Bio-degradable pollutants can be effectively treated with micro-organisms and decomposed to simple harmless constituents.
The biological treatment is rather an inexpensive treatment. It not only eliminates the pollution but may also provide economically useful products. Little human efforts are required in process of disposal of bio-degradable wastes. Given enough time, the excellent microbial agencies of nature can efficiently degrade these wastes.
However, problems arise when large amounts of organic wastes are produced. The microbial machinery is unable to handle such huge quantities in the given space, time and conditions. We often have to expedite the decomposition process and confine it to a limited space so that its intermediates or end products or the microbes themselves may not contaminate human establishments.
Human skill has tamed nature’s microbial machinery to work at its maximum efficiency within a confined space. This has enabled man to dispose of large quantities of bio-degradable wastes
quickly, efficiently and with very little expenditure. Bio-degradable wastes produced in a domestic or industrial establishment are usually of the following two types:
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1. Liquid Wastes:
Such as sewage, waste waters, industrial discharges etc. These may also
2. Solid Wastes:
Such as trash, garbage, pulp, peelings, packing materials, rags etc. Industries involved in canning, processing and marketing meat, poultry, and dairy and agricultural products discard plenty of solid and semi-solid organic wastes.
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The bio-degradation of organic wastes involves two processes: anaerobic and aerobic. Liquids and semi-solids are usually subjected to both aerobic and anaerobic degradation. Solid wastes are in the other hand more conveniently digested and mineralized by anaerobic processes.