Introduction
Type of pesticides
Advantage & disadvantages of pesticides
Degradation of pesticide
Microbial degradation of pesticides
Mode of microbial metabolism of pesticides
Strategies for biodegradation
Approaches for biodegradation of pesticide
Chemical reaction leading biodegradation of pesticide
Metabolism of pesticides by MO
Metabolism of DDT
"Remediate" means to solve a problem, and "bio-remediate" means to use biological organisms to solve an environmental problem such as contaminated soil or groundwater.
Bioremediation means to use a biological remedy to abate or clean up contamination.
According to the EPA, bioremediation is a “treatment that uses naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non toxic substances”.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGY
BIOREMEDIATION OF OIL SPILLS
CASE STUDY
CONCLUSION
Subtopics
Bio remediation in hot and cold environments
Use of Nitrogen fixing Bacteria
Bio remediation using fungi from soil samples
Bio remediation using bacteria and case studies
•Introduction of bioremediation: Bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants i.e. toxic wastes found in soil, water, air etc.
•In situ bioremediation:
It involves a direct approach for the microbial
degradation of xenobiotics at the sites of pollution
(soil, ground water).
•Types of in situ bioremediation:
Natural attenuation.
Engineered in situ bioremediation.
- Bioventing, biosparging, bioslurping,
phytoremediation.
•Ex situ bioremediation:
Waste or toxic pollutants can be collected from the polluted sites and bioremediation can be carried out at a designated place or site.
• Types of ex situ bioremediation
Land farming, windrow, biopiles, bioreactors.
•Microorganisms use in bioremediation:
A number of naturally occurring marine microbes
such as Pseudomonas sp. is capable of degrading oil and other hydrocarbons.
•Factors affecting bioremediation:
Nutrient availability, moisture content, pH, temperature, contaminant availability.
•References:
Satyanarayana U. Biotechnology. BOOKS AND ALLIED (P) Ltd.
Sharma P.D. Environmental Microbiology. RASTOGI PUBLICATIONS.
Gupta P.K. Biotechnology and Genomics. RASTOGI PUBLICATIONS.
Dubey R.C. A Textbook of Biotechnology. S Chand And Company Ltd.
Dubey R.C. A Textbook of Microbiology. S Chand And Company Ltd.
Willey/Sherwood/Woolverton. Prescott’s Microbiology. McGRAW-HILL INTERNATIONAL EDITION.
www.sciencedirect.com/bioremediation.
Introduction
Type of pesticides
Advantage & disadvantages of pesticides
Degradation of pesticide
Microbial degradation of pesticides
Mode of microbial metabolism of pesticides
Strategies for biodegradation
Approaches for biodegradation of pesticide
Chemical reaction leading biodegradation of pesticide
Metabolism of pesticides by MO
Metabolism of DDT
"Remediate" means to solve a problem, and "bio-remediate" means to use biological organisms to solve an environmental problem such as contaminated soil or groundwater.
Bioremediation means to use a biological remedy to abate or clean up contamination.
According to the EPA, bioremediation is a “treatment that uses naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non toxic substances”.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGY
BIOREMEDIATION OF OIL SPILLS
CASE STUDY
CONCLUSION
Subtopics
Bio remediation in hot and cold environments
Use of Nitrogen fixing Bacteria
Bio remediation using fungi from soil samples
Bio remediation using bacteria and case studies
•Introduction of bioremediation: Bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants i.e. toxic wastes found in soil, water, air etc.
•In situ bioremediation:
It involves a direct approach for the microbial
degradation of xenobiotics at the sites of pollution
(soil, ground water).
•Types of in situ bioremediation:
Natural attenuation.
Engineered in situ bioremediation.
- Bioventing, biosparging, bioslurping,
phytoremediation.
•Ex situ bioremediation:
Waste or toxic pollutants can be collected from the polluted sites and bioremediation can be carried out at a designated place or site.
• Types of ex situ bioremediation
Land farming, windrow, biopiles, bioreactors.
•Microorganisms use in bioremediation:
A number of naturally occurring marine microbes
such as Pseudomonas sp. is capable of degrading oil and other hydrocarbons.
•Factors affecting bioremediation:
Nutrient availability, moisture content, pH, temperature, contaminant availability.
•References:
Satyanarayana U. Biotechnology. BOOKS AND ALLIED (P) Ltd.
Sharma P.D. Environmental Microbiology. RASTOGI PUBLICATIONS.
Gupta P.K. Biotechnology and Genomics. RASTOGI PUBLICATIONS.
