TheTglobalTpopulationTcontinuesTtoTriseTatTanTastonishingTrate,TwithTestimatesTsugg

estingTitTwillTbeTinTexcessTofT9TbillionTinT2050.TTheTintensiveTagriculturalTandTindus
trialTsystemsTneededTtoTsupportTsuchTaTlargeTnumberTofTpeopleTwillTinevitablyTcaus
eTanTaccumulationTofTsoil,TwaterTandTairTpollution.TEstimatesThaveTattributedTpollutio
nTtoT62TmillionTdeathsTeachTyear,T40%TofTtheTglobalTtotal,TwhileTtheTWorldTHealth
TOrganizationT(WHO)ThaveTreportedTthatTaroundT7TmillionTpeopleTareTkilledTeachTy
earTfromTtheTairTtheyTbreathe.TWaterTsystemsTfareTlittleTbetter,TwithTanTestimatedT7
0%TofTindustrialTwasteTdumpedTintoTsurroundingTwaterTcourses.TTheTworldTgenerate
sT1.3TbillionTtonnesTofTrubbishTeveryTyear,TtheTmajorityTofTwhichTisTstoredTinTlandfil
lTsitesTorTdumpedTintoTtheToceans.

WeTneedTtoTcontrolTourTpollution;Tthankfully,TmicrobesTmightTbeTtheTanswer.

Micro-
organismsTareTwellTknownTforTtheirTabilityTtoTbreakTdownTaThugeTrangeTofTorganic
TcompoundsTandTabsorbTinorganicTsubstances.TCurrently,TmicrobesTareTusedTtoTcle
anTupTpollutionTtreatmentTinTprocessesTknownTasT‘bioremediation’.

TheTInvisibleTWorkforce

BioremediationTusesTmicro-
organismsTtoTreduceTpollutionTthroughTtheTbiologicalTdegradationTofTpollutantsTintoTn
on-toxicTsubstances.TThisTcanTinvolveTeitherTaerobicTorTanaerobicTmicro-
organismsTthatToftenTuseTthisTbreakdownTasTanTenergyTsource.TThereTareTthreeTca
tegoriesTofTbioremediationTtechniques:TinTsituTlandTtreatmentTforTsoilTandTgroundwat
er;TbiofiltrationTofTtheTair;TandTbioreactors,TpredominantlyTinvolvedTinTwaterTtreatment
.

Soil

IndustrialTsoilsTcanTbeTpollutedTbyTaTvarietyTofTsources,TsuchTasTchemicalTspillages
,TorTtheTaccumulationTofTheavyTmetalsTfromTindustrialTemissions.TAgriculturalTsoilsTc
anTbecomeTcontaminatedTdueTtoTpesticideTuseTorTviaTtheTheavyTmetalsTcontainedT
withinTagriculturalTproducts.

ATvisibleTexampleTofTwhereTbioremediationThasTbeenTusedTtoTgoodTeffectTcanTbeTf
oundTinTLondon’sTOlympicTPark.TTheTgroundsTthatTheldTtheT2012TOlympicsThadTpr
eviouslyTbeenTheavilyTpolluted,TafterThundredsTofTyearsTofTindustrialTactivity.TBiorem
ediationTcleanedT1.7TmillionTcubicTmetresTofTheavilyTpollutedTsoilTtoTturnTthisTbrownf
ieldTsiteTintoToneTcontainingTsportsTfacilitiesTsurroundedTbyT45ThectaresTofTwildlifeTh
abitats.TGroundwaterTpollutedTwithTammoniaTwasTcleanedTusingTaTnewTbioremediatin
TtechniqueTthatTsawTarchaealTmicrobesTbreakingTdownTtheTammoniaTintoTharmlessT
nitrogenTgas.TTheTconvertedTparkTmarkedTtheTLondonT2012TOlympicTandTParalympi
cTGamesTasTtheT“greenest”TandTmostTsustainableTgamesTeverTheld,TonlyTpossibleT
withTbioremediationTtechniques.
WhileTsomeTsoilTcleaningTtechniquesTrequireTtheTintroductionTofTnewTmicrobes,T‘bios
timulation’TtechniquesTincreaseTnaturalTdegradationTprocessesTbyTstimulatingTtheTgro
wthTofTmicrobesTalreadyTpresent.TNaturalTbiodegradationTprocessesTcanTbeTlimitedTb
yTmanyTfactors,TincludingTnutrientTavailability,Ttemperature,TorTmoistureTcontentTinTth
eTsoil.TBiostimulationTtechniquesTovercomeTtheseTlimitations,TprovidingTmicrobesTwith
TtheTresourcesTtheyTneed,TwhichTincreasesTtheirTproliferationTandTleadsTtoTanTincre
asedTrateTofTdegradation.

CleaningTupToil-
pollutedTsoilTisTanTexampleTofTwhereTstimulatingTmicrobialTgrowthTcanTbeTusedTtoT
goodTeffect.TResearchThasTshownTthatTpoultryTdroppingsTcanTbeTusedTasTaTbiostim
ulatingTagent,TprovidingTnitrogenTandTphosphorousTtoTtheTsystem,TwhichTstimulatesTt
heTnaturalTgrowthTrateTofToil-
degradingTbacteria.TSystemsTlikeTtheseTmayTproveTcheaperTandTmoreTenvironmentall
yTfriendlyTthanTcurrentTchemicalTtreatmentToptions.