Difference Between In Situ and Ex Situ Bioremediation

Key Difference – In Situ vs Ex Situ Bioremediation

Bioremediation is a term used in biotechnology to refer the process of cleaning the polluted areas using biological organisms such as microorganisms and plants. The use of organisms to reduce and transform contaminants into non-toxic substances is an environmentally friendly process which does not negatively affect the environment and organisms. Bioremediation can be done mainly in two methods known asin situandex situ. The key difference between in situ and ex situ bioremediation lies on the place where the process is carried out. Inin situ生物修复,contaminants are degraded at the same site where it’s found while the contaminants are treated in a different place inex situbioremediation.

CONTENTS
1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Bioremediation
3.What is In Situ Bioremediation
4.What is Ex Situ Bioremediation
5.Side by Side Comparison – In Situ and Ex Situ Bioremediation
6.Summary

What is Bioremediation?

Waste management is of utmost importance for the benefit of human health. There are different waste management techniques developed to clean the environment namely, thermal, chemical and physical methods. Among these, chemicals are in popular use due to its ease of use and immediate results. However, chemical methods are proven to be non-ecofriendly methods since they have negative impacts on land, soil and organisms. Therefore scientists were keen on finding alternative methods which were safe, environmental friendly and sustainable. Bioremediation is such a type of waste management technique which uses biological organisms to alleviate environmental pollution. Bioremediation can be defined as a process which removes or neutralises waste and toxic substances in the environment, using organisms such as microorganisms, small organisms and plants. Many microorganisms and plants are capable of degrading toxic and hazardous substances and reducing the toxicity. Naturally occurring microorganisms decompose the organic waste in the environment by biodegradation.

Bioremediation can also be referred as an engineered technique applied by people to clean up organic matter by helping microbes with the biodegradation process. Bioremediation process depends on the organisms used, environmental factors and type, volume and the state of the contaminant, etc. Bioremediation is applied in many processes: industrial and domestic waste water treatment, solid waste treatment, drinking water treatment, soil and land treatment, etc. There are two main types of bioremediation;in situandex situ.

What isIn SituBioremediation?

In situbioremediation refers to the bioremediation process which is performed at the original site of the contamination.In situbioremediation concept is mainly used to treat contaminations in soil and ground water. However, the remediation rate and the effectiveness of the process depend on different factors. They are as follows:

1. The type of the contaminant concern
2. Site-specific characteristics
3. Contaminant distribution and concentration
4. Concentration of other contaminants
5. Microbial community of the site
6. Temperature
7. pH of the medium
8. Moisture content
9. Nutrient supply

The manipulation of above factors is not highly feasible inin situbioremediation. However, in enhancedin situbioremediation, some manipulations such as aeration, adding nutrients, controlling moisture content, etc. are used to enhance the activity of organisms and increase the rate of degradation. But in intrinsicin situbioremediation, natural processes are allowed to happen without altering the conditions or adding amendments.

Examples ofin situbioremediation technologies include bio-venting, enhanced biodegradation, bioslurping, phytoremediation, natural attenuation, etc.

What isEx SituBioremediation?

Ex situbioremediation is a technique which treats the contaminants away from the location where they were found. Contaminants are excavated or pumped out from the original site and treated inside the controlled environments. A wide range of hydrocarbons is purified byex situbioremediation. Contaminated soils are excavated and placed on the surface of the ground and treated using indigenous microorganisms.Ex situbioremediation can be controlled and managed by providing required conditions.

Examples ofex situbioremediation processes including composting, soil biopiles, landfarming, slurry reactors.

原位和非原位之间的区别是什么Bioremediation?

In Situ vs Ex Situ
In situ bioremediation process is performed at the original site of the contaminant.	Ex situ bioremediation process is performed out of the location where the contaminant is found.
Cost
This process is less expensive	This process is expensive.
Thoroughness
This process is less thorough.	This is a more thorough remediation method.
Manageability
This process is less manageable.	This process is manageable.
Effectivity
This process is less effective.	This process is more effective.

Summary –In situvsEx situBioremediation

Bioremediation is the process which uses biological systems such as microorganisms and plants to reduce or destroy the concentrations of contaminants in the polluted environments. It can be done in two ways:in situorex situ.Inin situ生物修复,contaminants are treated at the same site using biological systems. Inex situ生物修复,contaminants are treated in some other place from the original site. This is the key difference betweenin situandex situbioremediation. Bioremediation processes are cost effective, safe and nature-based methods over the chemical and physical methods.

Reference:
1.”Bioremediation.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 02 Mar. 2017
2.Adnan, Amna. “Types of Bioremediation | Role of Biotechnology in Bioremediation.” Types of Bioremediation | Role of Biotechnology in Bioremediation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017

Image Courtesy:
1. “Mechanism of salt removal from tsunami affected soil by bioremediation”By By M. Azizul Moqsud and K. Omine –(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia