Bioremediation: Prospects and limitations

Sisir Rajak

Sisir Rajak Department of Microbiology, Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, New Barrack pore, West Bengal, Kolkata-700131, India

Keywords: Bioremediation, environment, hazardous compound, microorganisms

Abstract

Many microorganisms possess the inherent ability to transform hazardous compounds. However, the long-term persistence of many of these contaminants in the environment is a testament to the fact that these naturally occurring processes often do not occur at rates that are fast enough to protect ecosystem and human health. Frequently, the microorganisms are limited by the availability of the pollutant or another key substrate or are not present in sufficient numbers. In many cases, bioremediation can overcome these limitations through careful engineering of the contaminated environment, thereby enhancing the rates of key microbial processes. Thus, successful bioremediation involves the integration of environmental microbiology and engineering techniques with other disciplines, such as geochemistry and hydrology.

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