The Advantages and Benefits of Aerobic Respiration

Cellular respiration is defined as the conversion of energy from a fuel source. From humans to microorganisms, cellular respiration is required for living things. Cells use aerobic or anaerobic respiration to convert food into energy. In bioremediation, the food is a wide range of organic chemicals.

There are several differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration. The most obvious difference is that aerobic respiration requires the presence of oxygen, while anaerobic respiration does not. Another difference is the total amount of energy generated from one molecule of glucose. During metabolism, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is generated to release free energy that will be used for reactions that require energy. For one molecule of glucose, aerobic respiration produces approximately 36 molecules of ATP and anaerobic respiration only generates 2.

The difference in the amount of energy generated from metabolizing a molecule of glucose can be attributed to the individual steps of aerobic and anaerobic respiration. Regardless if an organism is aerobic or anaerobic, metabolism begins with glycolysis. Glycolysis is defined as the splitting of a glucose molecule into 2 molecules of pyruvate. During this process, electron carriers and a net total of 2 ATP are produced.

In aerobic respiration, pyruvate is processed by the Krebs cycle. This cycle generates several by-products including: carbon dioxide, electron carriers, ATP, and acetyl coenzyme A. The electron carriers from glycolysis and the Krebs cycle are used in the electron transport chain, which will result in a net total of 36 molecules of ATP. The benefit of the Pseudomonas microbes from CL Solutions is that these microbes have the ability to adapt in their individual environments to break down larger carbon molecules to generate even more ATP. For instance, a carbon 18 fatty acid can produce 146 ATP using beta oxidation.

After glycolysis, anaerobic organisms utilize fermentation for metabolism. The electron carriers from glycolysis are oxidized and reused again in glycolysis. Aerobic organisms undergo fermentation if an oxygen source is depleted. However, certain organisms can only metabolize nutrients without the presence of oxygen.

Due to the amount of energy produced, aerobic respiration is much more efficient in producing energy, which is used as a fuel source to carry out reactions. In bioremediation, this energy is used to break down harmful contaminants in the soil and ground water. Thus, cleanup goals are achieved much faster at contaminated sites.