DID YOU KNOW
"The Mississippi River carries an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year, resulting in a dead zone each summer about the size of New Jersey." S1,S3
What is Bioremediation?
Scientists have developed many different ways to manage waste, and although they may be effective, some are not so ecofriendly. Bioremediation is a chemical-free method to manage and remove waste contamination in an environment, and unlike other waste management techniques, it has been proven to be safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. By making use of certain organisms’ biological ability to break down hazardous substances, it can help to clean up polluted environments while also allowing wastes to be recycled. An alternative to methods such as incineration or landfills, bioremediation can be applied to domestic and industrial waste water treatment, solid waste treatment, drinking water treatment, soil and land treatment, etc.
So How Does It Work?
Bioremediation is categorized into two classes based on how it is applied and used.
In-situ – "In situ refers to when contaminated waste is treated right at its point of origin. For example, there may be soil that is contaminated. Rather than remove the soil from its point of origin, it is treated right where it is. The benefit to in situ treatment is that it prevents the spread of contamination during the displacement and transport of the contaminated material."
Ex-situ – "Ex situ refers to treatment that occurs after the contaminated waste has been removed to a treatment area. To use soil as the example again, the soil may be removed and transported to an area where the bioremediation may be applied. The main advantage to this is it helps to control and contain the bioremediation products, as well as making the area that was contaminated available for use." H1,H5
