Applications of Molecular Biology Techniques to the Remediation of Hazardous Waste

Abstract

There are a growing number of applications of molecular biology tools to the manipulation of microorganisms involved in the degradation of hazardous compounds. These tools, including pathway cloning, polymerase chain reaction gene amplification, the use of hybrid promoter and regulatory sequences, broad host range and high copy number plasmids, DNA sequencing and synthesis methods, and enzyme recruitment can all be used to construct highly sophisticated biological catalysts that offer potentially superior performance in degradation. The use of genetically engineered microorganisms for the degradation of hazardous molecules is not yet a widely accepted approach. At the same time, there are many advantages in using an organism containing a precisely engineered pathway that encodes enzymes capable of rapidly attacking highly recalcitrant or toxic molecules. Some of the potential benefits in the application of existing molecular biology techniques to the construction of hazardous waste degrading organisms are described in this chapter.