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Microorganisms offer remedy for nation's pollution

As the environment deteriorates, the government must take advantage of abundant microorganic resources to tackle pollution, such as environmental hormones in rivers and coastal oil spills, a microbiologist said yesterday.

Chang Bea-ven (張碧芬), a microbiology professor at Soochow University, said older methods of tackling pollutants derived from physics or chemistry. However, the field of microbiology could provide more efficient ways of dealing with pollution.

Chang cited nonylphenol as an example of one harmful chemical, now found in 90 percent of local rivers due to the heavy use of detergent, that could be treated using microbiological techniques.

"Dealing with pollution using microbiological methods deserves further research," she said.

Chang said that the nation has abundant microbiological re-sources because humid and hot conditions accelerate the growth of microorganisms. In the early 1980s, Chang and her colleagues discovered that one microorganism, Clostridium thermocellum, had adapted to local conditions. It came to prefer a hot environment and was able to produce alcohol during the decomposition of agricultural waste.

In 1990s, using sludge from the heavily polluted Erjen River in the south of the country, Chang identified certain microorganisms that could decompose benzene and other industrial chemicals.

"If we can know more about the characteristics of microorganisms and take full advantage of them, pollutants can be effectively dealt with using microbiological methods," Chang said.

The Environmental Protection Administration has already used such methods to tackle pollution. In 2001, an oil spill off Kenting National Park was treated using microbiological means, minimizing damage to extensive areas of reef.

Yuan Shaw-ying (袁紹英), deputy director-general of the administration's bureau of environmental sanitation and toxic chemical control, told the Taipei Times that bioremediation aims to use microorganisms to decompose toxins or pollutants.

Yuan said an excellent example of bioremediation in action was the cleanup for the Exxon oil spill, which polluted an extensive amount of Alaska's shoreline.

In her new book, The World of Microbiology, Chang says that it is time for the public to learn more about microorganisms. After decoding scientific jargon, Chang uses everyday language to help people from high school-age up to learn about them.
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