BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT – A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

Solid waste management has been a challenge for certain decades in metropolitan cities, where tons of wastes
are generated from several sources. These wastes produced don’t have proper disposal methods, but nowadays the
research has been carried out for proper disposal and removal of chemicals from industrial waste also municipal solid
waste. As of today the solid waste is usually disposed by dumping method which requires large area and it contains toxic
substances which are harmful to the environment. This can be substituted by biotechnological methods such as
composting, biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds and bioremediation. In this review the above mentioned methods
are explained which are effective. Significant research has been carried out for several years to find the efficient method
for solid waste management. Composting which is a method of decomposition of organic matter by microbes under
controlled condition has been efficient bio technique for many municipalities. Xenobiotic compounds are artificially
developed compounds such as benzopyrene and explosive oils etc. These compounds enhance the microbial activity.
These are advancements in disposal of solid waste using biotechnological methods.