What is Bioremediation?

Commercial applications of bioremediation in the mining environment involve the immobilization and recovery of soluble metals from aqueous wastes and the microbial degradation of cyanide species. Other types of bioremediation exist and are often employed for the treatment of hydrocarbons in the ground water. All of the systems employ bacteria to treat the contaminants. The types of bacteria vary widely but can broadly be classified as either oxidizing or reducing. The use of bioremediation is growing as it represents an environmentally friendly low cost system. The process can take place both in situ by injecting bacteria into the ground water contamination or externally by pumping the contaminants to a treatment facility. The external system generally has higher capital costs but tends to provide much more rapid treatment.

Authors: Nick Holder, Tracey Stanek, Todd Harvey