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Introduction
Microbiology is a field that is employed in multiple areas as it can be implemented in various processes that can improve human life. Microorganisms can be applied in the agricultural, food, medical, and waste management industries, and the development of the scientific area is promising. While currently, microbes are employed in processes linked to water purification, drug manufacturing, and soil fertility maintenance, the field is being researched, and new areas of implementation are being discovered. In this paper, microbiology will be discussed from the perspective of utilization in contrasting areas, as well as the future implications correlating with the domain.
Waste Management
One of the fields where microorganisms can be employed for practical implications is waste management, a subject that is especially important due to the extent of urbanization, consumerism, and the recent focus on sustainability. Waste is generated through various processes, yet some of the more hazardous outcomes are linked to radioactive waste. It is generated by nuclear plants, medical facilities, and mining. According to researchers, microorganisms are currently used to address radioactive waste in a sustainable and non-hazardous approach (Mondal & Palit, 2019). Moreover, genetically-modified microbes are employed to minimize pollution, which is another major concern due to the lack of adequate sustainability measures used by manufacturers. Thus, microbes facilitate sustainable measures in which waste management is approached and applied in certain areas that can otherwise cause both environmental and human well-being damage.
Water and Sewage Treatment Plants
Clean water is a resource that is reasonably difficult to obtain, especially in some regions of the world in which scientific, meteorologic, and economic resources are limited. However, microbiology is employed in both water treatment and sewage treatment plants. According to researchers, microbes are implemented to degrade certain pollutants present in water waste (Rani et al., 2019). Thus, debris that can be found on the surface of the water, while challenging to filter, can be minimized with the implementation of microbiology. Moreover, in regard to sewage treatment plants, microorganisms can transform fecal waste into biodiesel, which both contributes to the acquirement of sustainable fuel and addresses the presence of sludge in the water (Waldrop, 2021). Microorganisms, while not yet employed to their full potential, can be utilized to ensure global clean water supply through sustainable processes that are both time and cost-effective. Furthermore, certain waste products that can be found in water can then be turned into fuel, implying the measure is beneficial from two perspectives.
Food Industry
One of the industrial appliances of microbiology is the food industry. Before highlighting the practical employment of microbes, it is essential to mention the microbial taxa, hence, classification. Microbes can be pathogenic or beneficial. Researchers emphasize the bacteria that cause the highest rates of foodborne illness, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter (Moye et al., 2018). As a result, the consumption of certain raw meat, unsanitary conditions during cooking, and the lack of adequate manufacturing methods lead to foodborne illnesses that can increase the chance of health issues for consumers.
In order to prevent the outcomes from occurring, consumers are to prepare the food accordingly, follow sanitary recommendations, and purchase certain food items from trustworthy manufacturers with high production and storage standards. However, specific beneficial microorganisms, such as yeast and certain bacteria, are widely used in the food industry. An example is Lactobacilli, a prebiotic found in some of the most commonly consumed foods, including milk, cheese, yogurts, and kombucha. Moreover, microbes are present in fermented foods, which, according to researchers, are linked to positive health outcomes if implemented regularly in ones diet (Choi et al., 2021). The presence of beneficial microorganisms derived from lactic acid in these foods is both efficient during the food manufacturing process as well as correlates with health benefits. As a result, microbes applied in the food industry correlate both with production efficiency and additional nutritional profits.
Healthcare Industry
An additional industrial use of microorganisms and microbiology is their practical implementation in the healthcare industry. Specifically, pharmacology is the field in which bacteria play a key role. One of the examples is the supplement field, namely, the manufacturing of prebiotics. Prebiotics are found in certain foods, yet supplementation with plant fibers is also common. Consumers who prefer supplementing with microorganisms adhere to the measure to improve the health of their gastrointestinal tract (Enam & Mansell, 2019). Another implication of microbiology is the manufacturing of antibiotics, chemicals that prevent bacterial multiplication in the body and assist the organism in combating infections. However, antibiotics are the product of bacteria in the soil, which ultimately highlights the importance of microbe use in healthcare. Since antibiotics play a crucial role in the minimization of adverse health outcomes correlating with bacterial infections, the importance of microbiology for human well-being is certain. This applies both to supplementary factors such as prebiotics as well as antibiotics that can often play a key role under life-threatening conditions such as infectious diseases.
Agriculture
Agriculture is an additional industrial field in which microbiology plays a vital role. Microorganisms, as illustrated prior, can be employed in various processes, including soil fertility. There are several processes in which microbes can improve the quality of the soil. According to researchers, microbes assist in sustainable agriculture in particular (Suganya et al., 2022). For example, when more nutrients are needed for the soil to produce healthy crops, microorganisms enrich it and create circumstances in which harmful fertilizers can be avoided. Moreover, microbiology is effective in the decomposition of unneeded components. Plant and animal tissue that remains in the soil and compromises its fertility can be addressed by employing microorganisms.
