Question

Bioremediation includes _____.

a. the use of prokaryotes that can fix nitrogen
b. the use of prokaryotes to clean up pollutants
c. the use of prokaryotes as natural fertilizers
d. All of the above

Short answer

The correct answer is option b, that is, the use of prokaryotes to clean up pollutants.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

The technique, which utilizes living species like microbes to remove the harmful waste from the soil and water body is termed bioremediation.

Explanation

Bioremediation can help eradicate harmful chemicals from the soil, which are introduced because of fertilizers and pesticides leaching. It can be a great help in the process of water treatment as it helps to remove toxic wastes from the water.

Bioremediation is done with theassistance of prokaryotes. There are many prokaryotes like bacteria that help in the process of nitrogen fixation. These prokaryotes can be utilized as natural nitrogen fertilizers.

Thus, the options a, c, and d are incorrect.

The waste management technique in which live microbes are used for the treatment of polluted water and soil is known asbioremediation. It is an efficient technique as it cleans up the polluted region naturally without doing any kind of harm to the surroundings.

Bioremediation can be performed both ex-situ and in-situ and many approaches have been developed to generate genetically engineered prokaryotes that can digest very heavy metal pollutants.

Hence, the correct answer is option b.