INTRODUCTION TO

BIOREMEDIATION

Superfund Remedial Action Technology Selected

FY94

Breakdown of Sites by Type of Contaminant

Percentage of Sites Treating Each Medium

Groundwater
32%

Soil
59%

Sediment
6%

Surface Water
1%

Sludge
2%

Breakdown of Process by Treatment Technology

(includes laboratory-, pilot-, and full-scale)
Ex-situ (without
reactor)
17%

Ex-situ (with
reactor)
15%
In situ
68%

Top 9 BIOREMEDIATION METHODS

All Other Method

11%

Bioventing
25%

Fixed Film
4%
Solid Phase, pile
treatment
4%
Attached Growth
5%
Air Sparging
6%
Natural
Attenuation
6%
Solid Phase,
prepared bed
11%

Ground Water
Bioremediation
14%

Soil
Bioremediation
14%

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

The direct use of microorganism and

their capabilities to solve
environmental problems
Disciplines involves: engineering,
molecular biology, ecological sciences

Biodegradations relation to Environmental

Biotechnology

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What is BIOREMEDIATION

The technology used to speed up the natural processes of waste

degradation and recycling

Use of naturally occurring microorganism such as bacteria,

fungi, and yeast to degrade pollutants or hazardous substances
in soil, water and air into non-toxic or less toxic substances

BIOREMEDIATION
is a method that treats the soils and
renders them non-hazardous, thus
eliminating any future liability that
may result from landfill problems or
violations.

WHY BIOREMEDIATE?
Soils contaminated with hydrocarbons
may be disposed of or treated in
several ways: Regulated permitted
landfills, thermal incineration and
bioremediation.

WHY BIOREMEDIATION?

Sites awaiting clean-up (1993)

Agency Responsible Number of Sites
US EPA Superfund 1,500-2,000
RCRA 1,500-3,000
USTs 295,000
US DoD 7,300
US DOE 19,000

Why Bio? II

Adapted from Cookson, 1995

Complete citation:
U.S. EPA. 1993. Cleaning up the Nations waste sites: Markets and
technology trends. EPA/542/B-92/003
These are mainly petroleum, VOCs, or PCBs

Why Bioremediation? III

Frequency of Contaminant Subgroups (US EPA TIO, 1992)

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? IV

US. EPA/540/N-93/001
Major Waste Types Applicable to Bioremediation

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? V
Cost Effectiveness of Bioremediation ($)
Method
Incineration
Solidification
Landfill
Thermal Desorption
Bioremediation

Year 1
5301
115
670
200
175

1 - costs are per cubic yard

Adapted from Cookson, 1995

Year 2
None
None
None
None
27

Year 3
None
None
None
None
20

TREATMENT COST
Landfill disposal costs range from $15per m3 to over $75 per m3 depending on
hydrocarbon concentration. Timing from 6
to 24 months .
Thermal incinerationis fast but costs
range from $250 to over $700 per m3
which dpends of the type of soils
Bioremediation costs range from $90 to
$110 per m3. the timing is between 30 to
120 days

WHY BIOREMEDIATION? VI

Some Other Advantages of Bioremediation

Can be done on site
Permanent elimination of waste (limiting liability)
Positive public acceptance
Minimum site disruption
Eliminates transportation cost and liability
Can be couple with other treatment techniques

Adapted from Cookson, 1995

Advantages of Using Bioremediation Processes

Compared With Other Remediation Technologies
(1)

biologically-based remediation detoxifies hazardous

substances instead of merely transferring contaminants
from one environmental medium to another;

(2) bioremediation is generally less disruptive to the

environment than excavation-based processes; and
(3) the cost of treating a hazardous waste site using
bioremediation technologies can be considerably lower
than that for conventional treatment methods:
vacuuming, absorbing, burning, dispersing, or moving
the material .

