Bacteria for Better Soils

In 1971, Professor Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty engineered a new strain of bacteria that could degrade crude oil and aid bioremediation of oil spills, saving millions of dollars and precious marine life. A lobby of scientists argued that it was genetically modified and that hence, its long-term environmental impact is unknown. Scientists across the globe have ever since been searching for naturally occurring microbes and organisms that can degrade pollutants.

Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are increasingly polluting our soils. Released by burning fossil fuels, industrial wastes, coal and tar processing, these pollutants settle down in the soil, polluting it. Are there microorganisms that can tackle this pollution? This is the question that researchers at the Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, asked themselves.

They collaborated with universities from Australia and South Korea to identify 16 phyla of bacteria that were present in polluted soil samples from various sites in Australia. After isolating the bacteria, they identified these organisms by pyrosequencing: a next generation sequencing technique. Using the data of 16S ribosomal RNA the researchers classified them into different phyla or families using bioinformatics tools. They found that approximately 80% of these microorganisms tolerant to metal toxicity and capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Mass producing these naturally occurring bacteria and using them for soil bioremediation can be an environmental-friendly and sustainable solution, enabling the transformation of polluted areas into cultivable land.

Reference: J. Hazardous Materials 317: 169-179.

Published- Current Science (Science Fortnight) 

Writer For- Vigyan Prasar Indian Science News and Features Service