufacturing and service industries. It is based on understanding of biosciences and process engineering and involves handling of bio-molecules that occur in nature. Here we consider applications of biotechnology in agriculture, chemical synthesis and energy management. Two strategies for the use of biotechnology are studied (i) To reduce the environmental problems arising from conventional technology. (ii) To replace
existing environmentally damaging technology.
Recalcitrant organic molecules and inorganic pollutants:
Compounds that persist in the environment are called recalcitrant. Abiotic organic chemicals in water, soil etc. are not
easy to treat as these are not metabolized easily.
However in some cases selective development of mutants have given biotechnology solution to these problems. Inorganic heavy metal pollution too has been tackled by bioprocess developments.
REFER: ’Microbial biosorbents: Meeting the challenge of heavy metal pollution in aqueous solutions’ Current Science, v 78, No 8, April 2000,(Review Paper,967-973)
Man made compounds that are found in unusually high concentrations in the environment are called xenobiotic.
These do not get degraded easily by microbes and accumulate in the environment. Considerable research is being done on his topic by environmental biotechnologists.
Waste, Pollution--need for Treatment
Interaction: Man & Environment
Nature of Wastes & Pollutants
Environmental impacts of release
Treatment: ‘End of pipe’ vs process integrated technology
Landfill technology for solid waste
Aerobic Biological Wastewater Treatment
Measures of water pollution
Aerobic biological treatment
Microbiology,nitrogen & phosphate removal
Plant control, Monitoring
Anaerobic Biological Wastewater Treatment
Theoretical & practical aspects
Microbiology & biochemistry of anaerobic treatment
Digester design and operation
Choice of anaerobic digesters
Bio-degradation of xenobiotic Compounds
Hydrocarbon degradation
Biodegradation of Halogenated
compounds
Problems & approaches
Biofuel tech: environmental Impact
Biological energy options
Biomass as fuel
Fuels extracted directed from biomass
Biogas
Bio-ethanol
Bio-hydrogen
Agriculture & Biotechnology: Environmental Benefits
Nitrogen fertilizers: bio-fertilizers as
Supplements to chemical fertilizers
Bio-pesticides for reducing crop losses
Plant strains development
Biotechnology: In Mineral Processing— Environmental Benefits
Bacteria in ore leaching
Ore leaching processes
Uptake of metals from solutions
Desulphurisation of coal
Water Analysis and Quality Control: Environmental Standards
Parameters in water quality
measurement
Biotechnology contributions to water
analysis
Bio-sensors
BIOMASS FOR ENERGY:
WHY BIOREMEDIATION?
Oil spills and leaks at industrial sites, feed lots and rail yards can result in hundreds of tons of petroleum contaminated soil (PCS) Petroleum contaminated soil, unregulated and left to evaporate into the atmosphere, can release potentially harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.
Petroleum products can seep into soil and
contaminate underlying ground water. Runoff from unregulated sites can carry petroleum contaminants off-site into nearby waterways.
Bioremediation technology is one safe solution to
the PCS problem. Instead of transferring
contaminants from one environmental area to
another (for example, from water to the air or to
land), bioremediation decomposes
petroleum products.
Strict emission standards ensure permitted
facilities don't negatively impact human health or
the environment.
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, pursues an effective R & D programme in Environmental Science and Technology to enable solutions to backlog and future environmental problems emanating from developmental imperatives in various socio-economic sectors.
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute-2
The institute while fulfilling its commitment towards the national and social missions and CSIR thrust area activities, has made a significant contribution in the recent past, in the areas of institute's R & D, viz. Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Biotechnology, Hazardous Waste Management; Environmental System Design, Modelling and Optimization; Environmental Impact and Risk Assessment; and Environmental Policy Analysis.
Contact: NEERI, Nagpur
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute,
Nehru Marg,
Nagpur, 440020,
India
Tel: 0712-2249885-88 & 2249970-72. Fax:0712-2249900. e-mail: [email protected],
URL: http://www.neeri.res.in