A report issued by BCC Research provides an overview of the global markets and technologies of the bioremediation industry. The report predicts that the global bioremediation market should grow from $91.0 billion in 2018 to $186.3 billion by 2023, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% from 2018 through 2023.
One of the finding of the report is that the application of bioremediation technology in the water bodies sector held the largest market share in 2017, and it is expected to remain the market leader throughout the forecast period.
The report predicts an ever-increasing use of bioremediation techniques for treating sewage, lakes, rivers and streams, ponds and aqua culture is anticipated to create huge growth opportunities for the market in the coming years. In recent years, however, the rise in the agriculture industries has augmented the growth of hazardous pollutants in the environment, and thus the application of bioremediation methods in the agricultural sector is expected to be the fastest-growing segment.
Redox zones of a typical contaminant plume (Source: Parsons 2004)
The report breaks down and analyzes the bioremediation market into three categories:
- By type: In situ and ex situ bioremediation.
- By application: Water bodies, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, automotive and other industries.
- By region: North America is segmented into the U.S., Canada and Mexico; Europe is segmented into the U.K., Germany, France, Russia and Rest of Europe; the Asia-Pacific region is segmented into Japan, India, China and Rest of Asia-Pacific; and the Rest of the World (ROW) covers Latin America, Middle East and Africa.
The report provides estimated values used are based on manufacturers’ total revenues. Projected and forecast revenue values are in constant U.S. dollars unadjusted for inflation.
This report also includes a patent analysis and a listing of company profiles for key players in the bioremediation market.
Similar Reports
In 2014, a team of United Kingdom researchers at University of Nottingham and Heriot-Watt University issued the results of a global survey on the use of bioremediation technologies for addressing environmental pollution problems. The findings of the survey were quite interesting.
Preferred vs. Actual Treatment Method
One of the findings of the UK survey was the difference between the preferred vs. actual treatment method. More than half of respondents (51%) stated that they would prefer to use environmentally friendly approaches including microbial remediation (35%) and phytoremediation (16%). However, historical information suggests the opposite has actually been the case. Considering the relative low cost and low energy requirements of bioremediation technologies, the gulf between aspiration and practice might be due to various factors involving the risk-averse nature of the contaminated-land industry, or difficulties in project design. The latter include identifying appropriate organisms for removing specified contaminants, optimizing environmental conditions for their action, ascertaining extents of eventual clean-up, and the incomplete understanding of all the mechanisms and processes involved. These lead to difficulties in modeling, simulating and/or controlling these processes for improved outcomes.
Application of Bioremediation Techniques
The Figure below compares the broad bioremediation methods being employed within industry according to the 2014 survey, namely monitored natural attenuation (MNA), bio-augmentation and bio-stimulation. The use of low-cost in situ technologies (like MNA) featured quite prominently, particularly in North America and Europe, where it accounts for over 60% of the bioremediation methods being used. This finding points to a strong concern within the developed countries for better maintenance of ecological balance and preventing a disruption of naturally occurring populations.
Graphs of broad remediation methods used. All figures are expressed as the percentage of respondents in each category whose totals are shown in parenthesis.
MNA has been shown to require 1) elaborate modeling, 2) evaluation of contaminant degradation rates and pathways, and 3) a prediction of contaminant concentrations at migration distances and time points downstream of exposure points. This is to determine which natural processes will reduce contaminant concentrations below risk levels before potential courses of exposure are completed, and to confirm that degradation is proceeding at rates consistent with clean-up objectives. These results appear to suggest that regions which employ computational and modeling resources are better able to use low-cost bioremediation technologies like MNA, whereas the others tend to use the more traditional and less cost-effective technologies. In all the continents, researchers were found to favor the use of bio-stimulation methods. Less disruption of ecological balance is apparently a global concern.
Background on Bioremediation
Bioremediation is a method that uses naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeast to degrade or break down hazardous substances into non-toxic or less-toxic substances.Microorganisms eat and digest organic substances for energy and nutrients.
There are certain microorganisms that can dissolve organic substances such as solvents or fuels that are hazardous to the environment.These microorganisms degrade the organic contaminants into less-toxic products, mainly water and carbon dioxide.
The microorganisms must be healthy and active for this to occur.
Bioremediation technology helps microorganisms grow and boosts microbial population by generating optimum environmental conditions. The particular bioremediation technology utilized is determined by various factors, including the site conditions, the presence of type of microorganisms, and the toxicity and quantity of contaminant chemicals.
Bioremediation takes place under anaerobic and aerobic conditions.In the case of aerobic conditions, microorganisms utilize the amount of oxygen present in atmosphere to function.
With a sufficient amount of oxygen, microorganisms transform organic contaminants into water and carbon dioxide. Anaerobic conditions help biological activity in which oxygen is not present so that the microorganisms degrade chemical compounds present in the soil to release the required amount of energy.
Bioremediation technology is used to clean up contaminated water and soil.There are two main types of bioremediation: in situ and ex situ.
The in situ bioremediation process treats the contaminated groundwater or soil in the location where it is found. The ex situ process requires the pumping of groundwater or the excavation of contaminated soil before it can be treated.
In situ bioremediation type is typically segmented as phytoremediation, bioventing, bioleaching, bioslurping, biostimulation and bioaugmentation. The ex situ bioremediation type is typically segmented as composting, controlled solid-phase treatment and slurry-phase biological treatment.
Biodegradation is a cost-effective natural process that is useful for the treatment of organic wastes.The extent of biodegradation is greatly dependent upon the initial concentrations and toxicity of the contaminants, the properties of the contaminated soil, their biodegradability and the specific treatmentsystem selected.
In biodegradation treatment, the targeted contaminants are semi-volatile and nonhalogenated volatile organics and fuels. The benefits of bioremediation, however, are limited at sites with highly chlorinated organics and high concentrations of metals, as they may be harmful to the microorganisms.
https://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/mkvz6uj/4752244