The critical factor in applying microbes in agriculture is the potential. The method is a sustainable way of fertilizing, which contrasts with the use of chemical fertilizers. Such fertilizers, while effective in producing large quantities of crops, can potentially harm the end product, hence, the consumers. The employment of microbes, on the other hand, does not correlate with the same negative results, and their implementation is an economical way of solving the current problem. While the technique is not yet as widespread as the use of chemical fertilizers, the agriculture industry may benefit from applying microbiology on a more extensive level (Suganya et al., 2022). However, more research and funding are required for such microbiological implementations to be common and accessible. Nonetheless, it is a potentially effective way of minimizing food shortage, achieving produce through sustainable processes, and reducing the harmful activities that negatively impact both the crops and the soil where the plants develop.
Fuel Production
Fuel is an ongoing topic of discussion in the modern world as scientists are researching new ways to produce it. Fossil fuel is the most commonly used, and due to its unsustainability, new measures are being implemented. A promising field is the production is biodiesel derived from plant oil and animal fat. However, the challenge that can potentially hinder the initiative is the requirement of large territories for the crops that will later be used for fuel. Thus, the production of sustainable fuel cannot be properly addressed without the employment of microbes. Researchers highlights that microbial lipids can become an adequate replacement and replace the need for vegetable oil and animal fat (Wang et al., 2021). The method, while not practically applied on an industrial level, appears to be promising in regard to a solution to the current challenge correlating with fossil fuel. However, more research is required for the techniques to be implemented on a global industrial level. Nonetheless, enzymatic production with the employment of microorganisms has been presented as potentially successful regarding its sustainability, low cost, and simplicity (Wang et al., 2021). As a result, microbiology in fuel production can shift current sustainability issues and facilitate the creation of an eco-friendly way in which power or heat can be generated.
Future Application Potential
Based on the fact that microorganisms can be employed in all the various industries and fields mentioned prior, it is inevitable that future discoveries and research will facilitate the applicability of microbes even further. However, the production of fuel, namely microbial biodiesel, appears to be the domain that is the most promising. Multiple reasons correlate with this particular framework being the most potentially successful. On the one hand, the current fuel consumption leads to environmental issues, which is one of the main problems countries worldwide are willing to minimize (Wang et al., 2021). On the other hand, microbial biofuel can become a cost-effective alternative if more research is conducted on the process of fuel production.
The existing eco-friendly power generation cannot supply the extensive need for fuel due to climatic changes when it comes to wind power and meteorologic inconsistencies when it comes to solar panels. Moreover, biofuel manufactured using plant oils and animal fat would be impossible due to the extensive territories required for crops and farming to supply the necessary quantity of oil (Wang et al., 2021). Microbial biofuel, on the other hand, does not correlate with the same negative factors. It is reliable, does not necessarily require large territories, and can be cost-effective if the necessary procedures are followed. This is why fuel production appears to be a promising field in which microbiology can be successfully incorporated and applied for a more sustainable, renewable, and eco-friendly source of power and heat.
Conclusion
Multiple fields benefit from the employment of microorganisms either as primary participants in the manufacturing processes or additional measures to ensure the industrial process is effective. The agricultural, food, fuel production, pharmaceutical, and waste management industries implement microbiological concepts to maximize positive results. Thus, microorganisms assist in such processes as water purification, waste degradation, nutrient enrichment, drug manufacturing, soil fertilization, and power generation. While microbes will be applied more extensively in the future based on current predictions, a field in which microorganisms can benefit the most is fuel production. There is evidence showing biofuel to be a potential replacement for fossil fuel. In case the technique is globally implemented in the future, microbiology will become the primary industry supplying the world with power and heat. Hence, the practical use of microorganisms, while efficient currently, can be maximized to improve human life on multiple levels. This illustrates the importance of microbiology and its direct correlation with present and future processes linked to various different industries and fields.
References
Choi, K. R., Yu, H. E., & Lee, S. Y. (2021). Microbial Food: Microorganisms repurposed for our food. Microbial Biotechnology, 15(1), 1825.
Enam, F., & Mansell, T. J. (2019). Prebiotics: Tools to manipulate the gut microbiome and metabolome. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 46(9-10), 14451459. Web.
Mondal, S., & Palit, D. (2019). Effective role of microorganism in waste management and environmental sustainability. Sustainable Agriculture, Forest and Environmental Management, 485515.
Moye, Z., Woolston, J., & Sulakvelidze, A. (2018). Bacteriophage applications for food production and processing. Viruses, 10(4), 205.
Rani, N., Sangwan, P., Joshi, M., Sagar, A., & Bala, K. (2019). Microbes: A key player in industrial wastewater treatment. Microbial Wastewater Treatment, 83102.
Suganya, T., Renuga Devi, N., Vignesh, S., Rajendran, S., Dorothy, R., & Nguyen, T. A. (2022). Microbiology in agriculture: An introduction. Nanosensors for Smart Agriculture, 4151.
Waldrop, M. M. (2021). Microbes for better sewage treatment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(32).
Wang, H., Peng, X., Zhang, H., Yang, S., & Li, H. (2021). Microorganisms-promoted biodiesel production from biomass: A Review. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 12, 100137.
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