Microbes as high-potential green resource producers

Hui-Ping Chuang, Assistant researcher at the Sustainable Environment Research Laboratories of the National Cheng Kung University, shares insights into the vital role of microbes in waste removal and sustainable resource generation. Microorganisms thrive in various environments and catalyze complex reactions. They have a high potential to convert waste to useful resources through enzymatic reactions within the cell, particularly those involving the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphate (Figure 1). Different microbial families prefer various element-containing compounds as food and initiating cycles of catabolism and anabolism. Biogas and bio-compounds are the intermediates or final products as green resources during microbial transformation. Therefore, biotechnology based on microbial characteristics and functions is a valuable tool for both pollution remediation and sustainable resource generation.