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USE OF ALTERED MICROORGANISMS FOR FIELD BIODEGRADATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Citation:
Gealt, M., M. Levin, AND M. Shields. USE OF ALTERED MICROORGANISMS FOR FIELD BIODEGRADATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-94/203.
Description:
The large amount of hazardous waste generated and disposed of has given rise to environmental conditions requiring remedial treatment. he use of landfills has traditionally been a cost-effective means to dispose of waste. owever, increased costs of transportation and decreasing numbers of landfill sites now necessitate the examination of treatment processes that can be carried out on site (land farming composting), and. preferably, in situ. hus, economics dictate the exploration of bioremediation techniques as potentially environmentally sound cost reduction methods. lthough the use of genetically engineered microorganisms has been considered. to date most bioremediation has been accomplished by enhancing the growth of indigenous microorganisms, or by augmenting the microbial population with exogenous organisms isolated from the site in question or from similar sites (Fox, 1992). ioaugmentation, as currently practiced, uses naturally occurring organisms. he added organisms either furnish an associative consortium or, perhaps most importantly, significantly increase the titer of degraders. he delay in utilization of laboratory-bred microorganisms results in part rom unclear regulatory procedures promulgated by federal, state, and local agencies as to which organisms are sufficiently modified to warrant regulation as novel (i.e., engineered) organisms. n an advertising circular for The Bioremediation Report (published by COGNIS, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA 95407) the author noted that "... bioremediation is very much an enigma. lbeit, a well studied enigma." It is anticipated that the enigma will be clarified within the next-few years. his chapter will examine the advantages and disadvantages of using natural and modified organisms from scientific and regulatory perspectives.