Microbes are used as workhorses in the production of many compounds, from fuel, to pharmaceuticals, to chemicals. They are also used in mining, insect and disease control, genetic engineering and some are even used to make computer biochips.
FUEL PRODUCTION – ethanol production for automobile fuel.
MINING – leaching of metals from ore-bearing rocks by microbes.
• 5% of world’s copper ore is produced by bio-leaching
• Uranium is mined with help of bacteria