Decay and Renewal

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Decay and Renewal

• Bioremediation

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Bioremediation

• Definition Using microbes to clean up
  contaminated sites.
• Topic bioremediation
• Go To www.sciLINKS.org
• Code DR07

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Bioremediation

• With the right conditions and microbes.
• TNT, oil, etc. can be composted

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Degrading Groundwater Contaminants

• 2 ways
• 1) Add specialized microbes to degrade
  contaminants
• 2) Enhance conditions to help pollution-eating
  microbes already there.
• Both allow clean-up without removal.

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Degrading Groundwater Contaminants

• Tetrachloroethene (dry cleaning fluid)
• Cornell research
• 1st microbe converted it to vinyl chloride
• 2nd was found in old sewage sludge
• Converted it to ethylene

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Cleaning Up Oil Spills

• Exxon Valdez
• 1100 miles of Alaskan coastline
• 70 treated with fertilizer
• What did they have to check first?

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When to Use Bioremediation

• Doesnt work well with high concentrations of
• Very toxic materials
• Heavy metals
• Can be used if at least some microbes can eat
  it