Dubey R.C. A Textbook of Biotechnology. S Chand And Company Ltd.
Dubey R.C. A Textbook of Microbiology. S Chand And Company Ltd.
Willey/Sherwood/Woolverton. Prescott’s Microbiology. McGRAW-HILL INTERNATIONAL EDITION.
www.sciencedirect.com/bioremediation.
Environmental Microbiology: Microbial degradation of recalcitrant compoundsTejaswini Petkar
A brief presentation on 'Microbial degradation of recalcitrant compounds'- their classes,their sources, the microorganisms involved and their modes of degradation,
• Bioremediation – process of cleaning up environmental sites contaminated with chemical pollutants by using living organisms to degrade hazardous materials into less toxic substances
Biodegradation or biological degradation is the phenomenon of biological transformation of organic compounds by living organisms, particularly the microorganisms.
Biodegradation basically involves the conversion of complex organic molecules to simpler (and mostly non-toxic) ones. The term biotransformation is used for incomplete biodegradation of organic compounds involving one or a few reactions. Biotransformation is employed for the synthesis of commercially important products by microorganisms.
Bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants i.e. the toxic wastes found in soil, water, air etc. The microbes serve as scavengers in bioremediation. The removal of organic wastes by microbes for environmental clean-up is the essence of bioremediation. The other names used (by some authors) for bioremediation are bio-treatment, bio-reclamation and bio-restoration.
It is rather difficult to show any distinction between biodegradation and bioremediation. Further, in biotechnology, most of the reactions of biodegradation/bioremediation involve xenobiotic.
Discussed about Sources of Heavy metals , Sources of Heavy metals , Bioremediation, Biosorption by Fungi, Algae, Bacteria , Factors affecting Biosorption , Heavy metals relation with human beings
Biomagnification, also known
as bioamplification or biological magnification, is
any concentration of a toxin, such as pesticides, in
the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively
higher levels in a food chain.
The USEPA defines biodegradation as a process by which microbial organisms transform or alter (through metabolic or enzymatic action) the structure of chemicals introduced into the environment.
According to the definition by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the term biodegradation is “Breakdown of a substance catalyzed by enzymes in vitro or in vivo.
The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management, biomedicine, and the natural environment (bioremediation) and is now commonly associated with environmentally friendly products that are capable of decomposing back into natural elements.
Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms.
Environmental Microbiology: Microbial degradation of recalcitrant compoundsTejaswini Petkar
A brief presentation on 'Microbial degradation of recalcitrant compounds'- their classes,their sources, the microorganisms involved and their modes of degradation,
• Bioremediation – process of cleaning up environmental sites contaminated with chemical pollutants by using living organisms to degrade hazardous materials into less toxic substances
Biodegradation or biological degradation is the phenomenon of biological transformation of organic compounds by living organisms, particularly the microorganisms.
Biodegradation basically involves the conversion of complex organic molecules to simpler (and mostly non-toxic) ones. The term biotransformation is used for incomplete biodegradation of organic compounds involving one or a few reactions. Biotransformation is employed for the synthesis of commercially important products by microorganisms.
Bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants i.e. the toxic wastes found in soil, water, air etc. The microbes serve as scavengers in bioremediation. The removal of organic wastes by microbes for environmental clean-up is the essence of bioremediation. The other names used (by some authors) for bioremediation are bio-treatment, bio-reclamation and bio-restoration.
It is rather difficult to show any distinction between biodegradation and bioremediation. Further, in biotechnology, most of the reactions of biodegradation/bioremediation involve xenobiotic.
Discussed about Sources of Heavy metals , Sources of Heavy metals , Bioremediation, Biosorption by Fungi, Algae, Bacteria , Factors affecting Biosorption , Heavy metals relation with human beings
Biomagnification, also known
as bioamplification or biological magnification, is
any concentration of a toxin, such as pesticides, in
the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively
higher levels in a food chain.
The USEPA defines biodegradation as a process by which microbial organisms transform or alter (through metabolic or enzymatic action) the structure of chemicals introduced into the environment.
According to the definition by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the term biodegradation is “Breakdown of a substance catalyzed by enzymes in vitro or in vivo.
The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management, biomedicine, and the natural environment (bioremediation) and is now commonly associated with environmentally friendly products that are capable of decomposing back into natural elements.
Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms.
