Environment Healing the Earth with the Power of Microbes - The Coming of Bioremediation Technology 1999

Environment Healing the Earth with the Power of Microbes - The Coming of Bioremediation Technology 1999

In the late 1990s, environmental pollution problems were a major challenge for industry, government, and civil society. In particular, soil and groundwater contamination by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals became apparent at former factory sites and illegal dumping sites after the period of rapid economic growth, attracting attention as a health hazard and groundwater resource crisis. Conventional soil remediation methods have mainly involved physical methods such as excavation and removal, and high-temperature incineration, but these methods were costly and carried the risk of creating new environmental burdens.

Under these circumstances, "bioremediation" emerged. In the U.S., this technology has already been in practical use since the early 1990s on military land and former oil refinery sites. In Japan, a venture company introduced Oppenheimer's technology around 1999 and attempted to develop the domestic market.

Techniques practiced included "biostimulation," in which nutrients are added to increase the activity of microorganisms in the soil, and "bioaugmentation," in which microorganisms with specific decomposition capabilities are injected. This approach was evaluated for its ability to reduce remediation costs to a fraction of those of conventional methods, and the fact that it does not involve excavation, so it can be implemented without damaging the site environment.

In 1997, with the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, Japan needed to take a proactive stance not only on greenhouse gas reduction but also on environmental preservation in general, and the Soil Environmental Conservation Law (enacted in 2002) was beginning to be discussed. In the midst of these trends toward tighter regulations and environmental risk management, bioremediation, which harnesses the power of nature, attracted attention as a "next-generation environmental restoration technology.

The introduction of this technology symbolized the transition from the cleanup of industrial pollution to a recycling-oriented society, and marked an ideological shift from the conventional "treat it when it gets dirty" to "restore it in harmony with nature.