Mother Nature is endowed with endless beauty and lots of exuberance in the form of an array of natural resources that we see all around. These god gifted resources form the basis of our very existence as well as act as a fulcrum for all the material development that human civilization has marked so far. Unfortunately, the over harnessing of the resources has led to a severe crisis and serious depletion of natural wealth and minerals. In addition, it has paved way for grave repercussions besides polluting the earth heavily. This blog post will help you to understand the importance of bioremediation as a totally dependable solution to secure soil remediation for better environmental prospects in the future.
The process of Bioremediation is a major breakthrough in soil remediation
Soil remediation has got a pretty new face in the form of bioremediation. It is the branch of biotechnology that employs distinct biological processes to transform environmental pollutants into simpler less-toxic substrates. Thus, it turns out to be an effective solution wherein biotic micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi, etc. are placed inside the soil body to breakdown pollutants into less-harmful by-products. The process of bioremediation for soil is of two types one is Microbial bioremediation that uses microscopic organisms to break down the harmful pollutants and then use the same as a food source. The other sort of bioremediation is called phytoremediation as it employs suitable plants to either bind, extract, and clear up hazardous pollutants like pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and other chlorinated solvents.
Soil, as we know is a vital mix of various minerals and organic matter that plays a pivotal role in supporting the growth of a rich variety of flora and fauna on the planet. In short, soil as a superb natural resource not just supports the terrestrial ecosystem but also is quintessential of the existence of life on earth. The below-mentioned points are the top five aspects of bioremediation that are essential for eliminating the contaminants present in the soil so that a deficient land can be efficient once again.
- Microbes- Microorganisms or microbes help in the process of bioremediation through the various enzymatic pathways. These tiny organisms act as biocatalysts that facilitate biochemical reactions. This further leads to the easier degradation of the target pollutant present in the soil body. Thus, microbes work against harmful pollutants and eventually lead to a lowering of soil pollution without being harsh to the environment.
- The chemical reaction– The process of bioremediation mainly uses microscopic organisms, plants, or microbial or plant enzymes to detoxify the contaminated soil and saves the environment. The total process involves an oxidation-reduction (Redox) reaction wherein a chemical group donates an electron (electron donor) to a different group that accepts the electron (electron acceptor). During bioremediation, the electron donor species is said to be oxidized while the electron acceptor one is termed as reduced.
- The contaminants– As Bioremediation rests upon the process of accelerating the growth of certain microbes inside the soil that can successfully utilize contaminants like oil, solvents, and pesticides for food and energy. These microbes break down toxic substances into simpler less-toxic substrates while giving water and carbon dioxide as by-products.
- The advantages– The overall process of microbial metabolism in bioremediation is loaded with tremendous benefits. The foremost advantage of bioremediation is that it is a completely natural technique that poses no harmful side-effects for both environments as well as for human beings. It is carried out in situ for almost all applications hence no dangerous transport is involved. In addition to these, the process of bioremediation needs no specialized instruments or machinery thus making the process of soil remediation cost-effective and hassle-free.
- The disadvantages– Although the process of natural degradation of soil pollutants offers a bunch of benefits to the environment and human society yet it poses some disadvantages that are worth consideration. The biological remediation of soil pollution is quite a time consuming and comparatively slow procedure. Simultaneously, additional expenses are involved for an appropriate storage system of the biomass and the subsequent by-products generated in the process of land remediation.
It has been rightly remarked that nature heals itself. The natural environment surrounding us has exquisite remedial mechanisms to get rid of the pollutants and harmful toxins that are produced by several human activities. The central idea in opting for bioremediation or reliable land remediation services to do away with soil pollution is keeping things natural, simpler, and easier. Thus, biological remediation of land pollution is an apt way to eliminate soil deterioration as it brings forth remarkable results without putting the environment at stake.