ABSTRACT
Deterioration of soils and aquifers has become evident in the last few years as a result of inappropriate final disposal procedures for all sorts of waste materials. The success of bioremediation techniques is directly related to the metabolic capability of involved microorganisms and can be affected by the surrounding microenvironment. This chapter describes the mechanism of bioremediation, its virtues and weaknesses. Microorganisms possess wide biochemical versatility, which enables them to readily adapt to different microenvironmental conditions of pH, temperature and pressure, even extreme variations. Traditionally, the initial pathway through which microorganisms start the energyyielding process is glycolysis, also known as the Emden–Meyerhof–Parnas pathway, which carries glucose or other sugars to an intermediary such as pyruvate. Integration of the physicochemical and microbiological characterizations should correspond to the results of biofeasibility tests, from which it should be determined whether or not a certain biological treatment is applicable.
