Question

The use of microorganisms to degrade or metabolize hydrocarbon pollutants is called ______?

1) Bioremediation
2) Photosynthesis
3) Fermentation
4) Respiration

Answer 1

Bioremediation is the process using microorganisms to degrade hydrocarbon pollutants and can involve either indigenous or introduced microbes to remove various environmental contaminants.

Step-by-step explanation:

The use of microorganisms to degrade or metabolize hydrocarbon pollutants is called bioremediation. This process leverages microbial metabolism to clean up oil spills and remove various environmental contaminants and pollutants. Examples of such pollutants include agricultural chemicals, toxic metals and oxides, and petroleum products.

Microbial bioremediation can encompass the use of natural microbes inherent to the site or the addition of specialized microbes to enhance the degradation process. Organisms such as bacteria of the genera Rhodococcus and Pseudomonas are known for their ability to degrade environmental contaminants, transforming harmful substances into non-toxic or less toxic compounds.

Answer 2

The correct answer is Bioremediation, which is the use of microbes to remove or neutralize pollutants like oil spills and toxic chemicals through their metabolism. Option 1 is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The use of microorganisms to degrade or metabolize hydrocarbon pollutants is called bioremediation. This biological process leverages the metabolism of microbes to clean up environmental contaminants such as oil spills, pesticides, and toxic metals like selenium and arsenic. Some microorganisms, particularly certain bacteria, are adept at breaking down these pollutants into less harmful substances.

Microbial bioremediation is a vital environmental technique for managing and mitigating pollutants in ecosystems. It may involve augmenting contaminated sites with nutrients or oxygen to bolster the activities of naturally occurring microbes, or by introducing specially selected or engineered microbes capable of degrading specific contaminants.

Among these, certain strains of Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas, and Alcanivorax borkumensis bacteria have been noted for their efficacy in degrading hazardous compounds found in oil and other pollutants.