Environmental Biotechnology can be defined as managing evironmental problems using organisms, biological systems and/or biological processes. It is an amalgamation of biological with non-biological technologies.
 

Pollution Control
Environmental biotechnology provides environmentally acceptable methods of modifying or destroying chemical wastes so they are no longer toxic to the environment. This usually involved finding bacteria or other microbes that can digest the target pollutants. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are used as insulating material in electrical transformers. PCBs are environmental pollutants, and when improperly disposed of, they are toxic to animals. Microorganisms (eg. white rot fungus) has been used successfully to detoxify PCB-contaminated sites. Bacteria and fungi have also been used to protect the marine environment by breaking down various types of hydrocarbons, the main component of petrol.

Waste Treatment
Environmental biotechnology uses bacteria in sewage treatment to help break down organic materials and to convert nitrogenous compounds into gaseous forms of nitrogen. The present technology also uses human, animal and vegetable wastes to produce biomass fuels such as methane gas for energy.
Bioremediation is a technology using microorganisms to clean-up chemically contaminated soil and water. This technology is based on the activation of microbial degradation of pollutants in contaminated sites by optimising environmental factors, such as nutrient concentration, oxyen supply, pH, and temperature. The technology makes use of natural processes and is advantageous in that it is relatively harmless.

• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Plant & Animal Biology
• Basic Microbiology
• Environmental Science