Bioremediation involves the use of living organisms to remove pollution from the environment. This is accomplished when organisms (often microbes) “eat” toxic compounds. In other words, the organisms break down the organic molecules similar to the way that humans eat food. When humans eat, they break down foods such as carbohydrates and proteins, generating harmless byproducts and wastes. Consider how the progress of bioremediation might be evaluated. One method would be to measure the remaining presence of the contaminants, but what about measuring products of cellular respiration? Is cellular respiration occuring? If the rate of cellular respiration were used to monitor bioremediation, what specific compounds/molecules should be measured?
