1. Agenda 3/21 and 3/22 Microbes in the Environment Discussion
Bioremediation Case Study
Homework: Biofilms video and notes, study for unit exam
Turn in: nothing?

2. Environmental Protection and Microbes
BP Oil Spill:
What if we could use microbes to clean up oil spills and other environmental problems?

3. Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the field that uses biological agents (mostly microbes) to clean up environmental problems
Bacteria can be used to break down pollutants that can harm the environmental or living organisms
Polluted water, oil spills, mercury pollution, benzene pollution

4. Example 1: Marinobacter and Benzene
Benzene can be released into the water during oil exploration
Benzene is a carcinogen and is very stable
Marinobacter is used because it can live in high salt environments
Salty water (brine) is also produced during oil exploration
Marinobacter breaks benzene down in carbon dioxide

5. Example 2: Pseudomonas and Oil
Physical and chemical clean ups of oils pills are not that effective
Oil can harm marine and terrestrial ecosystems
Pseudomonas can degrade oil is rhamnolipid is present
Works even better if glycerol is present
Glycerol is thought to give the Pseudomonas extra nutrients
58% of crude oil was degraded in one experiment in 2005

6. Example 3: Pseudomonas and Mercury Pollution
Mercury is discarded from paint and light bulbs
Mercury can get into the soil and water and be dangerous to animals and humans
Mercury gets converted into methyl-mercury by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans
Methyl-mercury can attach to smaller fish, which are eaten by bigger fish
Humans then eat the bigger fish and digest the methyl-mercury
Pseudomonas converts methyl-mercury into elemental mercury which is harmless

7. Example 4: Bacteriophage and Water Treatment
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and can kill bacteria
Bacteriophages are present in human waste products
They are easy to detect
They can be used as an indicator organism to determine if water in contaminated

8. Bioremediation Project
With a partner, pick ONE example we discussed
Research that example and create an artifact that include
An overview of how the method works
An explanation of what problem it solves (explain the pollutant and why it’s bad)
Steps to implementing the method (how do they actually do it)
Example of its use in the past
Specific data (with sources cited) that evaluate the effectiveness of the method
Advantages and disadvantages to the method
Background about the microorganism used (why, what does it do, other uses)
Last 20 minutes or so will be used to present to the class