Low-tech Bioremediation: Microbiology for the Myriad

The legacy of toxins left in the soils of industrial sites are often remediated with expensive projects involving sampling, excavation, ex-situ treatment. Less expensive in-situ treatment options include the use of naturally occurring organisms such as bacteria and fungi to absorb or biodegrade the toxins. These methods approach elemental and molecular contamination differently. Various treatment options include the simple addition of organic matter, and more sophisticated systems of mycoremediation, phytoremediation, and phytodegradation.