Review: In situ and bioremediation of organic pollutants in aquatic sediments.
Organic pollutants in sediments are a worldwide problem because sediments act as sinks for hydrophobic, recalcitrant and hazardous compounds. Depending on biogeochemical processes these hydrocarbons are involved in adsorption, desorption and transformation processes and can be made available to benthic organisms as well as organisms in the water column through the sediment-water interface. Most of these recalcitrant hydrocarbons are toxic and carcinogenic, they may enter the food-chain and accumulate in biological tissue. Several approaches are being investigated or have been already used to remove organic hydrocarbons from sediments. This paper provides a review on types and sources of organic pollutants as well as their behavior in sediments. It presents the advantages and disadvantages of traditional sediment remediation techniques in use, such as dredging, capping and monitored natural attenuation. Furthermore, it describes new approaches with emphasis on bioremediation, like biostimulation, bioaugmentation and phytoremediation applied to sediments. These new techniques promise to be of lower impact and more cost efficient than traditional management strategies.
Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental, Escola Politécnica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Prof. Aristides Novis, 02 - Federação, CEP 40210-910 Salvador, BA, Brazil. louisa@ufba.br
Louisa Wessels
LW
Perelo
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
D006838:Hydrocarbons; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical