Bioremediation of organic contaminated soils*

The term bioremediation covers a wide variety of engineered systems which utilize microorganisms to degrade, detoxify and immobilize organic contaminants. These systems include: l solid-phase treatment using unlined iand treatment systems or prepared bed bioreactors, l slurry-phase treatment systems completed either in-place or within tanks or impoundments, and l in situ treatment systems. Bioremediation is cost effective, available and demonstrated. The technology is highly flexible and can be adapted to a broad variety of situations. Introduction The use of biological treatment technologies for the remediation of groundwater and soils contaminated with organic compounds has seen broad application over the past several years. It is not a novel technology. Bioremediation has been used for over 30 years to treat petroleum contaminated soils. Applications of the technology are becoming increasingly important in the field of hazardous waste due to its effectiveness and low cost as compared to other treatment alternatives. While not a panacea, bioremediation is applicable for the treatment of a broad variety of organic contaminants found in soil at Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response *Paper presented at the GCHSRC Third Annual Symposium: Biowmediation, Fundamentals and Effective Applications, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA, February 21-22,199l. 0304-3894/91/$03.50