Bioremediation

Paper 4 unit 3
Bioremediation
❖ Bio-living; to remediate- to solve /bring to original
❖ It is the utilization of biological organisms to solve
environmental problems such as contaminated soil or
groundwater with the help of technological innovations.
4 steps in remediation process
1. Prelim assessment: Involves identification of those
conditions at the site that pose an imminent threat to
human health and the environment.
2. Selection & implementation of appropriate remedial study:
Addresses any imminent hazard that may exist at a site.
3. Site investigation & remediation technology feasibility
study: nature & extent of contamination is defined, final
remedial methods are identified and evaluated.
4. Selection of final remedial methods: Selection processes
are taken into account like site investigation etc.
Basic methods to initiate bioremediation
❖ Bioaugmentation: In this process, adapted and genetically
coded microorganisms are used to degrade toxicants.
❖ Biostimulation: It involves injection of necessary
nutrients to stimulate growth of indigenous
microorganisms.
Effectiveness of bioremediation
According to degradability and toxicity of chemical
compounds, they are divided into 4 classes.

➔ Degradable & non toxic

➔ Degradable & toxic
➔ Non degradable & toxic
➔ Non degradable & non toxic
Microorganisms in bioremediation
1. Designed organisms and consortia
Under selective pressure of environmental pollution,
microbial capacity for the degradation of recalcitrant
xenobiotics is developing, and can be used for pollution
removal.
2. In vivo and in vitro design strategies
Strategies for designing new/improved catalysts for
bioremediation are the simplest ones. They improve the
biodegradative performance of a consortium through the
addition of a ‘Specialist’ organism.

Hence consortium is designed.

3. Improving catalyst performance
Some bioremediation processes require an increase in the
rate of pollutant removal.

It involves identifying the enzymatic or regulatory step of

the pathway that is rate limiting, followed by experimental
elevation of the activity of the rate limiting protein.
4. Need for complete pathway
Complete pathway for a particular substrate may not exist in
a single organism, meaning partial and complementary pathway
systems may exist in different organisms.
5. New metabolic routes
Designing and creation of new effective pathway
6. Improving catalyst survival in the environment
Use of designed inoculants in their poor competitiveness in
natural environment
Bioremediation by
microorganisms Fungal degradation

Bacterial degradation
Fungal degradation
❖ Most tolerant to high concentration of polluting
chemicals than bacteria.
❖ Degradation of chlorophenols, nitrophenols and
polyaromatic hydrocarbons : Aspergillus niger
❖ 16 species of fungi belong to 6 genera and 2 yeasts from
one genera- isolated from tannery effluents
❖ Phanerochaete chrysosporium: Pentachlorophenol (PCP)
❖ Lignin degraders
➢ Phanerochaete chrysosporium
➢ P. sordita
➢ Trametes hirsuta
➢ Ceriporiopsis subvermispora
Bacterial degradation
❖ Aerobic degradation
❖ Anaerobic degradation