Eleyda Ruiz Fabienne Joseph Kayla Ross

Recent News

Oregon Group Uses Mushrooms for Bioremediation● Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--January 23, 2014. Putting ideas into

action, an Oregon-based restoration nonprofit group, Ocean Blue Project, is harnessing the power of mushrooms to clean up pesticides and other pollutants that plague Oregon and national waterways. Yes, mushrooms.

What is Bioremediation?

Use of bacteria, fungi, and plants to remove or degrade hazardous pollutants into harmless byproducts like carbon dioxide and water

Overall Goal: Overcome the factors that are limiting the natural degradation of the contaminants.

Causes of Bioremediation

Types of Bioremediation

In Situ The treatment of the contamination on

siteBiostimulationSimply by adding nutrients and oxygen to enhance the capabilities of any microorganisms already present at the contamination site.Bioaugmentation Cleanup crews apply specifically engineered microorganisms that are specially designed to break down the contaminants.

Ex Situ The physical extraction of the

contaminated media to another location for treatment.

Microbes Role

Aerobic In aerobic conditions, microbes

need oxygen in order to perform their duties. With enough oxygen, they will be to transform the contaminants in the soil into water and carbon.

(Aerobic bioremediation usually is preferred because it degrades pollutants 10 to 100 times faster than anaerobic bioremediation.)

Anaerobic In anaerobic conditions, microbes

work without oxygen. The chemical compounds that are in the soil are decomposed by the bacteria, which creates energy that the

Let’s Get Specific!

Pseudomonas Putida

Deinococcus radiodurans

Alcanivorax borkumensis

Microorganisms at Work

Pseudomonas putida-“Superbug” Gram-negative bacterium Aerobic Very versatile metabolism Degrade an array of toxic

chemicals, including gasoline components

Degrade toluene, a component of paint thinner

Degrade Styrofoam™

The electron micrograph

Microorganisms at Work

Deinococcus radiodurans-”The world’s toughest bacterium” Gram-positive bacteria that

usually forms in spherical pairs or tetrads

Aerobic Genetically Engineered

Microorganism Modified to consume and digest

toluene ionic mercury from highly radioactive nuclear waste An electron micrograph of Deinococcus radiodurans, an

extremely radiation resistant bacterium which produces potent antioxidant manganese complexes.

Microorganisms at Work

Alcanivorax borkumensis Gram-negative, rod-shaped

hydrocarbonoclastic (“oil-degrading”) bacterium

Thrives in halophilic, aerobic environments

Found in the upper layers of freshwater or marine environments: Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Arctic Sea

Involved in the bioremediation of oil-contaminated aquatic environments.

Microorganisms at work

Inside The News

More Than Just MicrobesFactors of Bioremediation Type(s) of contamination Extent of contamination Toxicity of contaminants Location and characteristics of the site economic situation microbes source of carbon and energy electron acceptor availability. temperature and other weather conditions nutrients available to the microbes - this includes types of nutrients and amount of

nutrients pH of contaminated site - must be between 5 and 10 work in general. Optimal

conditions are pH 6-8. moisture content (for soil contamination)

Soil Sample Collection

Soil samples are collected from different depths

Lab Testing of the Soil

The soil sample is taken to a lab where it is tested

Bioremediation Can’t Win Them All

High Metal Concentrations - Metals that cannot be broken down include arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper, chromium and zinc. Mercury is the most toxic of heavy metals.

Highly Chlorinated Organic Molecules - These are organic molecules that have multiple chlorine atoms attached to them.

Inorganic salts - This includes substances such as sodium thiosulfate, sulfur dioxide, sodium metabisulfite, trimethylamine hydrochoride, and ferric chloride.