Microorganisms from bioremediation to electronic waste: some of our examples

Chemical and biochemical activities of microorganisms are obvious in industrial biotechnology. They are becoming even more important in environmental biotechnology and circular economy. The application of microorganisms in remediation, environmental protection and management have proven that they are "biological agents" of choice. In bioremediation processes they may be used for the treatment of waste water as well as for polluted surface and underground waters, polluted soil and process gases, i.e. indirectly, even for polluted air. In situ and ex situ bioremediation procedures for the treatment of soil and underground water contaminated by oil derivatives with the application of zymogenous active microbial consortia on the industrial level have shown in our multi-year practice to be very effective and applicable in all aspects. During biodegradation of oil pollutants, the soilification of the substrate has occurred through the process of humification. Laboratory experiments dealing with the recovery of a number of elements from electronic waste (printed circuit boards) with the application of the bacterial species Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans that generates/regenerates iron(III)-ion as an active reagent for the solution of metals have proven that biohydrometallurgical procedures have potential application in the recycling and reuse of technically important metals such as are rare earth elements-REE (critical materials). It may be concluded that microorganisms are undoubtfully the most useful "green" agents in the area of environmental protection and in the future, in circular economy of some of critical elements. Microorganisms are inseparable from the green chemistry and engineering and they are an important link in the sustainable development.Poster: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5488