Eco-friendly Strategies of Remediation in the Marine System

SERRA, ANALÍA VERÓNICA; GIRONÉS, LAUTARO; NEGRIN, VANESA LORENA

Coastal and Deep Ocean Pollution

CRC Press

Año: 2020; p. 184 - 214

Remediation of marine systems, which could be polluted by both organic and inorganiccontaminants, is a complex process. Traditional remediation strategies include chemical, physico-chemical and thermal techniques, which are still widely used. However, biological techniques have begun to be applied, as they are eco-friendly and low cost alternatives. Biological remediation includes bioremediation and phytoremediation, which are defined as the use of microorganisms and plants, respectively, to remediate polluted sites.This chapter first describes briefly the physico-chemical factors that can affect bioremediation and phytoremediation and, in the case of bioremediation, the microorganisms that could be involved. Then, the different bioremediation (bioaugmentation, biostimulation, bioventing, bioleaching, etc.) and phytoremediation (phytoextraction, phytostabiliazation, phytovolatilization, etc.) strategies are defined. Finally, emphasis is placed on the biological remediation of marine systems, both in seawater and in sediments. This part is divided into inorganic (namely metals) and organic (oil spills and persistent organic pollutants) pollutants, discussing the different bioremediation and phytoremediation strategies that are applied or could be applied in marine systems. Combinations of techniques and novel approaches including genetic engineering are also considered.