Bioreactive Organoclay: A New Technology for Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Organoclays, which are synthesized by introducing organic molecules into the clay structure, have been proven effective for remediation of many contaminants in soil and water. The underlying principle for this is sorption. However, a new remediation approach that combines sorption and biodegradation/biotransformation has evolved in recent years. Contaminants sorbed on organoclays can be successfully degraded or transformed into less toxic forms by specific microorganisms, provided the participating microbes thrive well on the organoclays. Thus, bioreactive organoclays are prepared. The authors present a critical review of the scientific principles and scope of integrating microorganisms with organoclays to develop a new environmental friendly, risk–based, and cost-effective remediation technology. Furthermore, they propose new research directions in the field.