Microbial services and their management: Recent progresses in soil bioremediation technology

• Published in: Applied soil ecology : a section of Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 2010-10, Vol.46 (2), p.157-167
• Main Authors: Guimarães, Beatriz C.M., Arends, Jan B.A., van der Ha, David, Van de Wiele, Tom, Boon, Nico, Verstraete, Willy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; biogeochemical cycles; Biological and medical sciences; bioremediation; biotechnology; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Contaminated; economic analysis; ecosystem services; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; land restoration; literature reviews; Management; Microbial; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Services; Soil; soil biology; soil biotechnology; soil conservation; soil ecological processes; soil ecology; soil pollution; Soil science; soil services
• ISSN: 0929-1393; 1873-0272
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2010.06.018

There is an increasing interest in soils and sediments because their vital importance for the survival of the planet has become apparent. They assure a multitude of services such as removal of various gases from the atmosphere (methane, carbon monoxide, …), filtering of water, removal of pathogens, degradation of organics, recycling of nutrients, …. All these processes represent an economic value, which is estimated to be about the double of the gross annual product. Yet, numerous sites (estimated at more than a quarter million in the EU alone) are polluted and need to be cleaned up. Soil biotechnology plays an ever-increasing role in this. The reason why engineers need to enhance or induce natural processes and the ways they can do this, are reviewed. Furthermore, those soil services which are of vital importance are evaluated. To understand the underlying ecological mechanisms during soil remediation, a pragmatic approach using molecular tools is proposed. Subsequently, a series of new biotechnologies for soils is examined. Also putative new dangers for soils are scouted for. Moreover a set of paradigms currently implemented in the field of soil governance is critically examined. Finally a short list of future market potentials in soil biotech is presented. Overall, it is concluded that soil biotech, driven by the economic value of the services rendered by high quality soils, is currently in a phase of extensive growth.