When soil or groundwater sampling reveals a high level of contaminants, bioremediation allows you to prevent environmental damage by breaking the pollutions down into less toxic substances. This is especially important if you run an industrial operation, as you can face fines and penalties for polluting the ground. Below is more information about bioremediation and the benefits it provides.

What Is It?

A bioremediation team will add organic microbes to a contamination site after soil or groundwater sampling shows the presence of many toxic chemicals. The microbes use the contaminants as their primary food and energy sources, digesting the pollutants and excreting them as less harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide or ethane.

However, the right soil or water conditions must be present to support the success of the microbes. For example, some contamination sites may already have counteracting microbes living in the soil or water, so you will not need more environmental adjustments. In other situations, your bioremediation team may add amendments to improve the soil or water conditions. Common amendments include host microbes to provide food and energy sources for parasitic microbes; parasitic microbes to feed on existing hosts and eliminate them; and oxygen and carbon to sustain the life of the organisms.

What Are the Benefits?

The main benefit of bioremediation is that it is an entirely natural way to remove contaminants. You do not need to use artificial chemicals or substances, which means there's no risk of further polluting the area or dealing with harmful side effects. Also, the process doesn't require an excess of specialized equipment or heavy machinery, so you can treat contamination sites without disturbing the surrounding environment. This method also doesn't require much energy, especially when you compare it to transporting and dumping the pollutants.

While the exact timeframe for completion depends on soil or water conditions and the extent of contamination, you can complete some bioremediation projects fairly quickly. For example, if pollution levels are low, the process may only take a few months to rid the area of contamination.

If your soil or groundwater sampling shows signs of contamination, contact GeoTek Alaska in Anchorage to see if bioremediation can help. These professionals have been serving clients throughout the state for nearly two decades. They provide a variety of geotechnical services, including bioremediation, groundwater sampling, well monitoring, and utility location screening. Call (907) 569-5900 to schedule a consultation. Visit them online to learn more about bioremediation.