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Biodegradation
 
 
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Biodegradation is the process by which organic
Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered Inorganic compound....
 substances are broken down
Decomposition

Decomposition refers to the process by which tissues of dead organisms break down into simpler forms of matter. Such a breakdown of dead organisms is essential for new growth and development of living organisms because it recycles the finite chemical constituents and frees up the limited physical space in the biome....
 by the enzymes produced by living organisms. The term is often used in relation to ecology
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
, waste management
Waste management

File:Kathmandu-M?llabfuhr.jpgWaste management is the waste collection, transport, waste treatment, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials....
 and environment
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
al remediation (bioremediation
Bioremediation

Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses microorganisms, fungi, phytoremediation or their enzymes to return the natural environment altered by contaminants to its original condition....
). Organic material can be degraded aerobically
Aerobic organism

An aerobic organism or aerobe is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment....
, with oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
, or anaerobically
Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and biodegradable waste because it provides volume and mass reduction of the input material....
, without oxygen. A term related to biodegradation is biomineralisation
Biomineralisation

Biomineralisation is the process by which living organisms produce minerals, often to harden or stiffen existing tissues. It is an extremely widespread phenomenon; all five taxonomic kingdoms contain members that are able to form minerals, and over 60 different minerals have been identified in organisms....
, in which organic matter is converted into minerals. Biosurfactant
Biosurfactant

Biosurfactants are surface-active substances synthesised by living cells. They have the properties of reducing surface tension, stabilising emulsions, promoting foaming and are generally non-toxic and biodegradable....
, an extracellular surfactant secreted by microorganism enhances the biodegradation process.

Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms. Some microorganisms have the astonishing, naturally occurring, microbial catabolic diversity to degrade, transform or accumulate a huge range of compounds including hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. With relation to chemical terminology, aromatic hydrocarbons or arenes, alkanes, alkenes and alkyne-based compounds composed entirely of carbon or hydrogen are referred to as "pure" hydrocarbons, whereas other hydrocarbons with bonded com...
s (e.g.






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Encyclopedia


Biodegradation is the process by which organic
Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered Inorganic compound....
 substances are broken down
Decomposition

Decomposition refers to the process by which tissues of dead organisms break down into simpler forms of matter. Such a breakdown of dead organisms is essential for new growth and development of living organisms because it recycles the finite chemical constituents and frees up the limited physical space in the biome....
 by the enzymes produced by living organisms. The term is often used in relation to ecology
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
, waste management
Waste management

File:Kathmandu-M?llabfuhr.jpgWaste management is the waste collection, transport, waste treatment, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials....
 and environment
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
al remediation (bioremediation
Bioremediation

Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses microorganisms, fungi, phytoremediation or their enzymes to return the natural environment altered by contaminants to its original condition....
). Organic material can be degraded aerobically
Aerobic organism

An aerobic organism or aerobe is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment....
, with oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
, or anaerobically
Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and biodegradable waste because it provides volume and mass reduction of the input material....
, without oxygen. A term related to biodegradation is biomineralisation
Biomineralisation

Biomineralisation is the process by which living organisms produce minerals, often to harden or stiffen existing tissues. It is an extremely widespread phenomenon; all five taxonomic kingdoms contain members that are able to form minerals, and over 60 different minerals have been identified in organisms....
, in which organic matter is converted into minerals. Biosurfactant
Biosurfactant

Biosurfactants are surface-active substances synthesised by living cells. They have the properties of reducing surface tension, stabilising emulsions, promoting foaming and are generally non-toxic and biodegradable....
, an extracellular surfactant secreted by microorganism enhances the biodegradation process.

Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms. Some microorganisms have the astonishing, naturally occurring, microbial catabolic diversity to degrade, transform or accumulate a huge range of compounds including hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. With relation to chemical terminology, aromatic hydrocarbons or arenes, alkanes, alkenes and alkyne-based compounds composed entirely of carbon or hydrogen are referred to as "pure" hydrocarbons, whereas other hydrocarbons with bonded com...
s (e.g. oil), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pharmaceutical substances, radionuclide
Radionuclide

A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable Atomic nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy which is available to be imparted either to a newly-created radiation particle within the nucleus, or else to an atomic electron ....
s and metals. Major methodological breakthroughs in microbial biodegradation
Microbial biodegradation

Interest in the microbial biodegradation of pollutants has intensified in recent years as humanity strives to find sustainable ways to cleanup contaminated environments....
 have enabled detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganism
Microorganism

A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is microscopic . The study of microorganisms is called microbiology, a subject that began with Anton van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of microorganisms in 1675, using a microscope of his own design....
s providing unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of microorganisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Anaerobic biodegradation in landfill

Biodegradable waste
Biodegradable waste

Biodegradable waste is a type of waste, typically originating from plant or animal sources, which may be broken down by other living organisms. Waste that cannot be broken down by other living organisms may be called non-biodegradable....
 in landfill
Landfill

File:Wysypisko.jpgFile:Landfill face.JPGFile:Landfill.jpg A landfill, also known as a dump , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of list of solid waste treatment technologies....
 degrades in the absence of oxygen through the process of anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and biodegradable waste because it provides volume and mass reduction of the input material....
. The byproducts of this anaerobic biodegradation are biogas
Biogas

Bio-gas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of biofuel....
 and lignin and cellulose fibres which cannot be broken down by anaerobe
Anaerobic organism

An anaerobic organism is any organism that does not require oxygen for growth and may even die in its presence....
s (anaerobic microbes)

Engineered landfills are designed with liners to prevent toxic leachate
Leachate

Leachate is the liquid that drains or 'leaches' from a landfill; it varies widely in composition regarding the age of the landfill and the type of waste that it contains....
 seeping into the surrounding soil
Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
 and groundwater. Paper and other materials that normally degrade in a few years degrade more slowly over longer periods of time. Biogas
Biogas

Bio-gas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of biofuel....
 contains methane which has approximately 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
. In modern landfills this biogas can be collected and used for power generation.

Methods of measuring biodegradation

Biodegradation can be measured in a number of ways. The activity of aerobic microbes can be measured by the amount of oxygen they consume or the amount of carbon dioxide they produce. Biodegradation can be measured by anaerobic microbes and the amount of methane or alloy that they may be able to produce.

Plastics

Biodegradable plastic
Biodegradable plastic

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that will decompose in the natural Natural environment. Biodegradation of plastics can be achieved by enabling microorganisms in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the environment....
s . There are other plastic materials that claim biodegradability, but are more often (and possibly more accurately) described as 'degradable' or oxi-degradable; It is claimed that this process causes more rapid breakdown of the plastic materials into CO2 and H2O.

Indicative lengths of degradation

The following table should be read with the above comments in mind, and care should be taken before accepting claims of biodegradability in view of the (dubious) claims being made.
  • Banana
    Banana

    File:Banana and cross section.jpgBanana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce this commonly eaten fruit....
     peel, 2 – 10 days
  • Orange peel
    Orange (fruit)

    An orange?specifically, the sweet orange?is the citrus Citrus sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a Hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine ....
    s, 1 month
  • Sugarcane pulp, 1 - 2 months
  • Cotton
    Cotton

    Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
     rags, 1 – 5 months
  • Paper
    Paper

    Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
    , 2 – 5 months
  • Rope
    Rope

    A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength ....
    , 3 – 14 months
  • Wool
    Wool

    Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
     sock
    Sock

    A sock is a knitted or woven type of hosiery garment for enclosing the human foot. Socks are designed to:* ease chafing between the foot and footwear...
    s, 1 – 5 years
  • Cigarette
    Cigarette

    A cigarette is a product consumed through smoking and manufactured out of curing and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other List of additives in cigarettes, then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder ....
     filters
    Cigarette filter

