BioRemediation
Soils are an indispensable basis of life for people, animals and plants. Fertile soils are the result of long physical, chemical and biological processes. But many soils are threatened by old industrial and commercial properties in which environmentally hazardous substances have been used, as well as by properties on which waste has been treated or stored. In addition to the contaminated sites of industrial development, there are also contaminated sites as a result of bombings, military use of land and production of armaments. In order to avert dangers to people and the environment, contaminated sites must not only be monitored, but above all sustainably – and ideally in-situ – remedied. The same applies to old mine renovation and acid mine water in and from old mining tunnels.
To this end, pollutants are removed from contaminated soils. Such substances are – depending on the previous industrial use – e.g., potenitally toxic elements (PTE), mineral oil or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (abbreviated: PAH or PAH), sometimes also cyanides. Biological processes can play an important role in this; they use the catabolic versatility of microorganisms to break down or convert such compounds.
ekolive solves such burdens by bioaugmentation, a large-scale cultivation of bacterial biomass of microorganisms with the ability to decompose hydrocarbons and other contaminants, adding biogenic elements in form of fertilizers (biostimulation).
We have proven mixed consortia of bacteria – microlive®, effective on industrial scale, special technology for multiplication and resistance to nonsterile industrial conditions, proven resistance to cyanide and potentially toxic elements (PTE), nutritional and activating solutions tailored to these – ekocomplex®, and experiences in ex-situ and in-situ operations on biodegradation. Furthermore, ekolive has applied this solution for the first time in the world on industrial scale for industrial biodegradation of contaminants on projects in Slovakia and in Germany – and has achieved more than 95 % efficiency in contaminants removal.
ekolive has also filed a European Patent application on environmental stabilization of mines and removal of surface pollution, using this kind of bioremediation in particular for solving mining contaminated sites.
>> Here you will find relevant literature, reports, studies and scientific publications on the topic.