Microbial biodegradation is the use of bioremediation and biotransformation methods to harness the naturally occurring ability of microbial xenobiotic metabolism to degrade, transform or accumulate environmental pollutants, including hydrocarbons e. Bioremediation can be grouped into two broad types. The project considered the initial spark of the bioremediation movement was the report beneficial stimulation of bacterial activity in groundwater containing petroleum products by r. Bioremediation is the process of using living organisms to remove toxic contaminants from soil or groundwater. Bioremediation stimulates the growth of certain microbes that use contaminants as a source of food and. Lower costs compared to treating the soil at the original site or at an intermediate location an environmentally friendly process. The major features and limitations are discussed, and an overview of the current state of.
It is estimated that bioremediation would cost onethird to onehalf that of incineration. Certain microorganisms eat toxic chemicals and pathogens, digesting them and eliminating through changing their composition into harmless gases like ethane and carbon dioxide. Congress, office of technology assessment,bioremediation for marine oil spills background paper, otabpo70 washington, dc. Nitrate is one of the source for eutrophication of water. This technology did not live up to its initial promise. Process can be improved by enrichment with desired microorganisms. There may be disposal problem after the process is. For instance, bioremediation techniques are typically more economical than more traditional methods. Mainly, the advantages is greater than that of disadvantages which is evident by the number of sites that choose to use this technology and its increasing popularity through time. History of bioremediation 1972 first commercial application. Bioremediation bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants or prevent pollution. Microbial biodegradation and bioremediation 1st edition.
It was observed that the increase in the concentration of nitrate in. Fungi have been proven to be a very cheap, effective and environmentally sound way for helping to remove a wide array of toxins from damaged environments or wastewater. Government printing office, washington, dc 204029325 order form can be found in the back of this report. Amongst the pollutants that are of environmental and public health concerns due to their toxicities are. Bioremediation using fungi mycoremediation envibrary. Bioremediation bacteria list of high impact articles. Sun oil pipeline spill in ambler, pennsylvania 1970s continuing bioremediation projects by richard raymond of sun oil mid1980s emphasis on bioengineering organisms for bioremediation. Figure 22 illustrates the differences between the two.
Immobilized cells are widely tested for a variety of applications. Bioremediation is a biotechnical process, which abates or cleans up contamination. Bioremediation is defined as the process whereby organic wastes are biologically degraded under controlled conditions to an innocuous state, or to levels below concentration limits established by regulatory authorities 2 for bioremediation to be effective, microorganisms must enzymatically attack the pollutants and convert them to. Microbial bioremediation and different bioreactors designs applied. The output residues are harmless products carbon dioxide or co 2, water, and cell biomass. Many microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, and protists, can break down organic toxins, transforming them into harmless products such as water and carbon dioxide during the process of bioremediation, nutrients are added to the contaminated area in order to. Immobilization of microbes for bioremediation of crude oil. In the late nineteenth century, wastewater treatment plants were formed, but even so, this was not officially called bioremediation. Bioreactors entail usually higher costs for equipment and require better knowledge of composition of waste and degradation pathways, so that this may be difficult bonaventura et al.
We will disuss environmental variables, biology, and the definition of remediation, and. It is natural process and perceived as an acceptable waste treatment process. Life finds a way most of the time bioremediation is done by microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, that. To improve the survival and retention of the bioremediation agents in the contaminated sites, bacterial cells must be immobilized. This singlesource reference encompasses all categories of pollutants and their applications in a convenient, comprehensive package. You get a better control over the reaction conditions and the bacterial growth can be optimized. Microbes are very small organisms, such as bacteria, that live naturally in the environment. Microbial biodegradation and bioremediation brings together experts in relevant fields to describe the successful application of microbes and their derivatives for bioremediation of potentially toxic and relatively novel compounds. Bioremediation experts representing academic research, field practice, regulation, and industry provide accessible information and case examples. The other names used for bioremediation are biotreatment, bioreclamation and biorestoration. Bioremediation potential of bacterial isolates for. A large number of enzymes from bacteria, fungi, and plants have been reported to be involved in the biodegradation of toxic organic pollutants. In this lesson, we will think about the advantages or the benefits of bioremediation. Mycoremediation is a form of bioremediation in which fungibased technology is used to decontaminate the environment.
Bioremediation techniquesclassification based on site of. Advances in microbial bioremediation and the factors influencing the. Bioremediation is a cost effective and nature friendly biotechnology that is powered by microbial enzymes. Bioremediation for marine oil spills princeton university. Bioremediation of aquifer in situ bioremediation isb of groundwater involves the encouragement of indigenous bacterial populations to metabolize target contaminants through the addition of various amendments biostimulation to the subsurface environment. In the process, free electrons are generated and used for the reduction of oxygen to water which produces energy in the bacterial cell. There are several key advantages to using bioremediation as opposed to other, more traditional remediation methods.
