MICROBIAL CONTROL OF GREENHOUSE GASES FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE DUMPS: A MITIGATING PRINCIPLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

The impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission on global environmental sustainability is an issue of serious concern. This is because of the negative effects of these gases on the environment essentially on its contribution majorly to climate change. The aim of this study is to review the strategies, advantages, processes and current innovations of microbial interventions in waste management. Microorganisms are the best alternative to physicochemical methods of mitigating GHG. Methanotrophs, Phototrophs and some nitrogen fixing bacteria play critical role in this process by consuming GHS gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) as carbon and nitrogen source. Reduction of nitrous oxide by N₂O reductase leads to the production of ammonia which is not a GHG while nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter converts N₂O to nitrite and nitrate used by most microbes for protein synthesis. Carbon dioxide is utilized by phototrophs to carry out photosynthesis while methanotrophs such as Methylobacter sp., Methylococcus sp. and Methylocella sp utilized methane. Therefore, understanding intervention principles and potentially manipulating microbial processes offers a promising means for mitigating microbial greenhouse gas production, consequently, offering solution to climate change and global warming through targeted intervention at the municipal solid waste dumps. Traditional waste management methods of landfill and open dumping are not targeted at mitigating these emissions of GHGs, posing a serious challenge to efforts being made in environmental sustainability. Microbial control, involving the use of specific bacteria and archaea, plays a crucial role in regulating GHG emissions from MSW dumps by enhancing methane oxidation, promoting carbon sequestration, and facilitating bioconversion into less harmful compounds Despite advancements in landfill technology, the microbial processes that drive GHG production and potential mitigation remain underutilized and poorly managed. There is a pressing need to explore and optimize biological strategies, particularly those involving microorganisms, to reduce the environmental impact of waste dumps. The outcome of this study could influence policy decisions, inform landfill engineering designs, and support the development of green technologies that reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions from municipal solid waste sites.