Table of Contents                                                                                     v

CHAPTER ONE                                                                                      1

1.1     Introduction                                                                                    1

1.2     Meaning of Biotechnology                                                            2

1.3     Defining Bioremediation                                                               6

CHAPTER TWO                                                                                     8

2.1     Bioremediation and Its Application                                               8

2.1.2  Advantages of Bioremediation                                                      9

2.2     Applications                                                                                   9

2.3     Microbial Bioremediation                                                              10

2.4     Bioremediation Organisms                                                            12

 CHAPTER THREE                                                                                 14

3.1     Role of Biotechnology in Sustainability                                        14

3.2     Environmental Biotechnology                                                       16

CHAPTER FOUR                                                                                    20

4.1     Application of Biotechnology in Environment                              20

4.2     Pollution Control                                                                           20

4.3     Agriculture                                                                                     21

4.4     Mining                                                                                           22

4.5     Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery                                                 23

4.6     Bioremediation Technology                                                          24

Conclusion                                                                                               26

REFERENCES                                                                                        27

          Today, biotechnology is being considered as emerging science for environmental protection. The technology involves the use of microorganisms for biological treatment of air, water and soil pollutants. Biotechnological treatment is carried out at lower temperature and pressure which requires less energy than the conventional physico-chemical treatment technology. The industries generating hazardous wastes have found beneficial measures from the emerging trend of biotechnological treatment. Biotechnological innovations for treatment for hazardous waste under controlled environmental conditions have been found cost–effective means of reducing the pollution potential of waste water, leading to enhanced public acceptance and compliance with environmental legislation. Environmental pollution such as contaminated soil or surface / ground water can be solved by bioremediation and / or phytoremediation by use of biological living organisms and green plants.

          Bioremediation uses biological agents, mainly microorganisms i.e. yeast, fungi or bacteria to clean up contaminated soil and water. According to (Agarwal, 1998), this technology relies on promoting the growth of specific microflora or microbial consortia that are indigenous to the contaminated sites that are able to perform desired activities. Establishment of such microbial consortia can be done in several ways e.g. by promoting growth through addition of nutrients, by adding terminal electron acceptor or by controlling moisture and temperature conditions. In bioremediation processes, microorganisms use the contaminants as nutrient or energy sources.