THE ROLE OF MICRO-ORGANISMS IN WASTE RECYCLING

THE ROLE OF MICRO-ORGANISMS IN WASTE RECYCLING

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Microorganisms are found virtually everywhere in the natural world, where they perform a wide variety of important tasks. Microorganisms like Halobacterium, which live in the Dead Sea, and Chlamydomonas nivalis, which is responsible for pink snow, are two examples of microbes that have developed specialized adaptations that allow them to thrive in very particular environmental niches. 1 Furthermore, the natural recycling of living materials is largely facilitated by microbes, which play a crucial part. All naturally occurring substances are biodegradable, which means that living organisms such as bacteria and fungus are able to break them down into their component parts.

Microorganisms have shown to be a useful resource in the search for answers to a number of challenges that humans has faced in the process of preserving the integrity of the environment. They have, for instance, been utilized to beneficial effect in the fields of human and animal health, genetic engineering, environmental protection, and the treatment of municipal and industrial waste. Microorganisms have made it possible to develop practical and economical solutions to problems that could not previously be solved using chemical or physical engineering techniques. 2 In addition to this, microbial technologies have been effectively applied to a broad variety of environmental difficulties, most notably issues pertaining to waste management.

The world's environment is under enormous strain as a result of rapid urbanization, the industrial revolution, and the enormous population pressure placed on the world's natural resources. According to Raj et al. (2018), a variety of non-scientific activities that are part of contemporary civilization produce a large quantity of waste, which in turn leads to pollution. In addition, the rising pace of raw material consumption by large-scale businesses leads to the dumping of enormous quantities of chemical toxins and radioactive wastes into the environment, which causes permanent harm to the entire biosphere. According to Jhariya et al. (2018), the generation of waste is the primary cause of a loss of materials and energy, as well as an increase in the environmental consequences for the environment and the costs imposed on society for its collection, treatment, recycling, disposal, and overall management. There is a substantial amount of diversity across the cities in terms of the amount of hazardous waste that is produced in Nigeria, which is directly tied to the growth of the country's cities. It is believed that the volume of wastes will likewise rise as the rate of industrialization increases (Sharma and Shah 2005), unless scientific waste management practices such as waste recycling are applied.

The situation of waste management (WM) is very different in industrialized nations compared to developing nations, and the reason for this is that developing nations do not have enough waste collection and disposal mechanisms. As a result, waste management has thus become of utmost importance and is accorded top attention as a direct result of growing concerns over the degradation of the environment and issues of sustainability (Brewer 2001). Overflowing landfills are the result of uncontrolled, haphazard, and unscientific methods of dumping wastes on the outskirts of towns and villages. These landfills are not only impossible to restore to an environmental condition, but they also have grave implications for the environment in the form of pollution of the soil and groundwater as well as a contribution to global warming.

The most pressing issue at hand is the development of a waste management system that is not only efficient but also economically and ecologically viable. There are a variety of well-known approaches of WM treatment and care that are utilized frequently, including the following: (1) The incineration process involves subjecting waste and other types of garbage to high temperatures during treatment. (2) Sanitary landfills – this technique is more effective and is used in many countries all over the world. Landfills can be considered practically hygienic if they are designed to keep wastes apart from the surrounding environment. (3) The term "recycling" refers to the process of converting materials into new forms that may be used. (4) Avoidance and reduction: Avoidance refers to the practice of reusing previously owned objects, developing products that can be reused, and mending broken items rather than replacing them with brand new ones.

Although bacteria and other microorganisms are commonly linked with sickness, they play a crucial part in the process of recycling waste. They are accountable for the recycling of nutrients and the process of biodegradation of organic compounds that occur naturally in the environment. In addition to their core function, microorganisms are necessary for the fermentation stages of the waste recycling process, the biodegradation of oil in marine environments, the assistance in the treatment of waste waters, and the creation of alternative energy.

Microorganisms are responsible for the recycling of nutrients in the environment through the process of decomposing organic matter. Microbes that break down organic matter, such as those found in animal carcasses and tree trunks, are also important for the elimination of waste from industrial and domestic settings. Microbes derive the nutrients and chemical substances necessary for their own life from the surrounding environment by means of a process referred to as biodegradation. The nutrients that are released into the environment as a result of the breakdown of these products are free to be used by plants or algae, which then nourish all other creatures.

