why are some substance biodegradable and some non biodegradable?
Answers
Answer:
The main reason of a substance being biodegradable is being organic that can be used up by scavengers of environment. On the other hand some substances are non biodegradable because they are synthetic and cannot be decomposed by the microorganism.
Explanation:
Biodegradable substances are those which can be easily broken down through various biological activities. Decomposers like fungi and bacteria have specific enzymes for carrying out such degradation activities in the environment. On the other hand, non-biodegradable substances are those which cannot be broken down through a natural degradation process carried out via bacteria and fungi. These substances, therefore, exist in an environment for a longer duration of time. Physical processes involving pressure and high temperature are employed for such substances.
Classification of substances into biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances is based on their ability to get decomposed by microorganisms. Biodegradable substances are often broken down into simpler substances that are soluble while non-biodegradable substances cannot be broken down into harmless components via help of the microbes because they do not have enzymes required for degrading such substances. Moreover, biodegradable substances are organic in nature. Hence, decomposers (microorganisms) can utilize such substances present in the environment for their growth. But non-biodegradable are synthetic in origin so decomposers cannot degrade them and they may remain in the environment for an unknown period of time. The degradation time varies for different substances. Plastic gets decomposed in millions of years.