Bacterial-assisted soil remediation
Introduction
bioremediation is a new technique to decontaminate and/or repair the environment from different organisms, generally microorganisms, fungi or plants are used, however, recently a new alternative began to be studied and considered; the use of animals as decontaminating agents, animals that can grow in environments with high toxicity or that have microorganisms inside them capable of retaining heavy metals.
The use of these animals for bioremediation initiatives is called animal bioremediation or zooremediation. This new initiative must be based on solid ethical principles, which is why only invertebrates are used for these processes.[1].
Methods
Contenido
Los mecanismos empleados por los animales para remediar los sitios contaminados incluyen la zooextracción y la zooestabilización.
Zooextraction
The most common group of invertebrates used are bivalve mollusks to reduce contaminating nutrients from waste.
The effect of green mussels Perna viridis on the water quality of a series of contiguous ponds receiving effluent from the shrimp pond was studied and it was found that the green mussel effectively removed food particles and improved water quality.
Experiments have also been carried out on the bioremediation capacity of adult black clams, for example the clams Chione fluctifraga, which effectively eliminated contaminants from shrimp cultures.[2].
On the other hand, it has been proven that oysters reduce the level of phosphorus and nitrogen by 72% and 86% respectively. At an estuary level, the cultivation and harvesting of the pearl oyster Pinctada imbricata can balance the nitrogen input of a wastewater plant. It is estimated that an annual harvest of 499 tonnes of pearl oysters would balance the annual input of 3,741 kg of nitrogen entering the estuary from a small wastewater treatment plant.