Bioremediation: A practical solution to land pollution

  • Z. M. Lees
  • E. Senior
Chapter

Abstract

The production and subsequent storage or transportation of hazardous materials are integral parts of our economy. Consequently, there is an enormous variety of synthetic organic chemicals (xenobiotics) which enter our environment by way of leakages or spillages from pipes and tanks; deposition of airborne emissions; storage and disposal of raw materials or unwanted wastes and residues (for example, sludge lagoons, mixed landfills, slag areas, etc.); use of contaminated fill material; application of sewage or industrial sludge to land; and spraying of pesticides. In most instances, these problems involve the contamination of soils and/or groundwater and may also involve the contamination of sediments either on-site or in nearby water bodies (i.e. drainways, rivers, lakes). Furthermore, point and non-point discharges of pollutants result in the contamination of sediments in natural surface water bodies. Although the majority of polluted sites have been identified in the United States, the European continent and the United Kingdom, few (if any) such records exist for most Third World countries where numerous uncontrolled waste disposal sites represent a critical problem. In addition, there are untold numbers of operating industries, as well as commercial, residential and agricultural lands, with on-site contamination problems. Amelioration is thus a daunting and often expensive challenge.

Keywords

Hazardous Waste Sequencing Batch Reactor Clean Technology American Petroleum Institute Slurry Reactor 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1995

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  • Z. M. Lees
  • E. Senior

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