Bioremediation is the completely safe and natural process of cleaning up organic contaminants through the use of microbes. The bacteria involved in the process of bioremediation are simply gluttonous microbes. These naturally occurring microbes are placed within the contaminated site in which they immediately begin to start breaking down the organic contaminant. This “breaking down” process consists of these microbes breaking the carbon chains of which make up all organic molecules.
The microbes thus work on breaking down the carbon chains until the contaminant is eliminated and no longer an environmental threat. As a result of this process carbon dioxide and water are left behind as by-products with trace elements of fatty acids.
The optimal pH for the bacterial growth is approximately 7; this is in the acceptable range for soil pH suitable for bioremediation.
Bacteria require a carbon source for cell growth and an energy source to sustain their metabolic functions, the nitrogen and phosphorus serve as an energy source and the carbon dioxide in the air is used as the carbon source.
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Bioremediation processes vary in their methods of remediation. Depending upon the location of the contamination Bioremediation techniques can either be applied to the surface and subsurface, or require above ground remediation. Surface and subsurface Bioremediation deals with contaminated soil down to twelve inches below ground level.
In this technique water and nutrients are added, in addition to tilling the soil, in order to optimize bacterial growth and begin the bioremediation process. In oppose to techniques that are directly applied to surface and subsurface contaminations, above ground bioremediation involves treatment of soils out of the given area.
Such treatments used in above ground bioremediation include that of slurry-phase and solid-phase remediation. Slurry-phase treatment involves the initial combination of water with the contaminated soil and later degradation in a bioreactor. Solid- phase treatment achieves the similar goal of the former treatment yet, in this process, the contaminated soil is placed in a bed and nourished with nutrients, moisture and oxygen in hopes that decomposition will occur.
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There are two main types of bioremediation
In-Situ Remediation:
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In-situ Bioremediation treats the contaminated soil or groundwater in the location in which it is found. In this technology oxygen and occasionally nutrients are pumped under pressure into the soil through wells. The nutrients are spread on the surface to infiltrate into the contaminated area of material or the saturated zone.
Ex-situ Bioremediation requires pumping of the groundwater or excavation of contaminated soil prior to remediation treatments. Ex-situ Bioremediation can be further broken down into two main components or processes; Slurry-phase and solid-phase treatment. Slurry-phase-This treatment involves the initial combination of water with the contaminated soil and later degradation in a bioreactor.
Solid-phase:
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This treatment achieves the similar goal of the former treatment yet, in this process, the contaminated soil is placed in a bed and nourished with nutrients, moisture and oxygen in hopes that decomposition will occur.
Bioremediation techniques are currently being used at hazardous waste sites. Specifically, they are applied to waste sites facilitating the cleanup of biodegradable contaminants. The majority of environmental hazards in which Bioremediation has proved successful include those of oil spills, gasoline contaminations, chlorinated solvents and other toxic chemical leaks.