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Environmental Business Review | Thursday, May 25, 2023
Bioremediation is a biotechnical process that decreases or cleans up pollution.
Fremont, CA: Bioremediation is a biotechnical process that decreases or cleans up pollution. It is a class of waste management methods that involve utilizing organisms to eliminate or utilize the contaminants from a contaminated area.
There are many remedies where polluted water or solid is treated by chemical treatment, incineration, and burial in a landfill. Other types of waste management techniques incorporate solid waste management, nuclear waste management, etc. Bioremediation is distinct as it employs no toxic chemicals.
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Microorganisms such as Bacteria and Fungi are the main role players in executing the Bioremediation process. Bacteria are the most important microbes in this method as they disseminate the waste into nutrients and organic matter. Although this is an effective waste management process, Bioremediation cannot destroy 100% of contaminants. Bacteria can readily digest pollutants like chlorinated pesticides or clean oil spills, but microorganisms cannot destroy heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.
Various types of Bioremediation
Bioremediation is of three types –
1. Biostimulation
As the name implies, the bacteria is stimulated to start the process. The polluted soil is first mixed with special nutrient substances comprising other major components, either liquid or gas. It stimulates the development of microbes, thus resulting in the efficient and quick elimination of contaminants by microbes and other bacteria.
2. Bioaugmentation
Occasionally, there are specific sites where microorganisms are necessary to remove the pollutants, for illustration– municipal wastewater. In these particular cases, the method of bioaugmentation is employed. There’s just one major con to this method. It almost turns unlikely to control the development of microorganisms by eliminating the specific contaminant.
3. Intrinsic Bioremediation
The operation of intrinsic Bioremediation is most effective in the soil and water as these two biomes often have high feasibility of being complete contaminants and toxins. The intrinsic bioremediation method is mostly employed in underground places such as underground petroleum tanks. In such a place, it is hard to detect leakage, and pollutants and toxins can find their way to enter these leaks and pollute the petrol. Hence, just microorganisms can eradicate the toxins and clean the tanks.
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