Major oil spills immediately capture public attention, but invariably fade quickly from the news cycle. The environmental damage they cause, however, can linger for years. Wildlife rescue crews are highly visible as they clean shore birds, but some of the most important restoration efforts are now accomplished by creatures too small for humans to easily see. Today, bioremediation companies are using micro-organisms to clean up man-made toxic messes.
These creatures include bacteria and associated enzymes, yeasts, and fungi. All help to break down and destroy naturally occurring pollutants, including crude oil. While effective, the process takes time, and works more efficiently when the bacteria being used already favor a particular substance. In some instances, the natural processes need additional stimulation in order to more rapidly clean large areas.
When these organisms consume a particular pollutant, they not only produce nutrients and energy, but also digest the contaminant, removing it from the local food chain. Convincing them to eat more than is normal usually requires bio-stimulation. If oxygen levels are increased in water where beneficial microbes already exist, the creatures metabolize nutrients faster. Bio-augmentation takes the process a step further.
In addition to aeration, bio-augmentation enriches the polluted area with extra numbers of microbes already known to prefer consuming a particular type of pollutant. This is a more effective method than simply letting nature take its course, and when properly balanced for a local ecosystem, the toxins are more rapidly broken down into safer sulfates, water, carbon dioxide, and other naturally occurring materials.
Biological remediation is not limited to bodies of water. During the past century, the pressures of World War II sidelined environmental concerns, and fuel storage units on military sites often leaked deep underground during the following years. Some contaminated the ground water, increasing local rates of certain diseases, including cancer. Cleanup traditionally involved earth-moving equipment, and a controlled storage facility.
Surface soil disruption is eliminated when microbes are encouraged to do the most difficult work. Specific types of creatures prefer to eat a variety of toxic materials, but do not create hazardous by-products that must be contained afterward. Their biological processes help sustain other creatures in the ecosystem, allowing wildlife populations to return to normal levels. It is an ideal way to better clean up hard-to-reach locales.
Biological remediation is not possible in all toxic situations. Although bacteria have adapted to include many hazards in their diet, some substances are simply too poisonous, or may cover an area too large to be effectively transformed using this type of remediation. To be optimally effective, a site must be monitored regularly to confirm that improvements are ongoing. When time is an important factor, it is still quicker to use earth-moving equipment.
In many cases, the overall restoration costs may be less than half those associated with traditional methods, and associated insurance costs are reduced. There are fewer concerns about hazardous materials contaminating off-site storage sites, and chemical evaporation is reduced to nearly zero. In an ideal situation, the area being cleaned returns to its normal, balanced ecological state relatively quickly.
These creatures include bacteria and associated enzymes, yeasts, and fungi. All help to break down and destroy naturally occurring pollutants, including crude oil. While effective, the process takes time, and works more efficiently when the bacteria being used already favor a particular substance. In some instances, the natural processes need additional stimulation in order to more rapidly clean large areas.
When these organisms consume a particular pollutant, they not only produce nutrients and energy, but also digest the contaminant, removing it from the local food chain. Convincing them to eat more than is normal usually requires bio-stimulation. If oxygen levels are increased in water where beneficial microbes already exist, the creatures metabolize nutrients faster. Bio-augmentation takes the process a step further.
In addition to aeration, bio-augmentation enriches the polluted area with extra numbers of microbes already known to prefer consuming a particular type of pollutant. This is a more effective method than simply letting nature take its course, and when properly balanced for a local ecosystem, the toxins are more rapidly broken down into safer sulfates, water, carbon dioxide, and other naturally occurring materials.
Biological remediation is not limited to bodies of water. During the past century, the pressures of World War II sidelined environmental concerns, and fuel storage units on military sites often leaked deep underground during the following years. Some contaminated the ground water, increasing local rates of certain diseases, including cancer. Cleanup traditionally involved earth-moving equipment, and a controlled storage facility.
Surface soil disruption is eliminated when microbes are encouraged to do the most difficult work. Specific types of creatures prefer to eat a variety of toxic materials, but do not create hazardous by-products that must be contained afterward. Their biological processes help sustain other creatures in the ecosystem, allowing wildlife populations to return to normal levels. It is an ideal way to better clean up hard-to-reach locales.
Biological remediation is not possible in all toxic situations. Although bacteria have adapted to include many hazards in their diet, some substances are simply too poisonous, or may cover an area too large to be effectively transformed using this type of remediation. To be optimally effective, a site must be monitored regularly to confirm that improvements are ongoing. When time is an important factor, it is still quicker to use earth-moving equipment.
In many cases, the overall restoration costs may be less than half those associated with traditional methods, and associated insurance costs are reduced. There are fewer concerns about hazardous materials contaminating off-site storage sites, and chemical evaporation is reduced to nearly zero. In an ideal situation, the area being cleaned returns to its normal, balanced ecological state relatively quickly.
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