Environmental

Biotechnology
(BBT427)

Spring 2020

Lecture 02
Prepared by Dr. Ishrat Jabeen
 The immobilization, degradation or monitoring of
pollutants from a biological origin

There are two routes to remove pollutants from the environment:

1. Degradation: Achieved by metabolic pathways functioning within an organism
or consortia of organisms.
2. Immobilization: Achieved by chemicals excreted by an organism, making the
pollutant biologically unavailable for degradation and can be effectively
removed.

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The players

• Microbes: As free individuals or as communities (biofilms-occur at a solid/liquid

interphase)

• Plants: Exert their effects by oxygenation of microbe-rich environment, filtration,

solid-to-gas conversion or extraction of the containment.

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Microbes and metabolism

• The concepts of cell growth and metabolic capability are the

fundamentals to environmental biotechnology and to remediation.
• Although microbial metabolism can cause disease and food spoilage,
many pathways are beneficial rather than pathogenic.

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Metabolism

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Production of cellular energy

Two substantially different routes:

1. Direct transfer of phosphate group to ADP to produce cytoplasmic ATP.
2. Transfer of electrons and protons, or hydrogen ions, derived from food
oxidation, to oxygen and to produce water by oxidative phosphorylation.

The activated sludge process of sewage treatment-one of the important processes

of environmental biotechnology - involves organisms using oxidative
phosphorylation as their method to synthesize ATP.

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Fermentation
• The donation of electrons derived
from the catabolism of carbon source
to an organic molecule is referred to as
fermentation.
• It does not require oxygen but can
occur in its presence.
• It does not require the use of the kerb
cycle or an electron transport chain.
• Two of the important processes are
lactic acid and alcohol fermentation.

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Industrial uses for different types of fermentations

Microbiology-An introduction by Tortora

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 The mitochondrial electron transport chain and
oxidative phosphorylation
• Four complexes and
• Coenzyme Q,
cytochrome b and c,
Cytochrome a and a3.
• Production of 2.5
molecules of ATP for
each pair of electrons
transported.

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Bacterial electron transport systems and oxidative
phosphorylation
• The cytochrome oxidase-the final complex in mitochondria, is not present in all
bacteria.
• Its been replaced by a different set of cytochromes. E.coli-commonly found in
sewage- has cytochromes b558, b595, b562, d and o which are organized in response
to the level of oxygen in the local environment.
• The bacterial systems may be highly branched.
• They might have more points for the electrons to enter into the chain and exit of
electrons to the final electron acceptor.

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Bacterial electron transport systems denitrification
and methanogenesis

Denitrification
• One of the inorganic electron acceptors is the nitrate which latter is
converted to a toxic substance, nitrite.
• There are many bacteria with the facility to convert nitrite to nitrogen
gas by a series of reactions known as denitrification.
• Pseudomonas and Bacillus are able to reduce nitrate and nitrite levels
down to consent values during sew age treatment.
• Denitrification can be associated with synthesis of ATP although with
much reduced efficiency.

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Methanogenesis
• CO2 can also be a final electron acceptor to produce methane as a final end
product.
• This process can be carried out by obligate anaerobes, the methanogens, all of
which are archaeans and responsible for methane production in anaerobic
digesters and landfill sites.
• This is an aerobic respiration for the synthesis of ATP.
• Due to the smaller drop in electropotential between sulphate or carbon dioxide
and NADH, therefore less energy is available to be released during electron
transport and consequently less ATP is synthesized per more of NADH entering
the pathway than aerobic respiration.

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Photosynthesis
• It can be summarized by the following equations:
• Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use water as a hydrogen donor,
releasing O2.
6CO2 + 12H2O + Light energy C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2

• Purple sulphur and green sulphur bacteria use H2S as a hydrogen

donor, producing sulphur granules.
6CO2 + 12H2S + Light energy C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 12S

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Oxygenic photosynthesis, photorespiration and the
Hatch-Slack pathway

Figure: Oxygenic photosynthesis,

photorespiration and the Hatch-Slack pathway.
Photosystems in eukaryotes and cyanobacteria.

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Photosystems in purple and green bacteria

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Photosynthesis compared in selected eukaryotes
and prokaryotes

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Closing Remarks

• Throughout earth's history, microbial metabolism has been a driving force behind
the development and maintenance of the planet's biosphere.
• In some cases, microbial metabolism produces chemicals that can be harmful to
other organisms; in others, it produces substances that are essential to the
metabolism and survival of other life forms.

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