Bioremediation technologies are designed to modify the environment to make biodegradation of the contaminant more favorable. Techniques that are applicable to the remediation of halogenated organic compounds include:
Nutrient application: Nutrients and growth substrate can be added to soil or water to provide optimal growth conditions for bioremediating organism. Reagents and surfactants may also be used to make the contaminant bio-available for metabolism.
Learn more about hydrocarbon bioremediation using fertilizers .
Aeration (or flooding): Depending on the requirements for degradation, aerobic or anaerobic, a site may be aerated or flooded. Additional gases, such as methane, may also be bubbled through a site to enhance the biodegradation rate.
Learn more about nitrogen bioremediation using aeration tanks.
Bioaugmentation: A site may be seeded with a culture of the microorganisms that can mineralize the contaminant. Strains of bacteria and fungi that are particularly good at metabolizing hazardous chemicals have been found and introduced to contaminated areas. Bioengineering will likely lead to many new strains of bioremediating microbes.
Learn more about BAV1 microbes that degrade halogenated solvents.
Phytoremediation: Plants (or algae) can be used to remove, transfer, stabilize, or destroy contaminants in soil, sediment, and groundwater. Enhanced rhizosphere biodegradation involves the microbes in the soil or groundwater immediately surrounding plant roots. Phytoextraction or phytoaccumulation describes the process of the plant accumulating contaminants in its tissues (which can then be removed by harvesting the plant.) Phytodegradation occurs when the plant can metabolize the contaminant into a less harmful form. Phytostabilization can occur if the plant produces chemicals that can effectively immobilize contaminants in the soil.
Learn more about the phyotoremediation of toxic metals and halogenated organic solvents.
Source: www.clu-in.org