Incd-Ecoind Experience in Bio-Treatment of the Organic Compounds and Heavy Metals Polluted Soils

Nowadays, in Romania, soil management and assurance of soil quality conditions are some of the major tasks, not only in respect to reducing soil’s value in agriculture and its utilization in recreative or habitat purposes but also because it is a source of pollution for ground and surface water.

Among the conventional technologies of soil decontamination applied in Romania, biotechnological methods are the most important. INCD–ECOIND, one of Romanian National Institutes for the Environmental Protection has developed since 2000 a series of biotechnologies for treatment of soils polluted with oil products, cyanide and heavy metals: I. Biotechnologies in bioreactors inoculated with specialized bacteria; II. Biotechnologies for cyanide polluted soils decontamination (soil was inoculated with autochthon/selected biomass and supplemented with nutrients); III. Treatments with natural sorbents (peatmoss; Sphagnum sp.); IV. Phytoremediation using Dactylis glomerata. Lolium perene, Avena sativa, Hordeum vulgare for heavy metals removal from contaminated soils. The best results were obtained with Dactylis glomerata.

Choosing the best bioremediation technology must be made on the basis of technical and economical criteria, which take into account the following: type and concentration of present pollutants, polluted soil volume which need to be treated, its localization (depth) and accessibility, treatment objectives or legal regulations;

The technologies elaborated by INCD-ECOIND are efficient as the treated soils are conformed to Romanian regulation – MAPPM Order 756/1997 “Reglementation regarding evaluation of environment contamination”.