All living beings, including humans and animals, need water to survive. Not only do we as humans need water to survive but we need clean drinking water and water to bathe or shower in, do laundry, clean dishes, and so many other things. The problem is that there are many pollutants, bacteria, mold, fungus, and an array of other things that can contaminate water. From oil spills to runoff from farmers’ fields where insecticides and other chemicals are used, our water supply is always at risk of becoming contaminated. Not only is contaminated water threatening to humans locally as well as across the world, but it is dangerous to our environment and our ecology, including wildlife. Some other pollutants include things like industrial dyes, dioxins, chlorinated organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Not only do industries and agriculture pose a threat to water, but daily household chores can also contribute to contaminating the water supply as well as generating wastewater. Some cities and other municipalities still dump pesticides and even sewage waste into water sources which become a major concern for the environment and the water supply. These pollutants and other compounds are considered to be substrates for various types of enzymes produced by microbes. By using exposure to these items, those harmful compounds and other chemicals can be broken down into small, benign particles that will no longer pose a threat to the environment or living beings, including humans.
Harmful Effects of Untreated Wastewater
Wastewater pertains to any type of water supply that has become contaminated, which means that untreated wastewater contains chemicals as well as decomposed organic waste, including sewage, which can produce horrible smelling gases along with toxic chemicals that can damage our environment and pose a threat of disease and other illnesses for humans and animals. By using enzymes and certain non-pathogenic microbes to treat wastewater, it can be cleaned and reused.
How are Enzymes used in the Treatment of Wastewater?
Enzymes are used to treat toxic wastewater because they can break down harmful contaminants and turn them into benign particles that are biodegradable and can be easily cleaned and collected. This type of treatment is designed to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the toxicity of water and make the water supply available for reuse. Enzymes that are used for wastewater treatment can be added directly into the water source that is being treated. The enzymes can also be introduced through the use of entire plants or at least their tissues, which contain a huge number of enzymes when they are in their very natural form. Active enzymes can also be purchased from reliable sources. They have been taken from a variety of different groups and categories of fungi, as well as bacteria. These very specific enzymes are needed in the wastewater treatment process to catalyze very specific pollutants in a variety of specific concentrations.
Organic pollutants, such as bi-phenols, phenols, methylated phenols, chlorophenols, benzidines, anilines, and other aromatic compounds that are considered to be heterocyclic can be treated by several different enzymes that fall under oxidoreductases, peroxidases, and oxygenases. There are also enzymes that work very specifically on organic pollutants and those include xylanases, lipase, protease, amylase, cellulase, and urease. These enzymes will break the organic pollutants into very easy-to-manage particles. They rightfully get their nickname as septic tank enzymes since they are used most often in treating wastewater that is also referred to as sewer water and sludge.
The Benefits of Using Enzymes in Wastewater Treatment
The use of enzymes in wastewater treatment has an array of different benefits that can range from financial benefits to environmental ones.
Enzymes can be used in place of very costly chemicals, so they are much more sustainable and viable economically for industries and municipalities as well as private citizens with septic tanks.
Enzymes or cleaner for the environment and can be sustained for long periods of time by various industries.
Companies and others do not need special machinery to be able to utilize enzymes to treat contaminated water supplies.
Water is one of the most valuable commodities that we have in our world today and through the use of enzymes, we can have clean water sources and even reuse wastewater and other contaminated water sources after they have been treated with enzymes.
Enzymes are an active part of various substrates and do not undergo any changes when it comes to their chemical makeup.
Enzymes That are Used in Wastewater Treatment
There are many enzymes that are used when it comes to wastewater treatment, including oxygenases. It is used to treat water sources that have been contaminated by various types of fossil fuels, such as petroleum, diesel fluid, oil, or gasoline.
Peroxidases are used most often to treat a variety of water sources that have been contaminated by chemical compounds, such as organic peroxides, dyes, phenols, and aromatic compounds.
Polyphenol oxidases are the type of enzymes that are used in the process of treating wastewater to remove pollutants that are considered to be phenolic. These particular enzymes can be separated into two main categories, which are Tyrosinase and Laccase, depending on the oxidation process of different phenolic compounds.
Tyrosinases are considered to be type three cuprodinucleate metalloproteins. These are used to convert phenolic pollutants to insoluble agglomerates since that is less toxic.
Laccases are enzymes that are used to treat wastewater that has been contaminated by the textile industry. They work on removing phenols and dyes from water.
it is very important for companies and others to receive their microbial as well as enzymes from a very trustworthy sort, such as American Biosystems.