Effective Bioremediation, Utilizing Microbial Inoculation,

Basic and Absolutely Essential Requirements

1. Oxygen at a residual level of 1 ppm. or more
2. Essential inorganic nutrients
3. Microbes and substrate must be in contact
4. Water - either salt or fresh
Other conditions must be taken into account, such as pH,
temperature, salinity, type of contaminant,

POLLUTANTS
Bio-degradable
petroleum products (gas, diesel, fuel oil) crude oil compounds
(benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene) some pesticides (malathion)
some industrial solvents coal compounds (phenols, cyanide in coal
tars and coke waste)
Partially degradable / Persistent
TCE (trichlorethylene) threat to ground water PCE
(perchlorethlene) dry cleaning solvent PCBs (have been degraded in
labs, but not in field work) Arsenic, Chromium, Selenium
Not degradable / Recalcitrant
Uranium Mercury DDT

PAH
structures

Adapted from A Citizens Guide to Bioremediation, United Nation Environmental

Agencies, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA 542-F-01-001

CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION

Technology Quality / Success

Available Market
Investment Capital
Competent Management
Regulatory Acknowledgment
Right Timing
Good Public Perception
Good Information Dissemination

Remediation Options for

Organic Pollutants in
Soils

Containment/landfill
Thermal desorption
Advanced organic stabilisation
Mobile catalytic chemical oxidation
Bioremediation

Landfarm
Biopile
Composting
Slurry reactors

COMPARISON OF BIOREMEDIATION AND OTHER

TECHNIQUES

Soil Gas Extraction: A process by which petroleum vapors are

removed from the soil using wells and vacuum pumps. Volatile
compounds are extracted from the area between soil particles by
applying negative pressure to screened wells in the vadose zone.
Low Temperature Thermal Stripping: A process by which soil is
excavated and fed into a mobile unit designed to heat the soil and
drive off contaminates.
Excavation: A process which involves the digging up of
contaminated soils and hauling them away.

TYPES OF TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

Bioaugumentation
the addition of naturally occuring microbes
to sites
sites can be treated with high
concentrations of specific microbes
costs little money, time and disruption
simple testing done for biocompatibility
and biodegradation efficiency

TYPES OF TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

Biostimulation
The use of indigenous microbes
the modification of the site to promote the
growth of native microbes already present
depends on necessary native microbial and
organic material to be present
costs little time and money
testing appropriate microbes can be difficult
and complex

TECHNOLOGY-OTHER OPTIONS
Bioventing

treating soil by drawing oxygen though it to stimulate

microbe growth

Composting

contaminated soils mixed with a bulking agent and exposed

to air

Landfarming

adaptation of traditional farming techniques (aerating,

ploughing) to contaminated areas to increase microbes
activity

Treatment Options for

Contaminated Soils
from Natusch, 1997.

Remediation Method
Excavation-landfill
Containment on-site
Landfarming/Bio
Co-burning
Stabilisation
Thermal desorption
Soil washing
Vapour extraction
Dechlorination

% Use in Australia
60-90
10-30
15-20
<5
5-10
<5
<5
<5
<1

Limitations to
Bioremediation

Timescale
Residual Contaminants Levels
Inconsistency
Recalcitrant Pollutants eg DDT, PAHs

Bioavailability
Degrading microorganisms
Aqueous solubility
Toxicity

Conclusion
BIOREMEDIATION:
Is a process which uses naturally occurring
microorganisms to enhance normal biological breakdown.
It is an effective method for treating many hazardous
materials.
Of all the different processes available for clean-up of
sites, Bioremediation is the best and most cost effective
method for remediation, with respect to environmental
liability.
The nature and location of the contamination, the type
of soils and geological conditions, determine which method
of remediation is best for each individual clean-up site.

What is Next

Plan the Work, and Work the Plan

An Engineering Perspective

Planning the Work

what is to be done
when is it to be done
how much is the scheduled cost
who will do it
Working the Plan
budgeting & scheduling control
coordinating activities across the team
How to Evaluate & Recommend the Technology
must provide a net improvement over conventional technologies
goals must be achieved:
faster, cheaper, safer, better, etc.
Cookson, 1995

END OF INTRODUCTION TO
BIOREMEDIATION