Abstract
ABSTRACT
The application of biological processes in controlling environmental problems has increased strongly during the past decade. A characteristic and important aspect of biological processes is the feature that pollutants are degraded into products which are part of natural cycles.
The generation of more fundamental knowledge on microbiological degradation offers the possibility of broadening the field of application, especially for degrading non-easily biodegradable pollutants. This creates the opportunity of developing biological methods for the treatment of hazardous and toxic wastes.
So far research in this field in The Netherlands has resulted in some important applications, among others, treatment processes for industrial wastewater and processes for the cleaning of contaminated soil and the purification of polluted air. However, more research is necessary, the emphasis lies on the development of new technologies in order to apply present and future microbiological knowledge to specific environmental problems. The Dutch Government supports this type of environmentally and often economically relevant research.
In this article attention is paid to the microbiological and technical aspects of the developments in the field of the treatment of hazardous wastes and more details are given regarding the several techniques.
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