Bioremediation: Definition, Types and Factors

Ans. If plants use the process of bioremediation then it is called phytoremediation. Plants have the ability to remove contaminated material from soil or water. Plants have their own process to use bioremediation in which they use solar energy from the rays of sun through the process of photosynthesis so that they extract some harmful chemicals from the contaminated soil and deposit it into the upper-ground system of their bodies, as well as to convert them into less or non toxic form naturally and by this overall process plants use bioremediation.

Ans. Bioremediation is a method to decrease or degrade harmful environmental contaminants by the use of bacteria and fungi. Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi are suitable to destroy environmental contaminants because they have enzymes that have power to digest environmental contaminants or enzymes use contaminants like food. In simple words, microorganisms attack on the environmental contaminants and convert them into less or non toxic forms.

Ans. Microbes are a type of microorganisms and they have enzymes that have the ability to destroy pollutant or environmental contaminants material. It simply eats or degrades contaminants such as organic matter like waste food or oil, converts them and releases water and CO₂ i.e. carbon dioxide. This process is natural and use only naturally occurring microorganisms like bacteria, fungi or plants to destroy substances that are harmful for the environment as well as human health.

Ans. In the process of bioremediation, microorganisms destroy or convert pollutants or contaminants into non toxic form. This begins from microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. First, these microorganisms extract contaminants or pollutants then microbes use pollutants like food. To start bioremediation, microorganisms need a perfect environment in which temperature, moisture availability, required pH value etc are all affecting factors in a comfortable zone. Then microbes secrete enzymes to break their food or contaminants and degrade into nutrients. This whole procedure is called bioremediation.

Ans. If only fungi microorganisms which are natural decomposers use in bioremediation then it is called mycoremediation. It is a combined form of mukesh & remedium where mukes means fungus & remedium means restoring balance. Mukes and remedium words come from Latin. Fungi use metabolic enzymes to degrade hard woody material or earth plants. To make their procedure easy, fungi break the larger hydrocarbon chain into small pieces. Fungi is use as like microbes when the condition is suitable for her and at the decomposing time of earth plant and hard woody material

Ans. Bioaugmentation, or the contamination of microorganisms like bacteria harbouring into soil to accelerate pollutant decay & has huge potential for bioremediation of organic-contaminated soils. It is a technique which is used to biodegrade specific pollutants in water and soil. It entails introducing cultured microorganisms like bacteria and fungi into the subsurface in order for them to break down easily the desired pollutants. In municipal wastewater treatment, it is frequently used to start up sludge culture system. 

Ans. Following are the limitations of the bioremediation process.

• Necessary to increase information or knowledge regarding microbes metabolic process.
• needed more and more concentration of harmful pesticides and their metabolites which are toxic or harmful for microorganisms like bacteria and fungi.
• This process of bioremediation needed a perfect environment in which the required value of pH, temperature,nutrients, soil moistures etc.
• Sometimes, microbial metabolism attacks on the non-targeted organisms.
• Most of the plants are dependent on bioremediation.

Ans. Following are advantages of the bioremediation process.

• Bioremediation process is cheaper in cost for anyone.
• In bioremediation,microorganisms have more capability to degrade varieties of pesticides.
• The bioremediation process is a natural in nature that does not harm the environment and it is widely accepted around the world.
• If we compare this method to other remediation methods, this one is the simplest.

Ans. 1. Bioventing process is used where contamination is deep below the surface in which air & nutrients are supplied in contaminated soil through wells or pipes so that growth of indigenous bacteria is stimulated.

2. Biosparging process is used below the water table and in this we can inject air under pressure to increase concentration of groundwater so that we can better the rate of biological degradation. 
3. Bioaugmentation process is used to enhance the performance of degradation process after importing microorganism in the contaminated site.

Ans. In Land farming, first shift the contaminated soil from one place to spread over a well prepared bed and tilled time to time until the pollutant degrades. Biopiles is hybrid type land farming which convert land forming and composting into hybrid versions and treat contaminated waste after making engineered cells. Bioreactors in which we can process contaminated solid material like soil, sediment, sludge or water through an engineered contaminated system. Composting is the natural process of decomposing or recycling organic material into a rich soil.