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ABSTRACT:
Microorganisms play important roles in the maintenance of many natural and man-made phenomenon in the environment. They serve positive functions that make life easier and better for man. One of such areas that microorganisms are adopted is in waste management. The proper disposal of the voluminous waste that humans generate in their daily activities is a great challenge that government and environmental agencies are continuously seeking better ways of addressing. An important way of successfully combating this menace is through the use of microorganisms. Thus, this paper examines the various applications of microorganisms in the management of municipal waste. It reviews the various roles of microorganisms in the environment, such as in sewage and soil treatment, energy generation, oil spillage and radioactive contamination. It also discusses waste generation and management methods, and some specific uses of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, virus and protozoa) in waste management. It concludes by highlighting some recent advances in microbiological waste management.
KEY WORDS: Microorganisms, waste management, composting, wastewater, bioreactor, anaerobic digestion.
Introduction
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature where they have a variety of essential functions. Many microbes are uniquely adapted to specific environmental niches, such as those that inhabit the Dead Sea (Halobacterium) and Chlamydomonas nivalis that causes pink snow.1 Microbes also play an essential role in the natural recycling of living materials. All naturally produced substances are biodegradable, that is, they can be broken down by living organisms such as bacteria or fungi.
Microorganisms have been invaluable in finding solutions for several problems mankind has encountered in maintaining the quality of the environment. They have, for example, been used to positive effect in human and animal health, genetic engineering, environmental protection, and municipal and industrial waste treatment. Microorganisms have enabled feasible and cost-effective responses which would have been impossible via chemical or physical engineering methods.2 More so, microbial technologies have successfully been applied to a wide range of environmental problems, especially waste management issues.
In Nigeria with a population of 182 million,3 waste generation and disposal is a problem with several challenges to be addressed. The municipal wastes in Nigeria are from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources, and may be grouped into liquid, solid, gaseous and hazardous. However, the most problematic are the liquid and solid...