A detailed presentation on current hot emerging topic BIOREMEDIATION explaining the process and the needs with advantages and disadvantages of the same
Phytoremediation in Plants: Types, Mechanisms, and Environmental Applications...The Lifesciences Magazine
Here are five types of Phytoremediation in Plants: 1. Phytoextraction, 2. Phytodegradation, 3. Rhizofiltration, 4. Phytostabilization, 5. Phytovolatilization.
The basic food law is intended to assure consumers that foods are pure and wholesome, safe to eat, and produced under sanitary conditions. Generally, food law prohibits importation and distribution of food products that are adulterated, or have labels that are false or misleading in any context.
Soil and water conditions. ...
Keep an eye on the forecast for heavy rainfall events. ...
Calibrate, inspect, and maintain manure application equipment. ...
Separation distances for land application. ...
Irrigation of manure sources. ...
Savvy stockpiling and dry manure management.
Based on the mode of action, the major food preservation techniques can be categorized as: (1) slowing down or inhibiting chemical deterioration and microbial growth, (2) directly inactivating bacteria, yeasts, molds, or enzymes, and (3) avoiding recontamination before and after processing.
Food processing waste is derived from the processing of biological materials and is, in the main, biodegradable. Biowaste is defined in the landfill directive as 'waste capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition such as food and garden waste, and paper and cardboard
Water has a wide variety of uses in food production, for cleaning, sanitation, and manufacturing purposes. In addition to being an ingredient in many foods, it may be used for various other operations, such as for growing, unloading, fluming, washing, brining, ice manufacture, and in sanitation and in hygiene programs.
The environmental damage of food production from conventional agriculture is not limited to deforestation and pollutants associated with crop growth. Harvesting the crop represents a significant amount of nutrients, water, and energy being taken from the land.
The basis for sanitation is the removal of soils from the manufacturing environment. There are many benefits to this process. From a food safety standpoint, there is the removal of pathogenic organisms, prevention of the formation of biofilms and removal of potentially harmful chemicals from food contact surfaces.
Food packaging is defined as enclosing food to protect it from tampering or contamination from physical, chemical, and biological sources, with active packaging being the most common packaging system used for preserving food products.
Sugar, salt, nitrites, butylated hydroxy anisol (BHA), butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), vinegar, citric acid, and calcium propionate are all chemicals that preserve foods. Salt, sodium nitrite, spices, vinegar, and alcohol have been used to preserve foods for centuries.
Sugaring is a food preservation method similar to pickling. Sugaring is the process of desiccating a food by first dehydrating it, then packing it with pure sugar. This sugar can be crystalline in the form of table or raw sugar, or it can be a high sugar density liquid such as honey, syrup or molasses.
Removing the moisture from food helps prevent bacterial and fungal growth which would ruin stored foods. Smoking is a method of drying that also imparts flavor to the food (usually meat items), and smoke helps keep bacteria-carrying-insects away during the drying process.
Microwave penetrates inside the food materials resulting in entire internal cooking of whole volume of food rapidly and uniformly reducing the processing time and energy. This fast heat transfer in turn results in preservation of nutrients, vitamins contents, flavor, sensory characteristics, and color of food
Food irradiation (the application of ionizing radiation to food) is a technology that improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects. Like pasteurizing milk and canning fruits and vegetables, irradiation can make food safer for the consumer
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food and food packaging to ionizing radiation, such as from gamma rays, x-rays, or electron beams. Wikipedia
Low dose (up to 1 kGy): Inhibit sprouting (potatoes, onions, yams, garlic)
Lowering the temperature of food so that microbes and enzymes are inactivated.
Moisture is changed to ice and microbes become inactive without water.
Packaging food maintains the colour, flavour and texture.
Fast freezing (-25ºC) helps maintain nutritive value and texture of food.
Chilling is an important activity in food processing. Foods are chilled to extend shelf life by reducing biochemical reactions and microbial activity. Temperature control is essential in order to prevent spoilage and food safety concerns during storage.1
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products.
Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water.
Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ancient times; the earliest known practice is 12,000 B.C. by inhabitants of the modern Middle East and Asia regions. Drying is a simple method for preserving food.
Dried foods make great healthy and tasty snacks. They are good for lunches, travel, backpacking, hiking, and camping plus many other activities. Most types of foods can be dried. Drying is an ancient method of food preservation.
Most foods will not support the growth of bacteria if their water activity is less than 0.85, because at this water activity there is not enough water available for the bacteria to grow.
However, yeasts can grow at water activities as low as 0.70, while some molds will grow even at water activities as low as 0.60!
Foods with water activities in this range usually have preservatives added to prevent the growth of yeasts and molds.
