Biological & Non-Biological Decomposition of Environmental Pollutants

Biological Decomposition of Environmental Pollutants

Santos divides environmental pollutants into biodegradable and non-biodegradable ones, and describes them as follows.

Biodegradable Pollutants

Fruit Peel is biodegradable

Biodegradable pollutants are the ones that can be broken down and processed by living organisms, including organic waste products, phosphates, and inorganic salts.

For example, if a pollutant is organic, it can be used by a living organism to obtain energy and other material from carbohydrates, proteins etc.

Therefore, biodegradable pollutants are only “temporary nuisances” that can be neutralized and converted into harmless compounds.

However, it is important to remember that they can become serious pollutants if released in large amounts in small areas, thus exceeding the natural capacity of the environment to “assimilate” them.

Non-Biodegradable Pollutants

Non-biodegradable pollutants are the ones that cannot be decomposed by living organisms and therefore persist in the exosphere for extremely long periods of time.

They include plastics, metal, glass, some pesticides and herbicides, and radioactive isotopes.

In addition to that, fat soluble (but not water soluble) non-biodegradable pollutants, ex. mercury and some hydrocarbons, are not excreted with urine but are accumulated in the fat of living organisms and cannot be metabolized.

Non-Biological Decomposition of Environmental Pollutants

Plastic may look beautiful but it is not biodegradable

Non-biological decomposition of non-biodegradable pollutants requires a combination of many factors, such as wind, water and climate to work together to achieve neutralization of pollutants.

Some of the most dangerous pollutants such as radioactive isotopes can decompose by themselves but it will take them thousands of years.