Since ancient times, people have employed bacteria, yeasts, and a wide variety of other microorganisms to generate a wide variety of meals and beverages. Bread is produced by the microbial fermentation of carbohydrates, which results in the production of carbon dioxide. This gas is then released into the dough, which causes the bread to rise. Because they convert carbohydrates into alcohol, microbes play an essential role in the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages like beer and wine. The chemical process of recycling waste also includes a stage that involves the fermentation of waste by microbes. Aspergillus carbonarius is a kind of microbe that is utilized in the process of biodegrading chromium shavings, which are considered to be part of the waste produced by tanneries. Microbes have the potential to create methane gas, which is the primary component of natural gas, when they degrade brewery waste and other organic materials. According to an article published by Science Daily in February 2011, researchers at Cornell University in New York are also investigating the utilization of microbial communities in order to manufacture liquid biofuels. A combination of manure and energy crops such as sugar cane and maize can be converted by anaerobic microorganisms, which are organisms that thrive in situations that are devoid of oxygen.

Therefore, decontaminating the contaminated environment in an environmentally responsible manner is of the utmost importance; in this context, the function of microorganisms in waste management and the biodegradation of pollutants has become more important over the past few years (Banerjee 2018). Various biotechnological methods that are based on microorganisms, including as bioremediation, biodegradation, biocomposting, and biotransformation, have been utilized to successfully collect and breakdown a wide variety of pollutants (Banerjee 2018). According to research conducted by Maghraby and Hassan (2018), the green algae species Cladophora sp. possesses a significant bioaccumulation aptitude for toxic metals and has the potential to be utilized as an effective and alternative WM agent. In addition, microbial ecology is a crucial component that plays a significant role in the efficient operation of the biological processes that are involved in the treatment of waste water (WW). Martinez (2018) shows that archaea and bacteria predominate in the bioreactors of efficient waste management and environmental role of microorganisms bioreactors.

Consequently, the utilization of microorganisms in conjunction with a variety of biotechnologies is the most efficient approach for treating various wastes. In addition, this method is ecologically benign, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. The primary objective of this study is to propose and promote the application of the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for treating polluted waste with the utilization of a variety of different microbial agents in the direction of achieving environmental and recycling sustainability.

1.2: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Waste creation and disposal is an issue that has to be handled in Nigeria, which has a population of 182 million people. There are various difficulties that need to be solved. Liquid, solid, gaseous, and hazardous waste are the four categories that may be used to classify Nigeria's municipal waste, which comes from home, agricultural, and industrial sources. However, the wastes in liquid and solid form present the greatest challenge. The management of liquid wastes, also known as wastewater, comes from municipal and industrial sources. On the other hand, the management of solid waste is a complicated and significant issue that calls for financing, human resources, and technology. In order to accomplish what is set out to be accomplished, a significant amount of work that is coordinated and focused on the control of wastes at each and every step of production, collection, transportation, treatment, recycling, and ultimate disposal is required.

The process of recycling, which is one of the most important waste management strategies, is putting a material through a system that makes it possible for that substance to be used again. The process of recycling waste begins with the collecting of waste materials, followed by the separation of those items and final cleanup. When waste is recycled, fewer new items and consumables need to be manufactured, which results in a savings of raw materials as well as a reduction in the amount of energy used. As a result, the procedure is regarded as important, and the part that micro organisms play in this process should not be minimized in any way.

Although bacteria and other microorganisms are commonly linked with sickness, they play a crucial part in the process of recycling waste. They are accountable for the recycling of nutrients and the process of biodegradation of organic compounds that occur naturally in the environment. In addition to their core function, microorganisms are necessary for the fermentation stages of the waste recycling process, the biodegradation of oil in marine environments, the assistance in the treatment of wastewater, and the creation of alternative energy.

In many large-scale industrial processes, microbes, often known as tiny organisms, play an important role. They are essential for the creation of a wide variety of metabolites, including as ethanol, butanol, lactic acid, and riboflavin, as well as the transformation of compounds that assist to minimize environmental pollution. These metabolites include: For example, microorganisms may be utilized in the production of biofertilizers as well as in the reduction of metal contaminants. In addition, microbes may be utilized in the production of non-microbial goods such as insulin, which is a drug used to treat diabetes. In light of the information presented above, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the part that microorganisms play in the recycling of waste in Nigerian society.

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