What is Bioremediation?

The sustainable, next-generation remediation technology

Bioremediation is an environmentally friendly, sustainable remediation technology that renders contaminants such as oil and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) harmless by harnessing the natural breakdown capabilities of microbes. Unlike excavation or chemical treatment, it does not generate large volumes of waste or cause secondary contamination, and a major advantage is that it can be performed in situ at low cost. Our bioremediation primarily targets soil and groundwater contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heavy oil, and crude oil, advancing remediation efficiently by harnessing the power of microbes. It can be applied even at sites where contamination has spread deep underground or beneath structures, and because it remediates while keeping the burden on the surrounding environment and ecosystems to a minimum, it is being adopted across a wide range of fields, including fuel facilities, former factory sites, and former gas station sites.

Pails of the TerraZyme microbial product lined up at a remediation site

Side by side

Comparison with other methods

Bioremediation

Minimal environmental impact
Low cost and sustainable
No excavation; easy to keep operations running
Stable results over the short to medium term

Excavation and removal

Large volumes of contaminated soil must be hauled out, causing waste to surge
Very high cost due to heavy machinery, transport, and disposal fees
Heavy burden on the ground and ecosystems from site alteration

Groundwater pumping

Contamination sources tend to remain, making complete remediation difficult
Operating and maintenance costs accumulate, driving up the total
Premised on long-term treatment lasting years

Chemical breakdown

Heavy burden on ecosystems
Chemicals and additional treatment are expensive, increasing cost
Possibility of re-treatment within the short to medium term

CHARACTERISTICS

Features

Strong at breaking down oil and VOCs

Bioremediation is a method that harnesses the action of microbes to break oil and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) down into water and carbon dioxide. The natural world is home to a wide variety of microbes, and among them are some that have the ability to break down contamination as an energy source. This technology uses the power of such microbes to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater efficiently.

Excavator turning contaminated soil at a remediation site

Low environmental impact

Bioremediation is a method that requires no waste or secondary treatment and can remove contaminants on site. Because there is no need to move contaminated soil or groundwater, there is no concern about waste, and since the microbes also attenuate naturally after breakdown, the impact on ecosystems is also minimal. Compared with chemical and physical methods, it is the lowest-impact remediation method.

Plants and a flower returning to remediated soil

High cost performance

Bioremediation achieves low-cost, efficient remediation without requiring large-scale equipment or construction. Microbe-derived bio-agents and nutrients are introduced directly, and because there is no need to haul material off site, it delivers high cost performance.

TCE-contaminated site in Boston: installing a groundwater monitoring well

BIOREMEDIATION APPROACHES

Two approaches, and the method we adopt

Bioremediation comes in two methods: bioaugmentation and biostimulation.
We adopt bioaugmentation, which is highly reliable and can remediate in a short period.

BIOAUGMENTATION

Bioaugmentation

This method introduces proven microbes capable of breaking down the target contaminant and maximizes their action. Because it uses microbes with guaranteed breakdown capability, it can be expected to deliver reliable remediation in a short period. It is the approach we adopt, and it allows remediation to be designed to fit each site.

Oil in green, added microbes in orange. They gather on the oil and break it down until it is gone

BIOSTIMULATION

Biostimulation

This method supplies oxygen and nutrients to the microbes already present at the site. However, if there are not enough microbes with breakdown capability, breakdown may barely progress. As a result, the effect is unstable.

Oil in green, native microbes in orange. Too few of them, and the oil barely changes

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

In plain terms, what is bioremediation?

It uses the natural ability of microbes to break down pollutants, cleaning soil and groundwater contaminated with oil or VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The contaminant itself is turned into water and carbon dioxide, so there is none of the bulk waste that comes from digging soil up and hauling it away.

How is it different from excavation and disposal?

Excavation removes the contaminated soil and treats it at a disposal site. Bioremediation degrades the contaminant where it lies, or on site. It can often be applied under buildings and at plants that keep operating, and the total cost is generally lower. The trade-off is time: degradation takes longer.

Which oils does it work on?

Petroleum hydrocarbons such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, heavy oil, lubricating oil and crude oil; BTEX including benzene; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Chlorinated VOCs such as trichloroethylene are also treated.

Related page: About oil: types and components

Are the microbes safe?

They are collected from natural environments and are not genetically modified. They are non-toxic to people, animals and plants and contain no pathogens. Once the oil is gone they decline naturally to the level the environment supports.

How long does remediation take?

It depends on the type and concentration of oil, the soil, the groundwater, the temperature and the method chosen. Some sites finish in a few months; others take more than a year. A treatability test beforehand shows how fast degradation proceeds, and the schedule is estimated from that.