Cost-Effective Bioremediation to Treat Soil and Water

Contamination

With rapid growth of civilization, human beings have taken natural resources like air,
water and soil for granted. Over the years, through various human activities, harmful
and toxic chemicals have been released in the air, soil and groundwater resulting in
degradation of the environment to concerning degrees.

The conventional methods of cleaning the ecosystem include relocation of toxic

substances, use of pump and treating systems, incineration or soil vapor extraction
methods. These methods are expensive, involve use of heavy equipment's, risk the
lives of manpower involved and do not help in removing contaminants completely
thereby causing further degradation to the environment.

Hydrocarbon remediation is an emerging technology that is able to tackle all the

downsides associated with the traditional cleaning methods.
What is bioremediation?
This is a natural process which is one of the reasons behind its rising popularity. In
this method microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, yeast and other microbes are used at
the polluted sites to combat pollution.

These living organisms start a biological and chemical reaction when in contact with
contaminants and successfully break down and transform these chemicals to produce
substances that are harmless or less toxic in nature. The hydrocarbon remediation
process helps mitigate the effect of the following substances:-

1. Hydrocarbons
2. Compounds containing nitrogen
3. Toxic metals like lead, chromium, mercury etc.
4. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers
5. Organic compounds and solvents that contain halogens
The process
These toxic chemical compounds are source of energy for the minute microbes. When
these organisms come in contact with such contaminants, an oxidation-reduction
reaction occurs. As a result, energy is released that is used by the microbes. The by-
products generated from these reactions are non-toxic and much safer when compared
to the original contaminants. For example, when the microbes interact with
hydrocarbons, the by-products released are water and carbon dioxide.

What conditions are necessary for successfully carrying out biodegradation?

This type of cleanup can be done only when all the three components mentioned
below are available-

 The presence of contaminated soil or the water

 Presence of microbes that can work on the contaminants, and
 An electron acceptor

The bioremediation process is a specialized area of work. Hence, it is essential that

the only licensed BC remediation companies are hired to perform this task.

Such companies will have the requisite experience of carrying out in situ and ex situ
biodegradation processes. In the former case, the microorganisms are made to treat the
chemical contaminants at the site itself.

In the latter, the polluted soil or water is excavated or removed to another location and
the treatment is carried out there.

The advantages of the in situ process are – firstly there is almost zero disturbance to
the environment and secondly it is less expensive than the ex situ process.
There are disadvantages too – it does not allow complete remediation of the soil or
water and is not suggested for all kinds of soils. The BC remediation companies will
check the required conditions and then recommend the best biodegradation process
suitable for the particular soil or water.