Microbial degradation refers to the process by which microorganisms break down or decompose organic substances, such as waste or pollutants. These tiny living organisms, like bacteria or fungi, play a crucial role in the environment by converting complex molecules into simpler and more harmless forms. This natural process helps to prevent the accumulation of harmful substances and promotes recycling in nature.
Full definition
Although specific microbial halogenation reactions have been recognized for decades and the link between the dehalogenation of anthropogenic halogenated contaminants in laboratory cultures and contaminated field sites has been well established, only a few studies specifically looked at pristine ecosystems and the genetic potential for
microbial degradation of naturally occurring organohalogens, Kappler says.
The reasons for the high OC in surface sediment of small ponds lacking taliks could be due to slow
microbial degradation rates linked to seasonal re-freezing.
It is providing a foundation for better, longer - term identification techniques that account for exposure of oil to wind, waves, sunlight, and
microbial degradation over long times,» added Aeppli.
Since the perchlorate disappearance rate seemed to mirror previously
recorded microbial degradation rates and was also temperature dependent, they decided to test whether microbes were directly involved in a laboratory setting.
The PhytoShield ™ Flavor Enhancer line can be customized to a food system to address a broad range of product quality goals related to flavor,
microbial degradation, and shelf life with a single, natural technology.
Using apple pomace as a model food source, the team developed a process for stabilising apple pomace to prevent its physical, chemical and
microbial degradation.
«If the oil is in very small droplets,
microbial degradation is much quicker,» says Lee, who has been measuring oil droplets to determine the effectiveness of dispersants.
The efficiency of
microbial degradation is decreased when oil is not dispersed in small droplets.
«We are now presenting a first assessment of
the microbial degradation potential in seawaters off Greenland,» postdoc Leendert Vergeynst, Arctic Research Centre at Aarhus University, explains.
The composition of sea spray aerosol particles are influenced by both chlorophyll - a concentrations and
microbial degradation.
Whereas he notes, with «composting, the majority of carbon in the composting process is lost naturally to
microbial degradation to carbon dioxide.»