The different types of bio-remediation and its importance.
- 2. WHAT IS A BIO-REMEDIATION? 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.
- 3. HOW DOES BIO-REMEDIATION WORK? Bioremediation stimulates natural microbes to consume contaminants as their energy and food source. Certain microorganisms eat toxic chemicals and pathogens, digesting and eliminating them by changing their composition into harmless gases like ethane and carbon dioxide. Some contaminated water and soil conditions already have the right counter-microbes to eliminate contaminants naturally, but human intervention can boost microbial action and accelerate nature’s remediation process.
- 4. FACTORS THAT AFFECT BIO-REMEDIATION? Host microbial contaminants: Host microbial contaminants provide fuel and energy to parasitical microbes. Parasitic microbes: Parasitic microbes feed off their harmful hosts and destroy them. Oxygen: A sufficient amount of oxygen supports the aerobic biodegradation process. Water: Water must be present in liquid form or in soil moisture content. Carbon: Carbon is the foundation of microbial life and its energy source. Temperature: The temperature must be within the right range for microbial life to flourish, so it cannot be too cold or too hot. Nutrients: Nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulfur support microbe growth. Acid and alkaline proportions: Acid and alkaline proportions must have a pH ratio ranging between 6.5 and 7.5.
- 5. CLASSIFICATION OF BIO-REMEDIATION There are two main classifications of bioremediation. This refers to where remediation is carried out, not the actual bioremediation technique classes. Bioremediation can occur in one of two locations depending on the following methods:
- 6. In Situ When bioremediation occurs in situ, all the process work takes place at the contamination site. This site can be in polluted soil that’s treated without unnecessary and expensive removal, or it can be in contaminated groundwater that’s remediated at its point of origin. In situ is the preferred bioremediation method, as it requires far less physical work and prevents people from spreading contaminants by pumping or moving them away to other treatment locations. Bioventing, biosparging and bioaugmentation are the main technique classes.
- 7. Ex Situ Ex situ means removing contaminated material from one location and moving it to a remote treatment location. This classification is less common. It involves excavating polluted soil and trucking it offsite. In the case of contaminated water, ex situ is rare, except for pumping groundwater to the surface and biologically treating it in an enclosed reservoir. Ex situ bioremediation poses a hazard because it can spread contamination or risk an accidental spill during transport.
- 8. TYPES OF BIO-REMEDIATION 1.BIO-STIMULATION a bioremediation strategy that enhances the natural ability of microorganisms to break down pollutants by optimizing their environment. It involves adding nutrients, electron acceptors, or other factors that limit microbial growth and activity, effectively boosting their capacity to degrade contaminants.
- 9. 2. BIO-AUGMENTATION a bioremediation technique that enhances the ability of existing microorganisms in a contaminated environment to degrade pollutants by introducing specific, often selected, microorganisms.
- 10. 3. INTRINSIC BIO-REMEDIATION The natural process of biodegradation that occurs without human intervention or enhancement. It relies on the existing microorganisms in the environment to break down pollutants. The process of intrinsic bio-remediation is most effective in the soil and water because of these two biomes which always have a high probability of being full of contaminants and toxins. The process of intrinsic bio-remediation is mostly used in underground places like underground petroleum tanks.
- 11. OTHER METHODS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT Incineration This is a process where wastes and other unwanted substances are burnt. During combustion, the organic waste turns into ash, flue gas, and heat. The inorganic constituents of the waste remain in the form of an ash. It is also termed as thermal treatment.
- 12. Phytoremediation 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.
- 14. 1.SUPERIOR OIL/ VOC DECOMPOSITION uses microbial action to decompose oil and VOCs into water and CO2 2. LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT pollutants are removed without producing other waste or requiring secondary treatment 3. EXCELLENT COST PERFORMANCE no major investment in facilities or construction means excellent cost performance