Applications of Environmental Biotechnology to Bioremediation

This chapter introduces the concepts and some applications of the molecular biology-based methods to environmental biotechnology. For the optimization of a bioremediation process it is important to understand the performance and efficiency of biodegradative bacteria under a wide range of environmental conditions. Gene probe technology in bioremediation can be used in site characterization to quantify degradative bacterial populations present and to evaluate the bacterial population responses to changes in environmental parameters and engineered bioremediation practices. There are two methods to detect specific bacteria using gene probe technology, colony hybridization and direct DNA extraction from the sample. Colony hybridization and direct extraction of DNA were used to enumerate naphthalene-degrading bacteria in a study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. The bioluminescent reporter technology for the monitoring of bacterial activities and transport in environmental systems provides a very promising novel technique that could contribute significantly to the understanding of the performance of bacteria in different environments.