Why Microbes Consume Contaminants

Denitrifying bacteria = convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen, releasing it back into the atmosphere

The water in urban wellfields is contaminated with saltwater since the water flow had changed direction. The water also contains high levels of nutrients (particularly phosphorous) because of runoff from the developed areas.

For that reason, there is water purification at water-treatment plants. As water passes through the ground it dissolves the surrounding rock, picking up traces of minerals along the way because

Soil is used to augment the groundwater in order to withdraw freshwater before it moves into an aquifer.

Another common remediation technique is stabilization or solidification which aims to alter the contaminants into a less soluble or mobile form (Wuana and Okieimen, 2011; Mulligan, Yong, and Gibbs, 2001; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). In both methods water and a site-specific chemical solution is mixed into the soil to either alter its physical - make it less soluble - or chemical - reduce mobility - properties to make it less likely that the contaminants will move into other locations or be inhaled (Wuana and Okieimen, 2011; Mulligan, Yong, and Gibbs, 2001). Chemical treatment can also fall under the umbrella term of stabilization. Chemical treatment is add chemical solutions to the soil to detoxify the soil and can be used as a pre-treatment for other techniques such as solidification (Wuana and Okieimen, 2011; Mulligan, Yong, and Gibbs, 2001). These techniques are typically preferred due to lower costs but other physical elements of the soil, such as boulders, can make mixing the soil difficult and the process can volatilize and release volatile compounds (Mulligan, Yong, and Gibbs, 2001; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). Mobility of contaminants can also be reduced by using the technique of vitrification through the process of heating up the soil (Wuana and Okieimen, 2011; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). This method results

Groundwater contamination is nearly always the result of human activity. In areas where population density is high and human use of the land is intensive,groundwater is especiallyvulnerable. Where chemicals or wastes may be released to the environment, either intentionally or accidentally has the potential to pollute ground water. When groundwater becomes contaminated, it is difficult and expensive to cleanup. Ground water can be contaminated by human activities and also natural causes when the effluent from the industries, residential areas and commercial purpose are stored the contaminants can reach the groundwater through activities like spills, discharge or landfills and leakage of the underground storage such as septic tanks. Some substances

In conclusion, the comparison between the spring and summer experiments demonstrated that the treatments mostly showed significant results, but both factors (temperature and nutrient availability) had the biggest influence on the microbial metabolism. Nitrate was a limiting factor in the summer experiment; therefore, microbes did not grow as much as they did in the spring experiment. Microbes preferred to grow in the dispersant and dispersed oil treatments than in the oil treatment, which indicates that dispersant had a big impact on microbial metabolism and influenced their degradation ability.

Bioremediation is a supported method because it uses bioremediators to benefit the environment. This biotechnology is also far safer than to use humans to clean up polluted areas. Bioremediators such as microbes can quickly multiply because they are able to consume the contaminant and use it as food for themselves. This method also works on a large area, so it is preferred when massive emergencies such as oil spills occur. Bioremediation works best in water, so it can reduce water

Groundwater pollution occurs when pollutants get into the water under the ground.You should not drink if it is polluted. Animals should also not consume it. Some of the pollution comes from the air. A lot of the pollutants comes from chemicals and nuclear waste

Groundwater contamination may not seem important to our society, but one may not realize that ground water is the basis for our livelihood. The health of our natural environment which is relying on this groundwater. When water quality is corrupted with contaminates and deluded that is very bad. It can be very costly to correct and could be harmful for living beings that are in contact with that type of water.

There are three main mechanisms by which the chemical composition of groundwater, which is our natural source of drinking water, may be changed: by natural processes, by man's waste-disposal practices such as those for sanitary wastes, liquid industrial wastes, solid wastes, and radioactive wastes, and by spills, leaks, and agricultural activities and other sources unrelated to disposal. The degree of risk posed by contaminants varies according to many factors. These include the volume and toxicity of the contaminant, its concentration in the aquifer, its persistence in the environment, and the degree of human and environmental exposure to the contaminant. In addition, the number of persons affected, or likely to be affected, over time and the percentage of available groundwater both locally and regionally should be taken into consideration. If the contaminants in the groundwater exceed the standards set for drinking water by the federal government, for example, then the water is hazardous for the use for which it was designated under the standards. These standards include, however, only a limited number of chemicals, and thus they do not necessarily protect humans or the environment against either the short-term or the long-term effects of every contaminant that might be found in

It is a process by which chemical substances are degraded by bacteria and other microorganisms. The use of these microorganisms has been successfully applied for the treatment of waste and wastewater in controlled systems. Several research studies have recently been performed to investigate the use of bioremediation for oil-spill cleanup in seawater, freshwater and terrestrial areas. The technique has been found to have a potential for broad applications in terrestrial and freshwater environments for treating soils and sediments contaminated with oil and other substances, as well as for coastal environments impacted by oil spills. Water is a more sensitive medium than soil and requires different remediation techniques. Spills to surface water are easier to clean up than spills to groundwater, for obvious reasons. It is not only much harder to see the extent of the contamination, but also to remove the source of the contamination as, for

Interactions between groundwater and surface water are complex. Consequently, groundwater pollution, sometimes referred to as groundwater contamination, is not as easily classified as surface water pollution.[7] By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are susceptible to contamination from sources that may not directly affect surface water bodies, and the distinction of point vs. non-point source may be irrelevant. A spill or ongoing releases of chemical or radionuclide contaminants into soil (located away from a surface water body) may not create point source or non-point source pollution, but can contaminate the aquifer below, defined as a toxin plume. The movement of the plume, a plume front, can be part of a Hydrological transport model or Groundwater model. Analysis of groundwater contamination may focus on the soil characteristics and site geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, and the nature of the contaminants.

Bio-remediation is a technique of adding matters like fertilizers or micro-organisms to the area in need if remediation from oil spills. Bio remediation aids the degradation process through

Effects on the Earth. There are various types of soil pollution. One type is soil pollution by chemical fertilizer. This occurs when the chemical fertilizer goes into the ground, mixes with the water, and reduces the fertility of the soil. Chemical fertilizer can also affect water quality when it rains, goes into streams, or even leaches into ground waters. “Fertilized soils and livestock can be significant sources of gaseous, nitrogen-based compounds like ammonia and nitrogen oxides.” says epa.gov. This is why it affects water as well as the soil.