BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS

(ETH)

DA-1

NAME:G.SRIRAM
REG NO:18BBT0136

BIOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION:

Biological Transformation means nothing less than the increasing application of

materials, structures and principles of living nature in technology and management
with the goal of sustainable value creation. It is driven by progress in the life
sciences enabling a better understanding of biological processes. Combined with
advances in digitization, as well as in materials and production sciences, entire
new technological solutions and high-tech markets arise.

Biological degradation:

Lack of degradability and the closing of landfill sites as well as growing

water and land pollution problems have led to concern about plastics.
With the excessive use of plastics and increasing pressure being placed
on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need for
biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has
assumed increasing importance in the last few years. Awareness of the
waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new
interest in the area of degradable polymers. The interest in
environmental issues is growing and there are increasing demands to
develop material which do not burden the environment significantly.
Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible
polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be
recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial
degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand
what is necessary for biodegradation and the mechanisms involved. This
requires understanding of the interactions between materials and
microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved. Widespread
studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order
to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic
plastic waste

Agricultural sector:
 Organic forms of soil phosphorus (Po) are an important source of available P
for plants following mineralisation. The rates and pathways of P through soil
organic matter are, however, poorly understood when compared to physico-
chemical aspects of the P cycle. The essential role of soil microorganisms as
a labile reservoir of P, confirmed experimentally and in modelling studies, has
recently led to the development of methods for measuring their P content.
Incorporation in a new P fractionation scheme of these measurements with
estimates of Pi and Po fractions that vary in the extent of their availability to
plants has enabled the dynamics of short-term soil P transformations to be
investigated in relation to long-term changes observed in the field.
Different types of soil P compounds that mineralise at different rates can now be
measured directly in extracts by 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance. Orthophosphate
diesters, including phospholipids and nucleic acids, are the most readily mineralised
group of these compounds. However, mineralisation rates rather than the amounts of
types of Po in soil ultimately control P availability to plants. These rates are influenced
by a number of soil and site factors, as a sensitive new technique using [ 32P] RNA has
recently shown.
These recent developments reflect a more holistic approach to investigation of the soil P
cycle than in the past, which should lead to improved fertilizer management practices.

Medical sector:

Examples of biologically inspired therapies and diagnostics include

biopharmaceutical products, regenerative medicine, biofunctionalized materials
for medical purposes, tissue engineering and microbiome-based research. In
addition, biological transformation will enable the development of cell-based
testing procedures, thereby reducing animal experimentation. At the same time,
machine learning and advanced computer simulation can enhance our
understanding of complex biochemical processes in cells and organisms, thereby
accelerating the development of new active ingredients for pharmaceutical drugs.

Energy sector:

One of the potential affordable and clean energy sources can be derived from
biomass. Biomass energy is the energy that is derived from organic matter of
plants and animals. Biomass in the form of dead plants, trees, grass, leaves,
crops, manure, garbage animals waste can be a great source of alternative
fuels that can be used to replace fossil fuels. Plants make use of process called
photosynthesis that converts energy from the sun into chemical energy. This
energy gets transferred to animals when they eat plants. When plants and
animals waste are burned, the carbon dioxide and waste stored inside them is
released back into the atmosphere, thus becoming a renewable source of
energy.