Acidic foods with a pH less than 4.6, such as tomato sauce, retard the growth of microorganisms. Thus an acidic food with a water activity less than 0.85 is relatively shelf stable, especially if it is stored in the refrigerator.
In this case, low pH, water activity and temperature combine to provide good insurance against the growth of harmful pathogens.
Sorption is a physical and chemical process by which one substance becomes attached to another.
Sorption includes both adsorption & absorption
e.g., liquids being absorbed by a solid or gases being absorbed by a liquid, cotton dipped in ink.
Sorption the process in which one substance takes up or holds another; adsorption or absorption
Sorption is a process in which a solute moves from a fluid to a particulate solid.
The food sorption isotherm describes the thermodynamic relationship between water activity and the equilibrium of the moisture content of a food product at constant temperature and pressure. ...
The typical shape of an isotherm reflects the way in which the water binds the system.
Water plays many very important roles in food. It affects texture (dry and brittle versus moist and soft), enables the activity of enzymes and chemical reactions to occur (acts as a solvent), supports the growth of microorganisms, makes it possible for large molecules like polysaccharides and proteins to move about and interact, and conducts heat within food.
Many foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, fruits and vegetables are composed of 75% and more water, so water is the most abundant component in many fresh foods. Other foods such as dairy products, and fresh baked goods also contain high levels of water (about 35% or more). Foods that are high in moisture are at
risk of contamination from the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and mold, while dry foods like pasta generally have long shelf lives.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
2. Bioremediation
Introduction:
There are several remedies where contaminated water or solid is purified by
chemical treatment, incineration, and burial in a landfill. There are other types of waste
management technique which include solid waste management, nuclear waste
management, etc. Bioremediation is different as it uses no toxic chemicals.
Microorganisms like Bacteria and Fungi are the main role player when it comes to
executing the process of Bioremediation. Bacteria are the most crucial microbes in this process
as they break down the waste into nutrients and organic matter. Even though this is an
efficient process of waste management but bioremediation cannot destroy 100% contaminants.
Bacteria can easily digest contaminants like chlorinated pesticides or clean oil spills but
microorganisms fail to destroy heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
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.
It is a process that uses mainly microorganisms but also plants, or microbial or plant
enzymes to detoxify contaminants in the soil and other environments.
The concept includes biodegradation, which refers to the partial and sometimes total,
transformation or detoxification of contaminants by microorganisms and plants.
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
3. an enriched culture of microorganisms that have specific characteristics that allow them to
degrade the desired contaminant at a quicker rate (bioaugmentation).
What is Bioremediation?
Bioremediation is a biotechnical process, which abates or cleans up contamination. It is a type
of waste management technique which involves the use of organisms to remove or utilize the
pollutants from a polluted area.
Objective of Bioremediation
The goal of bioremediation is to at least reduce pollutant levels to undetectable, nontoxic, or
acceptable levels, that is, to within limits set by regulatory agencies or, ideally, to
completely mineralize organo pollutants to carbon dioxide.
Principle of Bioremediation
Bioremediation relies on stimulating the growth of certain microbes that use contaminants like
oil, solvents, and pesticides as a source of food and energy.
These microbes consume the contaminants, converting them into small amounts of water and
harmless gases like carbon dioxide.
Effective bioremediation needs a combination of the right temperature, nutrients, and
food; otherwise, it may take much longer for the cleanup of contaminants.
If conditions are not favorable for bioremediation, they can be improved by adding
“amendments” to the environment, such as molasses, vegetable oil or simply air.
These amendments create optimum conditions for microbes to flourish and complete the
bioremediation process.
The process of bioremediation can take anywhere from a few months to several years.
4. The amount of time required depends on variables such as the size of the contaminated area,
the concentration of contaminants, conditions such as temperature and soil density, and
whether bioremediation will take place in situ or ex-situ.
Categories of Bioremediation
Biological remediation can be categorized into two types:
I. microbial remediation
II. phytoremediation.
I. Microbial Remediation
Micro-organisms are well known for their ability to break down a huge range of organic
compounds and absorb inorganic substances. Currently, microbes are used to clean up
pollution treatment in processes known as bioremediation.
Different microbial systems like bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and actinomycetes can be used for
removal of toxic and other contaminants from the environment.
Microorganisms are readily available, rapidly characterized, highly diverse, omnipresent, and
can use many noxious elements as their nutrient source.
They can be applied in both in situ and ex-situ conditions; in addition, many extreme
environmental conditions can be cleaned by such entities.
