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IN SITU AND EX SITU BIODEGRADATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES [ENGINEERING ISSUE)
Citation:
RAWE, J., V. HODGE, C. M. ACHESON, C. LUTES, AND D. LILES. IN SITU AND EX SITU BIODEGRADATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES [ENGINEERING ISSUE). EPA/625/R-06/015, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
Bioremediation is a grouping of technologies that use microbiota (typically, heterotrophic bacteria and fungi) to degrade or transform hazardous contaminants to materials such as carbon dioxide, water, inorganic salts, microbial biomass, and other byproducts that may be less hazardous than the parent materials. Biological treatment has been a major component for many years in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters. In recent years, biological mechanisms have been exploited to remediate contaminated ground water and soils (EPA, 1998a; EPA, 2000). This Engineering Issue paper focuses on bioremediation technologies for treating contaminated soils, sediments, sludges, ground water, and surface water since these are the matrices typically found at contaminated sites. Treatments for municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, and storm water will not be discussed.