Bioremediation

What is it?

Bioremediation is process that can drastically reduce hazards in the evironment by using microorganism to actually metabolize the hazardous material

Why should we care?

The devolpment of industrialized societies have caused a world wide pollution problem. Anyone who performs an industrial process has to worry about the waste that is produced. Stringent guidlines for waste disposal are demanded for companies, large or small, by OSHA and the E.P.A. Poviding future generations with a cleaner environment is the responsibility of us all.

A little background

Environmental contamination and the processing of hazardous waste streams are one of the chemical engineers worst nightmares. Major investment must be made for the proper disposal of many chemicals and Bioremediation can offer a cheaper alternative to industry. The only thing the engineer is limited by are the type of contaminant, the types of microorganisms that are availabe to utilize the contaminant, and the location of the material (process stream or ground). Whether its a waste stream from a petroleum refinery or an ocean based spill the use of microorganisms can be beneficial to cleanup. It can either be made to work as a continous process or an in situ cleanup process.

Current Contaminants That Can Be Utilized In Bioremediation

Aromatic hydocarbons

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons

Crude and refined oil

PCBs

Chorinated Solvents

Phenols (camphor)

Is Bioremediation going to work for me?
Go to the next page and find out

prepared by Kei Nakamura and Chad Serrell on 12/ 8/95