Bioremediation uses biological organisms like plants, fungi, and bacteria to clean up environmental problems. It can be used for new and old toxins and can be done on-site or off-site. The organisms used are often self-contained and die out once the task is accomplished.
Bioremediation is a form of environmental cleaning that relies on biological organisms such as plants, fungi and microorganisms such as bacteria. Humans have been using this technique for centuries, and in the late 20th century it began to be applied more widely to an assortment of environmental problems around the world. An example of ancient bioremediation is the use of plants to extract salts from the soil to make it farmable again, while a classic example of modern bioremediation involved the use of beneficial bacteria to help clean up the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
People often use the term “phytoremediation” to talk about bioremediation with plants and “mycoremediation” to discuss situations where fungi are used, reserving “bioremediation” to refer to the use of microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa, and so on. In all cases, the goal is to exploit the natural traits of the organism to deal with an environmental problem or to genetically engineer an organism capable of coping with an environmental situation.
Many bacteria break down toxins as part of their normal metabolic processes, rendering harmful substances inert. This feature is often used in situations where toxins have been released over large areas, making these areas essentially impossible to clean or contain. Contaminated rivers, for example, can be cleaned with carefully introduced bacteria. The bacteria will die out once the supply of toxins is depleted, because they will deplete the food supply, thus preventing the development of a secondary environmental problem.
Environmental agencies can use on-site living organisms with in situ bioremediation, where the desired organisms are carefully introduced into the environment and their progress is monitored until the site is cleared, or they can use them off-site. Ex situ bioremediation is used to clean contaminated soils and other materials that have been removed and isolated so they can be rendered inert and safe to handle. This technique reduces the buildup of toxins and hazards in landfills and isolation facilities, leaving the Earth cleaner for future generations.
One of the great benefits of bioremediation is that it solves a problem without creating one. The process can be used to deal with new and old toxins, making it useful in containing emerging problems and environmental remediation designed to address old problems, such as industrial pollution that dates back decades. The organisms used are often self-contained, dying out once the task is accomplished, and in the case of genetically modified organisms, researchers can specifically design the organisms so that they are easy to eliminate from the environment once they have served their purpose. .
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