By -: Lovnish Thakur (IBT- 1ST Sem)Enrollment NO. –ASU2014010100099Course code -: 111 (biodiversity & bioprospecting)

www.greenpassport.us

www.nationofchange.org

biodabianss.blogspot.com

Environmental Problems

A. Aquatic Environment Issues – Water pollution, Ocean Dead Zones.

B. Air Quality Issues – Acid rain, Air Pollution, Nuclear Pollution

C. Climate Change Issues – Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Depletion

D. Terrestrial Environment Issues – Desertification, Deforestation, Soil pollution, Waste Disposal, Mining

www.itimes.com

Sources of pollution

Municipal Waste

Open DumpSanitary LandfillIncinerationOcean dumping

Sanitary LandfillSanitary Landfill

Layer of compacted trash covered with a layer of earth once a day and a thicker layer when the site is full

Require impermeable barriers to stop escape of leachates: can cause problem by overflow

Gases produced by decomposing garbage needs venting

thetrashblog.com

Incineration

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials

produces toxic gases like Cl, HCl, HCN, SO2

thetrashblog.com

en.wikipedia.org

Ocean DumpingProblem Contributes to ocean

pollution Can wash back on beaches,

and can cause death of marine mammals

Dredge spoils still dumped in oceans, can cause habitat

destruction and export of fluvial pollutants

Ocean Dumping Ban Act, 1988: bans dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste

ocean.nationalgeographic.com

Reducing WasteIncineration, compactingHog feed: requires heat treatmentComposting: requires separation of organics from

glass and metalsRecycling and Reusing

Recycle of glass containers.Plastic: marked by types for easy recyclingConverted into Fibers, trash bags, plastic lumber, fill for

pillows, insulation etc.Junked cars.

Liquid WasteSewageHighly toxic

Industrial Waste & Used Oil

Deep well DisposalPumping in deep

porous layer bounded by impermeable formations, well below water table.

Restricted by geological considerations, can trigger earthquakes

www.nationofchange.org

Municipal Sewage Treatment Primary treatment: -:removal of solids Secondary treatment: -:biologicalBacteria and fungi breaks down organicsChlorinated to kill germs can form chloroform which is carcinogenic Tertiary treatment: Filtration and chemical

treatment: expensive Sludge is a by-product and is rich in organics and

nutrients

www.in.all.biz

Nuclear PollutionNuclear PollutionNuclear pollution is pollution that is Nuclear pollution is pollution that is

radioactive. radioactive. Fallout can lead to radiation sickness and death. Fallout can lead to radiation sickness and death. Nuclear fallout can destroy environmental Nuclear fallout can destroy environmental

features and animal lifefeatures and animal life

biodabianss.blogspot.com

Radioactive Waste DisposalIsotopes with short half-lives are gone quickly,

those with long half-lives will decay too littleLow level wastes: 90% of all radioactive wastesHigh level wastes e.g., spent nuclear fuel rods

www.greenpeace.org

High Level Waste DepositoryRocketing to sunUnder Antarctica Ice sheetSea bed disposal

www.beyondintractability.org

Impact of pollution on biodiversityPollution (Oil spills, human agricultural waste,

fertilization, pesticides, acid deposition, greenhouse gases etc) caused by human activities has a negative effect on biodiversity .

Nuclear pollution cause mutation and cause various disease and disorder which further leads to extinction of species.

Habitat loss is the greatest reason for biodiversity loss.

Habitat loss is due to:• Conversion of natural areas to farms, houses, etc• Fragmentation of ecosystems by human activities,

housing, transportation, agriculture etc.

Coral Reefs and Pollution25% of all marine species live in coral reefsAnd even more species use coral reefs as well, mostly as a nursery for juvenile stages.Coral Reefs can only survive in oceans with clear water and few nutrients at the ideal temperature and depth. Pollution mostly from fertilizers or sewage causes increase of nutrientsMore nutrients cause increase of algae growthThis decreases the oxygen and turbidity

( www.noaa.gov)

Loss of BiodiversityLoss of biodiversity come from

death of coral.Which reduces the number of

fish nurseries and amount of food.

Many larval organisms die and adults are few.

Commercial Importance Reduced numbers of

commercially fished fish Loss of possibilities for

research (www.noaa.gov)

BioremediationBioremediation can be defined as any process that

uses microorganisms, fungi, green plants or their enzymes to return the natural environment altered by contaminants to its original condition.

www.navfac.navy.mil

Bioremediation

Bioremediation technology using microorganisms was reportedly invented by George M. Robinson.

Cleanup of oil spills by the addition of nitrate and/or sulfate fertilizers to facilitate the decomposition of crude oil by indigenous or exogenous bacteria.

To attack specific soil contaminants, such as degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons by bacteria.

www.noaa.gov

Classification of bioremediation technology

Some example of bioremediation technique

Bioventing landfarming bioreactor composting bioaugmentation rhizofiltration biostimulation.

Some technique

Bioremediation via the addition of fertilizers to increase the bioavailability within the medium: biostimulation

Addition of matched microbe strains to the medium to enhance the resident microbe population's ability to break down contaminants: bioaugmentation

CompostingComposting

Soil Conditioner – create rich humus Recycles kitchen and yard wasteIntroduces beneficial organisms in the soilGood for the environment as a natural alternative to chemical fertilizersReduces landfill waste

zerowastehouston.org

PHYTOREMEDIATIONHeavy metals like cadmium and lead are not readily absorbed or captured by organismsThe assimilation of metals like mercury into the food chain may worsen matters.

Phytoremediation is useful in these situations, because natural plants or transgenic plants are able to bioaccumulate these toxins in their above-ground parts, which are then harvested for removal.

www.noaa.gov

www.stevenswater.com

Advantages the cost of the phytoremediation is lower than that of

traditional processes both in situ and ex situ

can be employed in areas that are inaccessible without excavation

the plants can be easily monitored

the possibility of the recovery and re-use of valuable metals (by companies specializing in “phyto mining”)

it is potentially “the least harmful” method because it uses naturally occurring organisms and preserves the environment in a more natural state

Everyday Solutions Everyday Solutions ConserveConserveIncrease EfficiencyIncrease EfficiencyRecycleRecycle

References ocean.nationalgeographic.com www.stevenswater.com www.noaa.gov www.navfac.navy.mil en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioremediation Redpathmuseum.mcgill.ca/Qbp/3.Conservation/impact

s.htm