Bioaugmentation

Bioaugmentation is a bioremediation approach that introduces selected microorganisms into an environment to accelerate pollutant degradation or improve treatment performance. It is used in wastewater treatment, soil and groundwater remediation, and other pollution-control contexts.

Unlike biostimulation, which enhances activity of native microbes by adding nutrients, bioaugmentation adds specific strains or microbial consortia with desired metabolic capabilities. The organisms may be natural isolates, domesticated strains, or, in some cases, engineered, and are applied either in place (in situ) or in treatment systems (ex situ).

Applications include degradation of hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents in soils and aquifers, removal of pollutants from municipal and industrial wastewater, and optimization of nitrogen or phosphorus removal in some systems.

Process steps typically include site characterization, selection and testing of candidate strains for pollutant degradation and environmental tolerance, risk assessment, and bench- and pilot-scale evaluations before field deployment. Deployment methods include direct inoculation, immobilized cells, carrier media, or bioreactors integrated with treatment plants.

Challenges include survival and establishment in mixed communities, environmental variability, and regulatory or public acceptance concerns. Potential ecological risks such as competition with native organisms or horizontal gene transfer require monitoring and containment measures.

Bioaugmentation can speed pollutant removal when native microbes lack the necessary pathways, but outcomes are highly context-specific and often best when combined with other approaches such as biostimulation or physical cleanup.