BIORREMEDIATION: What is, types and examples

Let’s start knowing what is the meaning of bioremediation. It is defined as bioremediation to any Biotechnological process that uses organisms to recover a polluted environmentit can be both a terrestrial and an aquatic environment.

So, if you wonder what is used for bioremediation, the answer is simple: living organisms. Now, not all living organisms can be used in the bioremediation of environments. In reality, organisms are chosen according to their qualities to immobilize, mineralize or degrade contaminating compounds and pay special attention to their enzymes. In general, the most used organisms in bioremediation processes are bacteria, fungi and plants. Sometimes, organisms are genetically modified, so that their qualities are closer to those necessary for bioremediation.

Learn more about what biotechnology is and what is the use of this other article.

Biorremediation is so complex that it can be classified into multiple types depending on the criteria chosen. Let’s see three types of bioremediation classification.

According to the bioremediation strategy

• Bioestimulation. This type of bioremediation strategy takes advantage of the peculiarities of organisms that are already on the ground or body of water to be treated and seeks to adapt the environmental conditions to enhance their development and the consequent degradation of pollutants. In summary, bio -stimulation consists of incorporating nutrients or modifying environmental variables such as pH of the soil or water.
• BioAumentation. This other bioremediation strategy implies the incorporation of organisms, which have the ability to degrade the compounds, to a polluted environment. This seeks to optimize the remediation process.

According to where biorremediation is done

• Biorremediation in situ. The in situ bioremediation techniques are those that are carried out in the very place where the pollutant is, without the need to transfer the substrate. It is generally used when there is a very large volume of water or soil involved in pollution.
• Biorremediation ex situ. They are those bioremediation techniques, where water or contaminated soil is extracted and treated in specific facilities for that purpose. Unlike the previous one, this technique is used for small volumes.

According to organisms used for bioremediation

• Degradation enzymatic. This technique refers to the exclusive use of enzymes to remedy a polluted environment.
  
• Microbial Bioremediation. In this case, it refers to the use of bacteria and fungi to remedy the contaminated site. Species are sought that are able to metabolize polluting compounds.
• Fitorremediation. Here bioremediation is carried out exclusively by plants. There are several types of phytoremediation according to the qualities of the plants: some are able to degrade the compounds, others to immobilize them in their leaves, and so on.

In general, bioremediation is used to recover environments that have been contaminated by hydrocarbons, such as oil, pesticides, heavy metals, residues of different origins and more.

• The presence of heavy metals, in the water and on the soil severe impacts on health. Plants are able to extract heavy metals from substrates from their adsorption. As an example of plant species used for Remediation of contaminated environments with heavy metals We can mention a Thlaspi Caulescens that adsorbs cadmium and Chrysopogon Zizanioides that adsorbs zinc and lead. Here you can read about the problem of heavy metal pollution in the water.
• For its part, the fungus Pycnoporus Sanguineusalso has a high efficacy in the adsorption of heavy metals in aqueous solution, particularly lead, cadmium and copper. In addition, this fungal species could be used for soil bioremediationspecifically for those soils contaminated with oil spills, since it is able to grow over this compound and tolerate high temperatures.
• Continuing with the examples of microorganisms used in bioremediation, Cyanobacteria and green algae They present characteristics conducive to being used as hydrocarbon biodegraders. Studies have demonstrated the capacity of cyanobacteria belonging to the genus Spirulina to degrade specific oil compounds. We recommend knowing them better reading these other articles about cyanobacteria: what are, characteristics and examples and green algae: what are, characteristics, types and examples.

In this section we will mention the advantages and disadvantages of bioremediation.

Biorremediation advantages

• It is cheaper compared to other physical-chemical treatments.
• These are simple techniques.
• It is a little invasive technology, so it does not generate waste and consequently is friendly to the environment.
• Demand little energy.
• It can be used as a complement to other techniques.

Disadvantages of bioremediation

• Unlike other treatments, longer periods of time are required to achieve expected results.
• It is difficult to predict the complete functioning of the treatment.
• Pollutants are not completely eliminated, there is always a minimum fraction in the environment.
• It is not a feasible process when contaminating concentrations are very high.

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