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Role of Microbes in Bioremediation
Role of Microbes in Bioremediation
Role of Microbes in Bioremediation
in
Oil Spill
BIOREMEDIATION
BY: VAASHA RAMNARINE
Bioremediation
The use of organisms to metabolize pollutants.
It relies on living organisms to consume and break down
the compound, turning it into harmless, natural
substances.
Bioremediator- any organism used for bioremediation,
typically, microbes like bacteria, archaea and fungi.
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/bioremediation-microbes-cleaning-up-theenvironment.html#transcript
Microbes in Bioremediation
The goal in bioremediation is to stimulate microorganisms with
nutrients and other chemicals that will enable them to destroy
the contaminants.
Microorganisms are given optimum levels of nutrients and other
chemicals essential for their metabolism.
They gain energy by catalyzing oxidation-reduction reactions
Organic contaminant is oxidized, the chemical that gains the
electrons is reduced.
Microbes in Bioremediation
The contaminant is the electron donor, while the
electron recipient is called the electron acceptor. The
energy gained from these electron transfers is then
"invested", along with some electrons and carbon from
the contaminant, to produce more cells.
Primary substrate formed
Microbes in Bioremediation
Bioremediation can alter the metabolic capabilities of native
microorganisms. Often, microorganisms do not degrade
contaminants upon initial exposure, but they may develop the
capability to degrade the contaminant after prolonged exposure.
Adaptation occurs within single microbial communities and even
among distinct microbial communities that co-operate with each
other. One community may partially degrade the contaminant, and
a second community farther along the ground water flow path may
complete the reaction.
Such coupling has obvious applications for bioremediation of sites
bearing contaminant compounds whose complete metabolism
may require alternation between anaerobic and aerobic processes.
Demobilization
In addition to converting contaminants to less harmful
products, microbes can cause mobile contaminants to be
demobilized by three basic methods:
Microbial biomes can sorb hydrophobic organic molecules and stop or slow
contaminant movement. This concept is sometimes called a biocurtain.
Microorganisms can produce reduced or oxidized species that cause metals
to precipitate eg. Fe2+ to Fe3+, which precipitates as ferric hydroxide
(FeOH3(s));
Microorganisms can biodegrade organic compounds that bind with metals
and keep the metals in solution. Unbound metals often precipitate and are
immobilized.
July 22, 2012
Complications
Unavailability of contaminants to the organisms
Toxicity of contaminants to the organisms
Microbial preference for some contaminants or naturally
occurring chemicals over other contaminants
Partial degradation of contaminants to produce
hazardous byproducts
Inability to remove contaminants to very low
concentrations
Aquifer clogging from excessive biomass growth.
July 22, 2012
Case studies
Oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in
reducing the overall environmental impact of both theExxon
Valdez(1989) and BPDeepwater Horizon(2010) oil spills.
Lighter crudes, such as the oil released from the BPDeepwater
Horizonspill, contain a higher proportion of simpler lower molecular
weight hydrocarbons that are more readily biodegraded than heavy
crudes, such as the oil released from theExxon Valdez.
Bioremediation, which was used extensively in theExxon Valdezspill,
involved adding fertilizers containing nitrogen (N) nutrients to speed up
the rates of oil biodegradation.
Dispersants, such as Corexit 9500, which was used during the
BPDeepwater Horizonspill, increase the available surface area and,
thus, potentially increase the rates of biodegradation.
July 22, 2012
Exxon Valdez
BP Deepwater Horizon
77 km offshore
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Works Cited
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UArfzsUAJCM
http://www.webapps.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/teac
h/gwprimer/group24/Role.html
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?
record_id=2131&page=17
http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/bioremediation-microbesFooter text here
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