How Bioremediation Companies Clean Up Waste And Spills Naturally

By Annabelle Holman

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.

As these organisms consume a pollutant they find appealing, they produce energy from the nutrients that allows them to multiply. When digested, contaminants are systematically removed from both the food chain and the soil. By increasing the oxygen level of contaminated regions where beneficial bacteria already live, metabolic rates are increased. Bio-augmentation further aids the process.

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.

The process works both in water and on land. The rapid mobilization of resources that World War II demanded left little time for environmental concerns, and leaking storage units or fuel depots in military installations created ecological havoc during the following decades. The poisons remained active for years, contaminating ground water and increasing cancer rates locally. Traditional removal methods involved scooping up soil, and then storing it permanently.

When microbes become part of the cleanup equation, surface digging and disruption is reduced. Since some of these creatures favor a particular contaminant, the process can be targeted more accurately. Any byproducts of this natural process serve as food for other small creatures. The method is comparatively cost-effective, and is ideal for containing spills in locations that are physically hard-to-reach.

Not all contaminants can be dealt with this simply. Some substances are too toxic for even the hardiest bacteria, and spills that soon become widespread may not be ideal for biological control methods. Any site undergoing this type of remediation process must be consistently monitored to make sure that the hazardous materials are actually disappearing. When there is an urgent time limit, surface soil relocation may still be necessary.

For the companies involved, final expenses for this type of remediation can be less than half, as well as reducing the cost of insuring workers. Without the need for a secure storage site, there are far fewer concerns about additional contamination or chemical evaporation. In many cases, careful monitoring and care not only encourages microorganisms to restore the habitat, but can accomplish much of that goal in a period of months.

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