Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan and has a population of 20
million and an area of 3780 km2. Karachi produces more than 9,000 tons of
municipal waste daily. Nearly 400 million gallons of untreated wastewater are
disposed of in the Arabian Sea on a daily basis. This wastewater is laden with
plastics, which comprise 9% of the total waste, heavy metals, while 30% of it
is food waste which comprises mainly of fats, oil, grease (FOG), proteins, and
carbohydrates.
Plastic-strewn drains lead to a clogged drainage system which
causes them to overflow every rainy season flooding the city with the sewage
water. Single-use plastic, particularly, proves to be a greater nuisance as it
is the majority that ends up in landfills and drains.
Even waste holds a lot of potentials which is unfortunately not
fully realized. This waste possibly harbors bacteria; producing enzymes that
can degrade plastic, carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids. Isolating such
bacteria and adapting them to high concentrations of one or more of the above
molecules can significantly improve the waste crisis at hand.
Plastics dumped in landfills react with water and form hazardous
chemicals. These landfills harbor microorganisms that have adapted to the
environment strewn with different types of plastics. The microorganisms include
bacteria such as Pseudomonas, nylon-eating bacteria, and Flavobacteria.
These bacteria break down nylon through the activity of the nylonase enzyme.
Bioremediation is a branch of biotechnology that needs to be actively used
given the current circumstances of pollution in the environment. Wastewaters
already harbor microbial species that possess the genes to allow them to use
such polymers as energy sources. They can be adapted to improve their
bioremediation efficiency under lab conditions and then use commercially to
speed up the processes of biodegradation.
Rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to the release
of vast quantities of waste pollutants (including new toxins) into the
environment, which in turn has led to an increase in pollution. The bulk of
colored effluents from the textile
dyestuff and dyeing industries, which contain dyes, are being released into
the environment at an increasing rate. Azo
dyes make up more than half of the weight used for coloring purposes and
are the most widely used colorants in the textile sector. These chemicals have
the ability to increase the color of azo compounds and provide bonding affinity
groups. Azo dye-containing effluents are poisonous, phytotoxic, carcinogenic,
and mutagenic in addition to being recalcitrant. The general environment
dictates the necessity of treating dye-containing water before disposal.
Numerous physicochemical decolorization approaches have been
utilized during the past 20 years, but only a select few have found favor with
the textile industry. The ongoing use of these techniques has led to drawbacks
like high costs, the production of sludge, and the release of harmful compounds.
In addition, several of these techniques don't totally get rid of the organic
compounds that are the root of secondary contamination. Under certain environmental
conditions, microorganisms can totally mineralize synthetic colors or degrade
them to non-colored chemicals. The microbial decolorization of dyes has frequently been seen as an economically viable
solution with the potential for technical development due to its affordability
and ecological compatibility.
Microbes for the Environmental Cleanup
Research Project for Sindh HEC Research and Technology Showcase 2022
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