Bioremediation of Some Organic Pollutants in the Aquatic Environment; the Egyptian and the Global Experiences

Abstract

Organic pollutants reach the aquatic environment through different waste sources such as municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes. The term “organic pollutants” in the present review is considering different types of chemicals including; pesticides, organic matter, dyes and oil spills. The ordinary methods used for remediation of such pollutants from the water environment such as mechanical removal, coagulation, aeration and filtration are defective due to their partial treatment effect in some instances and their high costs in some others. The modification of new, environmentally friend treatment methods are of great concern by abundant environmentalists. Bioremediation is one of new promising techniques that attracting worldwide attention, to completely or partially remove the organic pollutants from the aquatic systems. It is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and suitable for in situ applications. Microbial remediation has been applied to eliminate the toxic and recalcitrant pollutants from the water environment through several mechanisms including biodegradation. This review article provides a survey on the aquatic environment and the main groups of organic pollutants that commonly contaminate it. It also deeply expatiates the multiple applications of microbial bioremediation of such organic pollutants. Moreover, it focuses on some in situ applications of bioremediation technology in some case studies.