BIOREMEDIA
TION
KHADIJAH G.
ALKALI
INTRODUC
TION
‘Remediate’ means to solve a problem while ’bioremediate’ means the use of
biological organisms or system to solve an environmental problem such as
contaminated soil or ground water.
• Bioremediation refers to the use of either naturally occurring or deliberately
introduced microorganisms to consume and break down environmental pollutants, in
order to clean a polluted site.
• The process of bioremediation enhances the rate of the natural microbial
degradation of contaminants by supplementing the indigenous microorganisms
(bacteria or fungi) with nutrients, carbon sources, or electron donors (biostimulation,
biorestoration) or by adding an enriched culture of microorganisms that have specific
characteristics that allow them to degrade the desired contaminant at a quicker rate
(bioaugmentation).
• It is a cleaning process that degrades dangerous contaminants using naturally
existing microbes or plants (phytoremediation)
OBJECTIVE OF
BIOREMEDIATION
The objective of bioremediation is to decrease pollutant levels to undetectable, nontoxic, or
acceptable levels, ie., within regulatory limits, or, ideally, to totally mineralize
organopollutants to carbon dioxide.
The term "Xenobiotics" (xenos means foreign) refers to the unnatural, foreign and synthetic
chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, refrigerants, solvents and other organic
compounds.
• The microbial degradation of xenobiotics also helps in reducing the environmental
pollution. Pseudomonas which is a soil microorganism effectively degrades xenobiotics.
• Different strains of Pseudomonas that are capable of detoxifying more than 100 organic
compounds (e.g. phenols, biphenyls, organophosphates, naphthalene, etc.) have been
identified.
• Some other microbial strains are also known to have the capacity to degrade xenobiotics
such as Mycobacterium, Alcaligenes, Noreardia, etc.
TYPES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
IN SITU
BIOREMEDIATION
• Involves a direct approach for the microbial degradation of xenobiotics at the site of
pollution.
• Addition of adequate quantities of nutrients at the site promotes microbial growth.
• When these microorganisms are exposed to xenobiotics, they develop metabolic ability
to degrade them.
• The growth of microorganisms & their ability to bring out biodegradation are dependent
on the supply of essential nutrients.
• In situ bioremediation has been successfully applied for cleanup of oil spillages,
beaches etc.
There are 2 types of in situ bioremediation
• 1. Intrinsic in-situ bioremediation
2. Engineered in-situ bioremediation
TYPES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
EX-SITU
BIOREMEDIATION
• The waste or toxic materials can be collected from polluted sites &
the bioremediation with the requisite microorganism can be carried
out at designed places.
• This process is certainly an improvement over in-situ bioremediation
& has been successfully used at some places.
• Ex-situ bioremediation can occur in 2 ways
1. Slurry phase bioremediation
2. Solid phase bioremediation
TECHNIQUES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
Bio-stimulation: Nutrients and oxygen in a liquid or gas form are added to contaminated
water or soil to encourage the growth and activity of bacteria already existing in the soil or
water. The disappearance of contaminants is monitored to ensure that remediation occurs.
Bioaugmentation: Microorganisms that can clean up a particular contaminant are added to
the contaminated soil or water. Bioaugmentation is more commonly and successfully used
on contaminants removed from the original site, such as in municipal wastewater
treatment facilities.
Intrinsic Bioremediation: Also known as natural attenuation, this type of bioremediation
occurs naturally in contaminated soil or water. This natural bioremediation is the work of
microorganisms and is seen in petroleum contamination sites, such as old gas stations with
leaky underground oil tanks.
All three techniques of bioremediation can be used at the site of contamination (in situ) or
on contamination removed from the original site (ex situ). Other techniques include: •
Bioventing • Bioleaching • Land-farming • Bioreactor • Composting • Rhizo-filtration •
Hytoremediation.
APPLICATION OF
Bioremediation is used for the remediation of metals,
BIOREMEDIATION
radionuclides, pesticides, explosives, fuels, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds
(SVOCs).
Research is underway to understand the role of phytoremediation
to remediate perchlorate, a contaminant that has been shown to
be persistent in surface and groundwater systems. It may be
used to clean up contaminants found in soil and groundwater.
For radioactive substances, chelating agents are sometimes used
to make the contaminants amenable to plant uptake.
ADVANTAGES
Bioremediation has a number of advantages over other clean up methods. As it only uses
natural processes, it is a relatively green method that causes less damage to ecosystems.
It often takes place underground, as amendments and microbes can be pumped
underground to clean up contaminants in groundwater and soil; therefore, it does not
cause much disruption to nearby communities.
* The process of bioremediation creates few harmful by-products since contaminants and
pollutants are converted into water and harmless gases like carbon dioxide.
*Bioremediations is cheaper than most clean up methods, as it does not require a great
deal of equipment or labour.
* Bioremediation can be tailored to the needs of the polluted site in question and the
specific microbes needed to break down the pollutant are encouraged by selecting the
limiting factor needed to promote their growth.
LIMITATIONS AND CONCERNS OF
BIOREMEDIATION
The toxicity and bioavailability of biodegradation products are not always known.
Degradation by-products may be mobilized in groundwater or bio-accumulated in animals.
Additional research is needed to determine the fate of various compounds in the plant
metabolic cycle to ensure that plant droppings and products do not contribute to toxic or
harmful chemicals into the food chain.
Disposal of harvested plants can be a problem if they contain high levels of heavy metals.
The depth of the contaminants limits treatment. In most cases, it is limited to shallow soils,
streams, and groundwater.
PROGRESS IMAGES OF
BIOREMEDIATION PROJECTS
PROGRESS IMAGES OF
BIOREMEDIATION PROJECTS
PROGRESS IMAGES OF
BIOREMEDIATION PROJECTS
thank
you