    A cigarette filter has the purpose of reducing the amount of smoke, Tar , and Particulate inhaled during the combustion of a cigarette. Filters also reduce the harshness of the smoke....
    , 1 – 12 years
  • Tetrapaks
    Tetra Pak

    Tetra Pak is a multinational corporation food processing and packaging corporation of Sweden origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing....
     (plastic composite milk cartons), 5 years
  • Plastic bag
    Plastic bag

    A plastic bag or pouch is a type of flexible packaging made of thin, flexible, plastic film. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting foods, produce, powders, ice, chemicals, waste, etc....
    s, 10 – 20 years
  • Diaper
    Diaper

    A diaper or nappy is a sponge-like garment which people wear who are incapable of controlling their Urinary bladder or bowel movements, or are unable or unwilling to use a toilet....
    s 200 – 500 years
  • Leather
    Leather

    Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
     shoe
    Shoe

    A shoe is an item of footwear evolved at first to protect the human foot and later, additionally, as an item of decoration in itself. The foot contains more bones than any other single part of the human body, and has human evolution over hundreds of thousands of years in relation to vastly varied terrain and climate....
    s, 25 – 40 years
  • Nylon
    Nylon

    Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont....
     fabric, 30 – 40 years
  • Tin can
    Tin can

    A tin can, also called a tin or a can, is an air-tight Packaging and labelling for the distribution or storage of goods, composed of thin metal, and requiring cutting or tearing of the metal as the means of opening....
    s 50 - 100 years
  • Aluminum cans 200 - 500 years
  • Plastic Bottle
    Plastic bottle

    A plastic bottle is a container constructed of plastic, with a neck that is narrower than its body and an opening at the top. The mouth of the bottle is normally sealed with a plastic bottle cap ....
    s 70 - 450 years
  • Plastic
    Plastic

    Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic chemistry solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products....
     six-pack
    Six pack

    A six pack is a set of six canned or bottled soft drink or alcoholic beverages sold together on six pack rings or a cardboard carrier.Six pack may also refer to:...
     holder rings, 450 years
  • XPS Foam
    Polystyrene

    Polystyrene , sometimes abbreviated PS, is an Aromaticity polymer made from the aromatic monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry....
     cup, non-biodegradeable
  • Biodegradable plastic bags, 2 1/2 months
  • Biodegradable paper cups, 2 1/2 months
  • Sugarcane bagasse, up to 6 months


See also

  • Anaerobic digestion
    Anaerobic digestion

    Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. It is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and biodegradable waste because it provides volume and mass reduction of the input material....
  • Biodegradability prediction
    Biodegradability prediction

    Biodegradability prediction is biologically-inspired computing and attempts to predict biodegradability of anthropogenic materials in the Natural environment....
  • Biodegradable polythene film
  • Bioplastic
    Bioplastic

    Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable oil, corn starch, pea starch or microbiota , rather than fossil fuel plastics which are derived from petroleum....
     - biodegradable, bio-based plastics
  • Bioremediation
    Bioremediation

    Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses microorganisms, fungi, phytoremediation or their enzymes to return the natural environment altered by contaminants to its original condition....
  • Decomposition
    Decomposition

    Decomposition refers to the process by which tissues of dead organisms break down into simpler forms of matter. Such a breakdown of dead organisms is essential for new growth and development of living organisms because it recycles the finite chemical constituents and frees up the limited physical space in the biome....
     – reduction of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of matter
  • Landfill gas monitoring
    Landfill gas monitoring

    Landfill gas monitoring is the process by which gases that are released from landfill are electronically monitored.Landfill gas production results from chemical reactions and microbes acting upon the waste as the biodegradable waste begins break down....
  • List of environment topics
  • Microbial biodegradation
    Microbial biodegradation

    Interest in the microbial biodegradation of pollutants has intensified in recent years as humanity strives to find sustainable ways to cleanup contaminated environments....


External links

  • Information on Bioplastics and Biodegradable Polymers, Market Information
  • Some more information about plastic bags and the hazards they pose to wildlife