New Delhi [India]January 2 (ANI): Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have identified bacteria that can consume toxic pollutants in soil and produce helpful nutrients as a by-product, according to an official release.
Researchers at IIT Bombay are studying bacteria that feed on toxic chemicals and pollutants as a solution to the ever-increasing pollution of our natural resources.
In a recent study published in the journal Environmental Technology and Innovation, researchers harnessed the power of specific bacterial species to remove organic pollutants from soil.
Additionally, according to IIT-B, these bacteria were also found to promote plant growth hormones, inhibit the growth of harmful fungi, and help make essential nutrients easily available to plants.
It says the identified bacteria could reduce our reliance on chemicals currently used as pesticides and insecticides and help improve soil health and fertility.
Soil contamination with aromatic compounds (organic compounds having a cyclic structure like benzene) in the form of pesticides (insecticides and herbicides) is one of the major issues facing the agricultural industry today.
According to IIT-B, these compounds are toxic, can inhibit seed germination, reduce plant growth and yield and can also accumulate in seeds and plant biomass.
Many aromatic pollutants such as carbaryl, naphthalene, benzoate, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and phthalates are extensively used in the manufacturing of pesticides and are used in various other industries such as cosmetics, textiles, construction, food and feed preservatives, dyes, etc. -Also released as products. , petroleum, and plastics.
Traditional methods of removing these pollutants, such as chemical treatment or soil removal, often prove to be band-aid solutions – expensive and unable to fully tackle the problem.
To address this problem, the IIT Bombay team identified bacteria from toxic environments. While doing so, they noticed that certain bacterial species, particularly from the Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter genera, were particularly good at breaking down aromatic compounds.
Professor Prashant Phale explains, “These bacteria were isolated from contaminated soils and agricultural fields. They feed on pollutants, breaking them down into simple, harmless, non-toxic compounds. In this way, they act as natural cleaners of polluted environments. Act as.” from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, under whose guidance Sandesh Papade conducted research for his Ph.D. (ANI)
