Environmental Sustainability
As environmental degradation steadily increases worldwide due to chemical waste and its byproducts, it becomes increasingly important to find unique and sustainable solutions to decrease reliance on harmful chemicals used in our day-to-day lives. Here, we will be looking further into the global impact of chemical problems, such as run-off from chemical fertilizers infiltrating neighbouring water sources, the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels deteriorating our atmosphere, dangerous chemical waste from lengthy pharmaceutical reactions, and finally, the lasting impact of non-degradable plastics. All of these issues represent threats to global environmental sustainability, furthering the decline of worldwide biodiversity and human health, as well as causing irreversible damage to all spheres of Earth's system. Heavy reliance on the sources of these environmental troubles, such as agriculture, automotives, pharmaceuticals, and plastics, motivates a search for alternatives rather than just mediation of harm after it's been caused, and inspires innovation of new products that are environmentally neutral.
Dedication to environmental sustainability means developing and innovating in a sustainable way
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
- Our Common Future
Exploring Microbial Innovation
Microbes are abundant and naturally occurring, making them a suitable alternative to many harmful chemical practices.
Microbial metabolism is dynamic and resilient, and with a vast range of microbial species, the options for biological byproducts that can be used to substitute synthetic chemicals are vast and extensive.
Research in this area is a growing field, expanding into almost all sectors of chemical processing.
Practical Applications
Biofertilizers
Heavy reliance on agriculture exacerbates the negative environmental footprint associated with overused chemical fertilizers. Lasting impacts such as eutrophication, acidification, and increased disease prevalence heighten the need for biological alternatives. Several microbial species have been proven to both increase plant growth and decrease eutrophication, successfully reducing the harm associated with synthetic fertilizers.
Biofuels
Several large-scale industries rely heavily on the use of non-renewable fossil fuels to power their operation. Biofuels are thus an exciting pathway for further research as they utilize preexisting microbial carbon fixation pathways to generate ethanol. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria have been proven to be a dual-action alternative, as they both capture excess carbon dioxide and generate ethanol for biofuel production to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Biocatalysis
The pharmaceutical industry is irreplaceable, as the health of millions depends on its reliability; However, the environmental impact it poses is disastrous, contributing more to greenhouse gas emissions than the automotive industry. Lengthy chemical reactions are required to generate the highest purity pharmaceutical grade compounds, and the byproducts of these reactions impact the health of surrounding ecosystems when disposed of improperly. Biocatalysis allows for increased efficiency of these reactions, using microbially derived catalysts to shorten reactions and thus reduce enviornmental harm.
Biodegradation
Improper disposal of chemical waste, as well as particularly harmful disposal processes of plastic waste, severely harm both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Certain bacterial species have been shown to effectively degrade certain waste depending on its chemical makeup, making this a promising area of study to reduce the amount of pollution, both chemical and physical in nature, around the globe.