Microbial population sustains naturally using contaminant and decreases pollution. It could be achieved through the interaction of microbes with the toxic contaminants, which leads to immobilization, compartmentalization, and concentration of pollutants rather than their degradation and elimination from the environment. It is useful for complete destruction of wide variety of. It was further reported that during monitoring of intrinsic bioremediation of chronically polluted marine coastal environment, the most polluted sediments tended to have higher total bacterial diversity, abundance and culturable hydrocarbon degraders and contributed to natural attenuation of such site. Pdf bioremediation techniquesclassification based on site of. Bioremediation is also attractive because of several advantages that its application has over more conventional technology.
Bioremediation regardless of the technique used, offsite bioremediation by waste management offers numerous advantages over onsite treatment, windrow composting or incineration. In many cases, bioremediation is less expensive and more sustainable than other remediation alternatives. Bioremediation process types of bioremediation examples. The research activity in this area would contribute towards developing advanced bioprocess technology to reduce the toxicity of. Advantages and disadvantages of bioremediation world. Firstly, because it can normally be conducted insitu, bioremediation tends to be the most cost effective option, as it does not involve any costly transportation of.
Phytoremediation acknowledgements glossary bibliography biographical sketch summary a brief outline of the development of bioremediation technologies is presented. A wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and algae, can act as biologically active methylators, which are able to at least modify toxic species. Advantages in biodegradation, genetic engineering approaches, and novel approaches of microbial. The use of biomass such as bacteria, fungi and algae as a biosorbent have great potentials for cleaning up environmental contaminants due to the availability of wide range of sorption sites which retain metals and metallic ions, as well as other organic compounds. As the majority of bacteria show optimal growth at neutral.
Bioremediation techniquesclassification based on site of application. There are some disadvantages and challenges associated with bioremediation. Pumping ground water to the surface, treating, and reinjecting. Advantages and limitations of in situ methods of bioremediation. Ecosystems are permanently challenged with the abundant release of toxic compounds into the environment due to a wide range of anthropogenic activities. Cormac g m gahan bacterial bile salt hydrolase in the regulation of host lipid metabolism and circadian rhythm. The nitrate concentration prior to treatment was very high than permissible limits.
It is a type of waste management technique which involves the use of organisms to remove or utilize the pollutants from a polluted area. Remediation process is the solution for the problem of heavy metals contamination abioye, 2011. Review paper factors limiting bioremediation technologies. The use of microbial bioreactors in remediation is very attractive in that the bioreactors offer the advantages of providing a controlled environment.
Role of microbial enzymes in the bioremediation of. There are many types of support and immobilization techniques that can be selected based on the sort of application. Only very few examples exists where classic efficient bioremediation principles have. Bioremediation using microorganisms shows great potential for future development due to its environmental compatibility and possible costeffectiveness. Bioremediation is a process used to treat contaminated media, including water, soil and subsurface material, by altering environmental conditions to stimulate growth of microorganisms and degrade the target pollutants.
Fungi have, however, several advantages over bacte rial degrading. Pdf bioremediation techniquesclassification based on. There are several remedies where contaminated water or solid is purified by chemical treatment, incineration, and burial in a. Bioremediation has been used in different sites globally within varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, the principles, techniques, advantages and disadvantages of bioremediation are not widely known or understood, especially among those who will have to deal directly with bioremediation proposals, such as site owners and regulators. Remediation of polluted sites using microbial process bioremediation has proven effective. Environmental pollution has been on the rise in the past few decades owing to increased human activities on energy reservoirs, unsafe agricultural practices and rapid industrialization.
The reaction is performed at the bacterial cell membrane. Factors limiting bioremediation technologies envis. The toxins include heavy metals, persistent organic. Microbial bioremediation serves as an alternative and effective strategy to remove toxic contaminants from a polluted environment. A variety of approaches are employed in bioremediation, encapsulation of bacterial cells is. Bioremediation bacteria is used to clean the oil spils in the ocean through bioremidation therir are specific bacteria for specific contaminants such as hydrocarbons,which are present in oil and gasolin. In the present study, the maximum reduction in nitrate was showed by b. Intrinsic bioremediation manages the innate capabilities of naturally occurring microbial communities to degrade environmental pollutants without taking any engineering steps to enhance the process. The main role of bioremediation is to reduce the cost.