Although many microorganisms are capable of degrading crude oil present in soil, it has been
found beneficial to employ a mix culture approach than the pure cultures in
bioremediation as it shows the synergistic interactions.
Different bacteria can be used for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants from
soil.
The bacteria that can degrade major pollutants
include Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Moraxella, Beijerinckia, Flavobacteria, chrobacteria, N
5.
6. ocardia, Corynebacteria, Acinetobacter, Mycobactena, Modococci, Streptomyces, Bacili,
Arthrobacter, Aeromonas, and Cyanobacteria.
II. Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation = Phyto (Plant) + Remedium (Restoring balance or Remediation)
In this scenario, plants are directly used to clean up or contain contaminants in the soil. This
method of bioremediation will help mitigate the environmental problem without the need to
excavate the contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere.
Phytoremediation is a bioremediation process that uses various types of plants to remove,
transfer, stabilize, and/or destroy contaminants in the soil and groundwater.
There are several different types of phytoremediation mechanisms. Rhizosphere biodegradation.
In this process, the plant releases natural substances through its roots, supplying
nutrients to microorganisms in the soil. The
microorganisms enhance biological degradation.
Phyto-stabilization.
In this process, chemical compounds produced by the
plant immobilize contaminants, rather than degrade them.
Phyto-accumulation (also called phytoextraction).
In this process, plant roots absorb the contaminants along with other nutrients and water. The
contaminant mass is not destroyed but ends up in the plant shoots and leaves. This method is
used primarily for wastes containing metals.
Hydroponic Systems for Treating Water Streams (Rhizofiltration).
Rhizofiltration is similar to phytoaccumulation, but the plants used for cleanup are raised in
greenhouses with their roots in water. This method of growing can be used for
7. ex-situ groundwater treatment. That is, groundwater is pumped to the
surface to irrigate these plants. Typically hydroponic systems utilize an
artificial soil medium, such as sand mixed with perlite or vermiculite.
As the roots become saturated with contaminants, they are harvested
and disposed of.
Phyto-volatilization.
In this process, plants take up water
containing organic contaminants and release the
contaminants into the air through their leaves.
Phyto-degradation.
In this process, plants actually metabolize and destroy
contaminants within plant tissues.
Hydraulic Control.
In this process, trees indirectly remediate by controlling the
groundwater movement. Trees act as natural pumps ,when their roots
reach down towards the water
table and establish a dense root mass that takes up large quantities of
water. A poplar tree, for example, pulls out of the ground 30 gallons of
water per day, and cottonwood can
absorb up to 350 gallons per day.
8. Types of Bioremediation Methods
Natural attenuation or intrinsic bioremediation:
Bioremediation occurs on its own without adding anything. Biostimulation:
Bioremediation is spurred on via the addition of fertilizers to increase the
bioavailability within the medium.
Technologies can be generally classified as in situ or ex-situ.
In situ bioremediation:
It involves treating the contaminated material at the site.
Ex situ bioremediation:
It involves the removal of the contaminated material to be treated elsewhere. Methods of
Bioremediation
Some examples of bioremediation-related technologies are:
1. Phytoremediation
9.
10.
11.
12. 2. Bioventing
3. Bioleaching
4. Land-farming
5. Bioreactor
6. Composting
7. Bioaugmentation
8. Rhizo-filtration
9. Biostimulation
Applications of Bioremediation
Bioremediation is used for the remediation of metals, 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 of Bioremediation
Bioremediation has a number of advantages over other cleanup 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.
13. The process of bioremediation creates few harmful byproducts since contaminants and
pollutants are converted into water and harmless gases like carbon dioxide.
Bioremediations is cheaper than most cleanup methods, as it does not require a great deal of
equipment or labor.
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.
Scientists need to establish whether contaminants that collect in the leaves and wood of trees
are released when the leaves fall in the autumn or when firewood or mulch from the trees is
used.
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.
Generally, the use of phytoremediation is limited to sites with lower contaminant
concentrations and contamination in shallow soils, streams, and groundwater.
The success of phytoremediation may be seasonal, depending on location. Other climatic factors
will also influence its effectiveness.
14. The success of remediation depends on establishing a selected plant community.
Introducing new plant species can have widespread ecological ramifications. It should be
studied beforehand and monitored
If contaminant concentrations are too high, plants may die.
Some phytoremediation transfers contamination across media, (e.g., from soil to air).
Phytoremediation is not effective for strongly sorbed contaminants such as polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs).
Phytoremediation requires a large surface area of land for remediation.