what are the different ways to control air pollution with the help of microbes
Answers
The global population continues to rise at an astonishing rate, with estimates suggesting it will be in excess of 9 billion in 2050. The intensive agricultural and industrial systems needed to support such a large number of people will inevitably cause an accumulation of soil, water and air pollution. Estimates have attributed pollution to 62 million deaths each year, 40% of the global total, while the World Health Organization (WHO) have reported that around 7 million people are killed each year from the air they breathe. Water systems fare little better, with an estimated 70% of industrial waste dumped into surrounding water courses. The world generates 1.3 billion tonnes of rubbish every year, the majority of which is stored in landfill sites or dumped into the oceans.
Soil
Industrial soils can be polluted by a variety of sources, such as chemical spillages, or the accumulation of heavy metals from industrial emissions. Agricultural soils can become contaminated due to pesticide use or via the heavy metals contained within agricultural products.
Air
Air is polluted by a variety of volatile organic compounds created by a range of industrial processes. While chemical scrubbing has been used to clean gases emitted from chimneys, the newer technique of ‘biofiltration’ is helping to clean industrial gases. This method involves passing polluted air over a replaceable culture medium containing micro-organisms that degrade contaminates into products such as carbon dioxide, water or salts. Biofiltration is the only biological technique currently available to remediate airborne pollutants.
Water
In the UK, access to clean, potable water and modern sanitation is something we take for granted. However, there are billions of people on Earth for which this is a luxury. The WHO estimate that each year 842,000 people die as a result of diarrhoeal diseases, many of which could be prevented if they had access to clean water and proper sanitation. Around 2.6 billion people lack any sanitation, with over 200 million tons of human waste untreated every year.
We need to control our pollution; thankfully, microbes mi