Environmental Engineering

2

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The microbes include bacteria, algae, protozoa and viruses. The bacteria play an important role for environmental engineers. Their presence in water is a health concern but desirable in wastewater as they help biodegrade the organics and there by reduce the oxygen demand in the receiving environs. The bacteria are everywhere. Bacteria are ubiquitous. In fact, we are always surrounded by the bacteria. They are on our head, face, hands, body, mouth. … According to the biologist, Steffin J. Gould, in his book Full House we live in the age of the ‘Bacteria’. This has always been and will always be thus. The basis of his conclusion has been the fact that bacteria flourish in remarkable numbers in almost ...