Bioremediation

People are constantly worried about the purity of groundwater and soil. I, for one, certainly did. I worry all the time about whether the water I use is clean or whether the crops I ate are contaminated with chemicals. Well, thanks to microbes, we need not worry anymore. Small organisms, including bacteria are considered as microbes. These microbes are able to clean contaminated soil and groundwater in a process known as bioremediation.

These all sound complicated because just how do the microbes clean contamination and unwanted materials from all the soil and groundwater. Truth is, it is just a simple process of eating. With the right conditions, these microbes will thrive just by consuming contaminants present in soils and groundwater. Contaminants such as oil and other petroleum products, solvents, and even pesticides are the source of food and energy for microbes.

Some examples of microbes that can be used to clean up contaminants include Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Alcaligenes, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, and many more. Now, these are some complicated names for microbes and where can we find them when there are so many of them? This should not be a problem as microbes are naturally present inside the soil as well as groundwater.

So, what condition is needed for the process to be effective? Just like any other living organisms, these microbes need the correct temperature, nutrients, and food to stay alive. Temperature should not be too hot or too cold, and really it is all there is that needs attention as its nutrients and foods come from the contaminants. What makes it more interesting is that the microbes consume not only contaminants, but they release water that keeps the soil healthy as well as harmless gases like carbon dioxide and ethene.

What happens when there are not enough microbes inside the soil for it to be able to clean up the contaminants? The answer would be in the process known as bioaugmentation. In said process, the right microbes are added to the soil and groundwater.

To make this all even better, bioremediation is completely safe to use, and all chemicals added to make the process more effective are harmless. Said chemicals are household items that range from vegetable oil to air as well as chemicals that produce oxygen. These chemicals are usually pumped into underground wells (which are drilled into the soils) in order to treat the soil and groundwater in place.

Bioremediation is frequently carried out underground, causing minor inconvenience to the site or the neighboring community. Besides that, it may be less expensive because it does not require as much equipment, personnel, or energy as other cleanup procedures. Another benefit is that contaminated soil and groundwater can be treated on-site rather than being dug up, pumped, and transported to a treatment facility. Few, if any, waste byproducts are produced because microbes convert hazardous compounds into minuscule amounts of water and gases.

Albeit having so many advantages, bioremediation also has its own disadvantages. Heavy metal pollution and chlorinated hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene are not applicable to bioremediation. Moreover, soils that are non-permeable require further treatment. The most prominent disadvantage from bioremediation would be the time needed for the microbes to clean up a site. Depending on factors such as how contaminated the soil is and how large the area is, bioremediation can take up to a few months or even years.

That being said, bioremediation has been proven to successfully clean up many sites that are heavily polluted with contaminants.