| Abstract [eng] |
Bioremediation is the application of biological processes for the clean up of pollutants present in the environment. The scope of the review encompasses the following subjects: biodegradation of various polymeric and natural origin compounds; the applications of microorganisms to laboratory scale and field scale soil bioremediation, with a focus on petroleum hydrocarbons; bioaugmentation and characterization of microbial communities; the factors affecting soil bioremediation processes including: availability of microbes, accessibility of contaminants, and a heterogeneous environment; the use of microbial metabolites, such as surfactants to improve availability of contaminants. From this review it can be concluded that microorganisms are an effective ex situ technology that can be used for bioremediation of problematic soils. Bioremediation technology allows for the convenient manipulation and control of several environmental parameters that could lead to enhanced and faster treatment of polluted soils: nutrient source (biostimulation), inocula (bioaugmentation), increased availability of pollutants by inducing biosurfactant production inside the microorganisms, etc. Bioremediation also encompasses ex situ methods like enzyme catalyzed pollutant breakdown. The data on the degradation of naphthalene by thermophilic bacteria via a novel pathway, through protocatechuate are presented. |
