Chapter 5, Problem 30A

Summary Introduction

To write:

The process used to detoxify a polluted area using living organism.

Introduction:

Biodiversity is often lost in an environment due to which the abiotic and biotic factors that required a healthy ecosystem are no longer available. Due to certain human activities, such as mining, the land is placed in a state that does not support biodiversity. Accidental oil spills and harmful chemical spills pollute an environment in such a way that the native organisms could not survive there. Biological communities could recover from natural and man-made disasters. They may require a longer time to recover it if the impact was larger. Ecologists use two approaches for restoring the damaged environment, and they are biological augmentation and bioremediation.

Explanation of Solution

Bioremediation is the method of using living organisms, such as fungi, prokaryotes, or plants, to detoxify a contaminated environment. In 1975, a leak from a South Carolina fuel-storage plant released about 80,000 gallons of jet fuel based on kerosene. The fuel soaked in the sandy soil and polluted the underground water table. Microorganisms that is present naturally in the soil break down these carbon-based fuels into carbon dioxide. Scientists also found that the rate at which the micro-organisms decontaminated the region was increased by introducing additional nutrients to the soil. Within a matter of years, the area's pollution was significantly reduced. Within the ecosystems, these micro-organisms may be used to extract pollutants from polluted soils caused by accidental oil or gasoline spills. Some plants are also used to remove toxic substances, so they are planted in contaminated soils where they store the toxic metals in their tissues.

Conclusion

Bioremediation is the process of using living organisms to remove toxic substances from the polluted ecosystem.