ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the microbial process strategies used to treat hazardous organic wastes in liquid, solid, and gaseous waste forms. These wastes may be process streams from industrial and environmental remediation activities or exist as chemical contamination in waters and soils. The biological remediation of contaminated sites is almost always accomplished by coupling physical or chemical retrieval methods to biological treatment processes. Bioreactors, which include treatment lagoons and ponds, composting, and landfarming can be used for the biological treatment of hazardous organic materials. Oil spills in oceans are treated with a variety of mechanical, chemical, and biological methods depending on the type of oil, location (i.e., proximity to land, sensitive marine areas), and sea and weather conditions. The biological treatment of solid phase hazardous waste can be accomplished by landfarming or composting, by enclosed bioreactors, or by utilizing physical treatment in combination with biological treatment.
