In recent times, the use and demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly economic, public and development processes is increasing rapidly. Biotechnology is one of the technologies that are currently accelerating development process. Biotechnology is a technology that uses biological processes, animals or parts of it to develop or create different products. Environmental biotechnology, on the other hand, is biotechnology that is applicable to the natural environment. And environmental biotechnology implies the use of biological process for commercial use and exploitation.
Environmental biotechnology further defines the development, use and control of biological processes for the treatment of polluted environments (VM, air, water) and for environmentally friendly processes (green production technology and sustainable development). Environmental biotechnology can be described as the maximum use of nature through plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and algae. Moreover, biotechnology can be used to effectively address problems related to the monitoring, evaluation, modelling, and treatment of contaminated water, air, and solid waste flows.
This branch of knowledge is using environmentally polluting sources and biological based methods which is becoming increasingly important, largely due to the national strategies. Various sub-branches of biotechnology today are thus working on the sustainable use of various biological processes for wastewater, air and solid waste management. Water, air and soil pollution in developing countries have become a permanent environmental problem due to rapid industrialization and urbanization.
Using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (ECC), it has been observed that in the early stages of economic development in a particular region, the environment provided a high value for economic growth because the man used technology to exploit all potentially valuable resources. In agriculture, the process easily drains land and transfers V-surface water to valuable water sources, leading to deteriorating water quality, which ensures the use of innovative biosensors to monitor water quality.
Rapid industrial growth has resulted in higher emissions of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the reservoir. A certain level of pollutants transmitted to reservoirs depends on the surrounding industries. Industries such as textile, mining, tannery, metal painting, fertilizer and agro-industries, batteries, pesticides, ore refineries, petrochemicals and paper production are major contributors to soil, air and water pollution problems. Some chemicals are not biodegradable, so they accumulate in soil, air and water, and can cause problems in the food chain.
This results in human health problems and the death of aquatic organisms. The presence of nitrogen and phosphorus in reservoirs increases the production of biomass in aquatic systems, which in turn reduces water quality and threatens the natural balance of these ecosystems. Although in many countries it determines the value of strong nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater. Industries often face problems in meeting these requirements. From a country's regulatory perspective, existing wastewater management biotechnology needs to be developed or simplified in order to comply with the latest emission standards.
Heavy metals and pesticides are commonly found in water emitted from acid mines or other industrial and agricultural streams. These toxic contaminants accumulate in organisms and can cause adverse effects such as carcinogenicity and acute toxicity. Biological processes using active bacteria/fungi/mixed microbials can be completely mineralized and these contaminants and their toxic by-products can be removed. In the case of heavy metals, contaminated wastewater, bio-sorption is being used as a promising low-cost method and where biological catalysts are employed to remove and restore heavy metals from aqueous solutions.
It is a well-known fact that sewage water from various sources is discharged into urban rivers or streams. Bacterial technology (BT) can rehabilitate urbanized reservoirs such as lakes, rivers and streams. The benefits of BT are: sustainability and reliability for public health, minimal maintenance, minimal operating costs and reuse at any level of operation.
We are all more or less familiar with greenhouses. It is planting trees in a glass house or greenhouse is to protect the plants from cold in the main winter country. But people have gradually turned this world into a greenhouse. The use of black smoke from industrial plants, fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, etc) is increasing the amount of other toxic gases in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. All of these toxic gases have created an impenetrable layer of gas around our green earth. The people of the world's poorest countries will be the most affected by the negative effects of global warming on the climate.
People are now more aware of preventing global warming. Another horrific aspect of environmental pollution is the depletion of the ozone layer. Twenty to thirty kilometres above the earth, the ozone layer protects us from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. As a result, human skin cancer, disease resistance is reduced and the normal growth of plants is also being severely damaged. The chemical that is most responsible for the depletion of this ozone layer is called chlorofluorocarbon, CFC for short.
Biotechnology is creating great opportunities for increasing global agricultural production and working to protect the environment through the reduced use of agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Biotechnology is playing an important role in achieving a beautiful environment and sustainable development using environmentally friendly cultivation process such as insect resistant, herbicide tolerant species. This technology also can produce crops which can keep balance of nitrogen in the environment. Existing land and agricultural fields have improved production due to the blessing of modern plant breeding methods that are capable of increasing crop yields such as lemon trees to improve soil structure, organic matter and fertility. This technology also plays a role in conserving biological resources and preventing soil erosion.
Our lifestyle is constantly changing in the technological revolution. Chemical technology covers a large part of this technology. In these industrial factories we are making various kinds of daily necessities resulting environmental pollution-a common problem in all countries of the world. As a result of environmental pollution, our future is becoming increasingly uncertain. However, no country is free from the negative effects of environmental pollution. To survive in this world, it is important to maintain the balance of the environment. To do so biotechnology can help us without reducing production.
The writer is a student, Environmental Science and Engineering, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Trishal, Mymensingh