Bioremediation is a waste management technique that involves the use of organisms to remove or neutralize pollutants from a contaminated site. According to the EPA, bioremediation is a “treatment that uses naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non toxic substances”. Technologies can be generally classified as
in situ or
ex situ.
In situ bioremediation involves treating the contaminated material at the site, while
ex situ involves the removal of the contaminated material to be treated elsewhere. Some examples of bioremediation related technologies are
phytoremediation,
bioventing,
bioleaching,
landfarming,
bioreactor,
composting,
bioaugmentation,
rhizofiltration, and
biostimulation.