Waste management using marine microorganisms

Abstract

Waste management is one of the most pressing environmental issues due to the result of human activities with changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns. To combat this, waste minimization solutions have been built on the basis of the waste hierarchy so as to procure practical value from the product source. However, efforts taken in the previous stages have turned out to be uneconomical and resulted in immense quantities of chemical waste. The challenges and barriers are significant, but so are the opportunities. Therefore, the usage of marine organisms has been recommended as an efficient alternative in the waste management process because of its unique attributes. The bacterial communities among marine habitats play an important part in the global biogeochemical cycle due to their diverse metabolic capacities. Marine microorganisms have unique biodegradation processes for dissolving a broad range of organic contaminants, either as individual strains or as members of microbial consortia. They have the ability to degrade, alter, or create a wide range of compounds created naturally or by man-made processes. These microorganisms are actively involved in nutrient cycling and productivity and, therefore, aid in balancing the ecosystem by managing the concentrations of pollutants. Intense research on marine microorganisms through all these years has gathered that marine microorganisms play a crucial role in the production of non-toxic biosurfactants and biopolymers. Furthermore, a deeper comprehension of the harmful heavy metals that interact with marine microbes has led to the suggestion that these microbes could be used in a variety of ways to treat contaminated water systems. The core of this paper reports the literature on the degradation of organic wastes, inorganic wastes and wastewater by several marine microorganisms that can break down and extract toxic substances from the environment. This review paper attempts to explore the potential of marine microorganisms in depth. Marine microorganisms have demonstrated their significance through a novel source of their enzymes, paving a promising scope for the industry and academia. A significant fraction of these organisms have not been identified, and their enzyme activity has not been studied due to exploratory limitations. Therefore, profiling the role of marine microorganisms in waste management will enable us to observe the significant benefits in the long run. Also, this paper has emphasized the challenges and opportunities involved in the usage of marine microorganisms and the outputs acquired in this bioeconomy era. Utilizing these resources has exposed several natural products that may present several opportunities for biotechnological applications. This will also provide us with the treatment outcome to overcome their adverse properties, if any, and deliver effective ways to advance the use of marine microorganisms in waste management systems.