\N Removal of pollutants | Dr. Rajarshi Chatterjee Removal of pollutants from the land What is land pollution? ‘ana poiiution refers to ail forms of poiution affecting any type of soi: agricultural, forestry. urban. ec. ‘Sil pollution is a distuptive element for many biological resources and ecosystems, {A soils polluted when it contains an abnormal concentration of chemical compounds potentially dangerous to human health, plants or animals. ‘There are different types of land pollution: | «+ — percutra nd poaton | er tr | 1 Sota waste } | Coors of Land potion Human activities are the main causes of land pollution: | + Asricuiure | Deforestation © Urtanization + Mining © Industrial waste © Waste disposal AGRICULTURE Agneuturat fe are one ofthe major sources of land pallation. The: reading of plant des and herbie, as wells the emizsions of vest and protection products such as bling and farm: re a the origin of so pollution, n particular by nar DEFORESTATION | Becavse of detoretstion anatorest ites, solsloce the vegeta er vegetation rated, creating sol degradation as wel ag water pollution, ofthe land's value a, once converted into a dry or barren ‘Scared with ComseannerURBANIZATION Urbanization is another source of tand degradation, The ariicialisation of soils can cause a rapid. and consequent carbon depletion, which contributes to climate change. Besides, 1 fragments natural habitats, ecosystems and Iandscapes, affecting biodiversity. MINING Mining waste is usually eft behind in the form of spoil tips. These pt heaps can contain a wide variety of toxic substan have a big impact on the regeneration of the vegetation, that then seep into the ground asa result of rain. This can INDUSTRIAL WASTE Heavy industry often produces quantities of undesirable chemicals. I cleaning agents such 2s detergents are released irresponsibly, they can cause significant pollution on the ground. Storag: nks can also be a major source of land pollution in case of teakage. WASTE DISPOSAL, \We produce large quantities of household waste every year, many of which could and should be recycled or degrade naturally, Much of our waste is either incinerated - causing potential air pollution issues - or buried in Landfills, causing soil pollution problems. Bioremediation Bioremediation is a waste management technique that involves the use of organisms to remove or neutralize pollutants from a contaminated site. According to the U.S, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), bioremediation is a “treatment that uses naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non-toxie substances”, Here the microbes are used to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. Thus it is a biological mechanism of recycling wastes into another form that can be used and reused by other organisms. ‘Microbes- how does it work? ‘Some types of microbes eat and digest contaminants, usually changing them into small amounts of water and harmless gases like carbon dioxide and ethene. If soil and groundwater do not have enough of the right microbes, they can be added in a process called “bioaugmentation.” i.e. Addition of bacterial cultures required to speed up the rate of degradation of a contaminant. For bioremediation to be effective, the right temperature, nutrients, and food also must be present. Proper conditions allow the right microbes to grow and multiply—and eat more contaminants. ‘Scared with ComseannerBioremediation — Its underlying chemistry Moxt bioremediation processes involve oxidation-reduction (Redox) reactions where a chemical species donates an electron (electron donor) to a different species that accepts the electron (electron acceptor). ‘Common electron acceptors in bioremediation processes include oxygen, nitrate, manganese (III and IV), iron (Ill), sulfate and carbon dioxide. Process Reactions involved Aerobic O: + 4e+ 4H" — 21.0 Denitrification 2NOx + 10e"+ 12H" — Nz + 6H:0 Tron(II1) reduction Fe(OH); +e + 3H” = Fe* +310 | Sulfate reduction SOe" + 8" +10 H’ + HS +410 Fermentation 2CH.O — CO: + CH ‘Technologies related to bioremediation Some examples of bioremediation related technologies are phytoremediation, bioventing, bioleaching, landfarming. bioreactor, composting, bioaugmentation, rhizofiltration, and biostimulation. Phytoremediation(from Ancient Greek gvto (phyto), meaning "plant", and Latin remedium, meaning (restoring balance") describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use Of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere. Bioventing provides oxygen to stimulate naturally occurring soil microorganisms to degrade compounds in soil. The rate of natural degradation is generally limited by the lack of oxygen and other electron acceptors (i.e., 2 compound that gains electrons during biodegradation) rather than by the lack of nutrients (e., electron donors). In conventional bioventing systems, oxygen is delivered by an electric blower to subsurface wells. In contrast to soil vapor vacuum extraction, bioventing uses low airflow rates to provide ‘only enough oxygen to sustain microbial activity, leaching is the extraction of metals from their ores through the use of living organisms. It is one of the several applications within biohydrometallurgy and several methods are used to recover copper, zinc, lead, arsenic, antimony, nickel, molybdenum, gold, silver, and cobalt. Bioleaching can involve numerous ferrous iron and sulfur oxidizing bacteria, including Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus (formerly known as Thiobacillus). As a general principle, Fe3+ ions are used to oxidize the ore. This step is entirely independent of microbes. The role of the bacteria is the further oxidation of the ore, but also the regeneration of the chemical oxidant Fe3+ from Fe2+. Landfarming is a bioremediation treatment process that is performed in the upper soil zone or in bio ‘treatment cells. Contaminated soils, sediments, or sludge are incorporated into the soil surface and Periodically turned over (tilled) to aerate the mixture. This technique has been used for years in the ‘management and disposal of oily sludge and other petroleum refinery wastes. ‘Scared with ComSeannerCompost is organic mater that has been decompored an reyeled as a fertilizer and soil amendment Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming, At the simplest level, the process of composting simply requires making a heap of weted organi matter known as green waste (eaves, fod waste and wating for the materials to break down into humus after a period of wecks or months, Modern, methodical composing isa mnli-step, closely monitored process with measured inputs of wate, ar. nd earbon- and sirogenrch materials. The decomposition proces is ded by shredding the plant matter, ating water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi frther break up the material, Acrobic bacteria and fungi manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into eat. carbon dioxide and ammonium ion (NHe#), the form of nitrogenous species used by plants. When available (NHL) isnot used by plans iis further converted by bacteria into nitrates (NOs) through the process of nitrification. Bioaugmentation is the addition of bacterial cultures required to speed up the rate of degradation of contaminant. Usually the steps involve studying the indigenous varieties present in the location to determine if bio stimulation is possible. Ifthe indigenous variety do not have the metabolic capability to perform the remediation process, exogenous varieties with such sophisticated pathways are introduced. It is commonly used in municipal wastewater treatment to restart activated sludge bioreactors. Most cultures available contain a research based consortium of microbial cultures, containing all necessary ‘microorganisms (B. licheniformis, B. thurengensis, P. polymyxa, B. sterothemophilus, Penicillium sp.. Aspergillus sp., Flavobacterium, Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Saccaromyces, Triphoderma, etc) whereas activated sludge systems are generally based on microorganisms like bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, rotifers and fungi capable to degrade bio degradable organic matter. Rhizofiltration is a form of phytoremediation that involves filtering water through a mass of roots to remove toxic substances or excess nutrients. It refers to the approach of using hydroponically cultivated plant roots to remediate contaminated water through absorption, concentration, and precipitation of pollutants. It also filters through water and dirt. The contaminated water is either collected from a waste site or brought to the plants, or the plants are planted in the contaminated area, where the roots then take up the water and the contaminants dissolved in it. Is bio-remediation safe? Bioremediation relies on microbes that live naturally in soil and groundwater. These microbes pose. no threat to people at the site or in the community. Microbes added to the site for bioaugmentation typically die off once contamination and the conditions needed for bioremediation are gone. The chemicals added to stimulate bioremediation are safe. For example, the nutrients added to make microbes grow are commonly used on lawns and gardens, and only enough nutrients to promote bioremediation are added. ‘To ensure that the treatment is working and to measure progress, samples of soil andl groundwater are tested regularly. ‘Scared with ComSeanner