While bioremediation is by no means a new concept, cultural and industry beliefs have in the past prevented it from being accepted as a legitimate choice.

But now, in thanks partly to the wide adoption of the practice in North America, it has become generally accepted as a legitimate form of remediation – and for good reason.

The fact is in many situations’ bioremediation provides the same service as traditional remediation techniques, without the reliance on energy, or environmental consequences.

As we strive for ‘greener’ options amongst an age of climate change and a society pushing for the reduction of energy consumption, bioremediation offers you a significant opportunity to improve the sustainability of your projects and focus on greener alternatives.

The environmental costs of traditional remediation

Traditional remediation techniques, while found to be viable in most situations with contaminated materials, present a range of factors that make them an undesirable solution.

Gas and Chemical emissions

The physical removal of toxic chemicals from onsite soil or groundwater presents the risk of contaminant release through excavation.

Exposing the environment to toxic elements results in risks to the wider community, including:

  • Chemical inhalation by local people
  • Killing of local plants, animals and microbes
  • Destruction of ecosystems

Because of this, you could find yourself facing backlash from local communities or stakeholders who oppose heavy engineering solutions owing to these risks, as well as the gas emissions caused by treatment.

Energy consumption

The popular ‘dig and treat’ remediation method requires large amounts of energy throughout the entire remediation process:

  • Heavy machinery to power the removal of contaminated material
  • Fuel-powered transport for relocation
  • A phenomenal amount of energy for the treatment process, through either water treatment or incineration (treatment facility energy costs run into the millions every year)

Trying to mitigate the impact of excavation, transport and incineration will increase your costs, making it an undesirable option.

Reputational cost

As mentioned previously, the pressure to adopt ‘greener’ alternatives weighs heavily on many companies. Due to the wide acceptance of climate change, dangerous gas emissions and scarcity of natural resources, the environmental footprint of your company is a large consideration of consumers and stakeholders.

Failing to consider the public perception of your action towards remediation has a negative impact on the reputation of your company, making it appear that you:

  • Are irresponsible with environmental stewardship
  • Put profit before the environment
  • Appear out of touch and old fashioned
  • Are not a cutting edge, forward-thinking company

Cutting the costs with greener alternatives

It is an undoubted fact that to keep up with both public and business perceptions and to continue to properly remediate sites well into the future, a less energy-intensive practice needs to be embraced.

You require a method that:

  • Mitigates environmental risks to protect environment and reputation
  • Decreases energy requirements
  • Protects your budget and overall investment
  • Achieves the desired results of effectively removing toxic elements and meets targets dictated by legislation

Bioremediation could be the solution

Bioremediation is slowly but surely becoming a more popular and valued form of remediation because of its ability to mitigate the risks and impacts of traditional remediation.

Through bioremediation, you can achieve the same outcomes as traditional methods without the reliance on energy-heavy practices.

Bioremediation is achieved by introducing or stimulating microorganisms to contaminated soil or groundwater to naturally detoxify the contaminants and modify the environmental conditions.

‘learn more about how bioremediation works’

Because the remediation technique occurs organically within the contaminated material, bioremediation requires no physical destruction of a site; naturally ridding the area of toxins without releasing them into the environment.

Removing the need to dig or treat impacted soil and/or water

  • Brings down energy use,
  • Lowers removal, treatment and energy costs
  • Helps align your company with ‘greener’ policies

While bioremediation is gaining momentum in Australia, there are few nationally who have mastered the art and research of the technique.

Novorem is leading the way in Australian bioremediation. We exclusively use Australian-only cultures, are based locally and have extensive knowledge of the Australian market.

To find out if bioremediation is the right option for you, get in touch with me via email or call me at 0425 278 798.

Talk to Onder Learn more about bioremediation

 

Author bio:

Önder Kimyon is the principal scientist of Novorem Pty Ltd and is a renowned expert in environmental science and microbiology. Önder and the Novorem Team have made award winning contributions to environmental research and biotechnology development, including the biological degradation of contaminants of concern.

If you would like to know more about microbiology or bioremediation, click here to contact Önder.