BIOREMEDIATION

What is bioremediation???
• Bioremediation is involved in degrading, removing, altering,
immobilizing, or detoxifying contaminants present in the environment
through the action of bacteria, fungi and plants.

• Bioremediation techniques are typically more economical than traditional

methods (incineration) and some pollutants can be treated on site, thus
reducing exposure risks for clean-up personnel, or potentially wider
exposure as a result of transportation accidents.

• Bioremediation is based on natural attenuation the public considers it more

acceptable than other technologies.
 Bioremediation Strategies
In situ Bioremediation
• Bioventing
• Bio stimulation
• Bio augmentation
• Air Sparging
• Natural attenuation

Ex situ Bioremediation
• Land farming
• Biopiles
• Windrow
• Bioreactor
 In situ bioremediation
• In situ bioremediation is the on-site application of biological
treatment to the clean up of hazardous chemicals present in the
subsurface.

In situ bioremediation

Intrinsic Engineered
 Bioventing
• Treatment involves supplying air (oxygen) through wells to
contaminated soil to stimulate the indigenous bacterial
population.
• Accomplished by injecting/extracting air at slow rates through
contaminated soil
• Treat soil mainly contaminated with fuels, non-halogenated
volatile organic compounds, pesticides and herbicides
• Bioventing requires the presence of indigenous organisms
capable of degrading the contaminants
 Biostimulation
• Biostimulation involves the modification of the environment to stimulate
existing bacteria capable of bioremediation. This can be done by addition of
various forms of rate limiting nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, or
carbon).
 Bioaugmentation
• Biological augmentation is the
addition of archaea or bacterial
cultures required to speed up the
rate of degradation of
a contaminant. Organisms that
originate from contaminated areas
may already be able to break down
waste.
 Air-Sparging/Natural Attenuation
• Air sparging is
the process of injecting air directly into groundwater.
Air sparging remediates groundwater by volatilizing contaminants and
enhancing biodegradation.

Natural attenuation (intrinsic bioremediation)

• Processes
that naturally transform contaminants to less harmful forms
or immobilize contaminants so that they are less of a threat to the
environment.
• Longer time to achieve goals
 Ex-situ Bioremediation Techniques
Land Farming
• The technology involves the application of contaminated material that has been
excavated onto the soil surface and periodically tilled to mix and aerate the material.
• In case of shallow contamination, the top layer of soil may be tilled without
requiring any excavation.
• Land Farming involves ploughing, tilling of contaminated soil onsite together with
application of water, nutrients and microbial inoculum.
• Landfarming is a simple technique in which contaminated soil is
excavated and spread over a prepared bed and periodically tilled until
pollutants are degraded.

• The goal is to stimulate indigenous biodegradative microorganisms and

facilitate their aerobic degradation of contaminants.

• Ingeneral, the practice is limited to the treatment of superficial 10-35

cm of soil. Since landfarming has the potential to reduce monitoring and
maintenance costs, as well as clean-up liabilities, it has received much
attention as a disposal alternative.
 Ex-situ
October 10,Bioremediation
2019–Present Techniques
Composting/Windrow
• Technique that involves combining contaminated soil with non hazardous organic
amendments such as manure or agricultural wastes. The presence of these organic
materials supports the development of a rich microbial population and elevated
temperature characteristic of composting.
Biopiles
• Hybrid of land farming and composting. Essentially, engineered cells are constructed
as aerated composted piles. Typically used for treatment of surface contamination
with petroleum hydrocarbons they are a refined version of landfarming that tend to
control physical losses of the contaminants by leaching and volatilization. Biopiles
provide a favourable environment for indigenous aerobic and anaerobic
microorganisms.
Bioreactor
 Factors Influencing Rate of Bioremediation
Environmental Factors
• Nutrients
• pH
• Temperature
• Moisture
• Soil Type
 Nutrients
• Microorganisms are present in contaminated soil, they cannot necessarily be
there in the numbers required for bioremediation of the site. Their growth
and activity must be stimulated. Biostimulation usually involves the addition
of nutrients and oxygen to help indigenous microorganisms. These nutrients
are the basic building blocks of life and allow microbes to create the
necessary enzymes to break down the contaminants.
 pH/Temperature
• The effect of soil pH on the bacterial degradation capability in bioremediation studies revealed that

low soil pH (about 5) may lead to low microbial activity but it does not lead to total inhibition of

activity, although bacterial growth and degradation prefers neutral pH.

Temperature effects
• Microbial metabolism
• Growth rates
• Physical-chemical state of the contaminants

• The temperature at which the contaminated site exists influence the type of organism that
can be used.
 Soil Type
• Effectivetreatment requires continual access to nutrients by
microbes to promote growth.

• Tightsoils, those with high clay content, restrict the free flow of
nutrients to the microbes.

• On the other hands, soils with high sand content allow nutrients
and oxygen to flow.
 Contaminant Type and Concentration
• Extreme contaminant concentration can be toxic to the microbes and inhibit
their effectiveness.

Bioavailability of Pollutants
• Organic polymers e.g. PVC are highly recalcitrant because of their insolubility and
lack of extracellular enzymes capable of degrading or depolymerisation.
• Biosurfactants
Who Thinks Crude Oil Is Delicious? These Ocean Microbes Do