Engineering of bioremediation

At present, bioremediation is receiving a lot of interest as it appears sustainable, low cost, and low energy and therefore meets the needs of a remediation solution that will both benefit the environment directly and also have a relatively low carbon footprint. In practice, it often needs to be combined with other approaches to achieve an effective solution. This requirement is frequently driven by the need to remediate over a short timescale, in the case of ex situ bioremediation, or the need to promote long-term effectiveness under a regime such as monitored natural attenuation or permeable reactive barriers. The engineering of bioremediation to enhance its effectiveness has been studied for the last few decades with considerable success. It has become a mainstream part of the toolbox for contaminated sites. 

Admassu W, Korus RA (1996) Engineering of bioremediation processes needs and limitations. In Crawford RL, Crawford DL (eds) Bioremediation principles and applications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK,... 

Engineered onsite bioremediation (the treatment of a percolating liquid or eliminated gas in reactors placed on the surface of the contaminated site). The reactors used for... 

This book covers the basics of bioremediation. Topics Include treatment of soil, ground water, and aquatic systems design and use of bioreactors adapted cultures and genetically-engineered microbes major classes of chemical pollutants and detailed analysis of the Exxon-Valdez cleanup. 

Shaolin C. and David B.W. (1997) Construction and caracterization of genetically engineered for bioremediation of Hg2+ contaminated environments. Appl Environ Microbiol 63 2442-2445. 

Elemental speciation using mass spectrometry in conjunction with ICPAES is a latest advance in atomic spectroscopy, which is becoming popular in analytical research labs. Mason et al. ExxonMobil Research and Engineering) show how linking ICP-MS to various liquid chromatographic techniques has enabled determination of ppm levels of metals in hydrocarbons to ppb level measurements in refinery effluent streams. Hyphenated ICP-MS techniques were used to provide speciation information on nickel and vanadium in crude oils and assist in development of bioremediation options for selenium removal in wastewater treatment plants. Similar ICP-MS technique without sample demineralization was used by Lienemann, et al. Institut Francais du Petrole) to determine the trace and ultra-trace amounts of metals in crude oils and fractions. 

Certain anaerobic bacteria can reductively dechlorinate PCBs in sediments (EHC 140). Higher chlorinated PCBs are degraded more rapidly than lower chlorinated ones, which is in contrast to the trend for oxidative metabolism described earlier. Genetically engineered strains of bacteria have been developed to degrade PCBs in bioremediation programs. 

Several reviews that cover various important aspects of the bioremediation of PAH-contaminated sites have been devoted to this topic. All of them provide valuable summaries of the various technologies that have been exploited, and cover important engineering and geological aspects including the following ... 

In general terms, bioremediation involves multiphase but heterogeneous environments, such as soils in which the contaminant is present in association with the soil particles, dissolved in soil liquids, and in the soil atmosphere. Because of these complexities, successful bioremediation depends on an interdisciplinary approach involving microbiology, biochemistry, and engineering. 

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