This document discusses bioremediation, which is the use of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi to break down pollutants and contaminants in the environment. It can be used to degrade a variety of compounds, including crude oil, refined oil, pesticides, and herbicides. There are two main types - in situ bioremediation treats contaminants on-site, while ex situ removes and treats contaminated soil and water elsewhere. Bioremediation offers advantages like being cost effective and causing little disruption, but is limited to biodegradable compounds and products of biodegradation could potentially be more toxic.

2. What is
Bioremediation?
 It 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.
 Simply:
 The use of bacteria and fungi and plants to break
down or degrade toxic chemical compounds that have
accumulated in the environment

3. COMPOUNDS WHICH CAN BE
ELIMINATED BY BIOREMEDIATION
• POLLUTANTS
• NATURALLY-OCCURRING
COMPOUNDS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT THAT ARE
PRESENT IN UNNATURALLY
HIGH CONCENTRATIONS.
• EXAMPLES:
• CRUDE OIL
• REFINED OIL
• PHOSPHATES
• HEAVY METALS
• XENOBIOTICS
• CHEMICALLY SYNTHESIZED
COMPOUNDS THAT HAVE
NEVER OCCURRED IN
NATURE.
• EXAMPLES:
• PESTICIDES
• HERBICIDES
• PLASTICS

4. WHY MICROBES ??
• TYPICALLY VERY RAPID IF FOOD (CARBON SOURCE) IS PRESENT:
POPULATION DOUBLES EVERY 45 MINUTES
• PRISTINE SOILS CONTAIN 100 TO 1000 AEROBIC BACTERIA PER
GRAM OF SOIL
5
• INCREASES TO 10
WITHIN ONE WEEK IF CARBON SOURCE IS
INTRODUCED

5. FUNDAMENTALS OF CLEANUP REACTIONS
• AEROBIC METABOLISM
• MICROBES USE O2 IN THEIR METABOLISM TO DEGRADE
CONTAMINANTS
• ANAEROBIC METABOLISM
• MICROBES SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER CHEMICAL FOR O2 TO
DEGRADE CONTAMINANTS

7. TYPES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
• THE TWO MAIN TYPES OF
BIOREMEDIATION ARE IN SITU
BIOREMEDIATION AND EX SITU
BIOREMEDIATION. IN ADDITION,
ANOTHER OFFSHOOT OF
BIOREMEDIATION IS
PHYTOREMEDIATION.

8. IN-SITU VS. EX-SITU
REMEDIATION
IN-SITU BIOREMEDIATION TREATS CONTAMINATED SOIL OR
GROUNDWATER IN THE LOCATION WHERE IT WAS FOUND.
USUALLY MICROORGANISMS ARE PUMPED INTO THE SOIL OR
GROUND WATER SO THE CONTAMINATED SOIL AND WATER
CAN BE BROKEN DOWN
Ex-Situ bioremediation needs the
contaminated water to be pumped out and
the contaminated soil to be removed. The
contaminated water and soil are treated
with microorganisms and then after the
materials are degraded the soil and water
are placed in a bed with oxygen and rich
nutrients for further degradation.

9. PHYTOREMEDIATION
 Phytoremediation is the use of
plants to clean up potentially
damaging spills.
 The plants work with soil organisms
to transform contaminants, such as
heavy metals and toxic organic
compounds, into harmless or
valuable forms.

10. ADVANTAGES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
• BIOREMEDIATION CAN OFTEN BE CARRIED OUT ON SITE,
OFTEN WITHOUT CAUSING A MAJOR DISRUPTION OF
NORMAL ACTIVITIES.
• BIOREMEDIATION CAN PROVE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN
OTHER TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE USED FOR CLEANUP OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE

11. DISADVANTAGES OF
BIOREMEDIATION
• BIOREMEDIATION IS LIMITED TO THOSE COMPOUNDS THAT
ARE BIODEGRADABLE. NOT ALL COMPOUNDS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE
TO RAPID AND COMPLETE DEGRADATION.
• THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS THAT THE PRODUCTS OF
BIODEGRADATION MAY BE MORE PERSISTENT OR TOXIC THAN
THE PARENT COMPOUND.

12. CONCLUSION
The reasons bioremediation is sought after as an
effective and responsible method of cleaning up oil
spills is that it is cost effective and environmentally
safe and unlike chemicals and machines the
bacteria not only breakdown the hydrocarbons, it
cleans ups the residue. It’s all natural.