bioremediation

American  

[bahy-oh-ri-mee-dee-ay-shuhn] / ˌbaɪ oʊ rɪˌmi diˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

plural

bioremediations

1. Ecology. a process of decontaminating soil or water by using living organisms, especially bacteria, fungi, and green plants, to absorb or break down pollutants. See also phytoremediation.

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bioremediation British  

/ ˌbaɪəorɪˌmiːdɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. Also called: phytoremediation.  the use of plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soils and water

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bioremediation Scientific  

/ bī′ō-rĭ-mē′dē-ā′shən /

1. The use of biological agents, such as bacteria, fungi, or green plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants, as in polluted soil or water. Bacteria and fungi generally work by breaking down contaminants such as petroleum into less harmful substances. Plants can be used to aerate polluted soil and stimulate microbial action. They can also absorb contaminants such as salts and metals into their tissues, which are then harvested and disposed of.

2. ◆ The use of green plants to decontaminate polluted soil or water is called phytoremediation.

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bioremediation Cultural  

1. The use of certain biological agents, especially bacteria, to remove or neutralize contaminants from polluted soil or water.

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Other Word Forms

• bioremedial adjective
• bioremediate verb
• bioremediator noun

Example Sentences

The Eaton and Palisades fires likely made polluted soils worse, but soil experts say bioremediation may be an alternative to scraping, especially for gardeners.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

City leaders inaugurated Kite Hill as a public space in August 1973, after Haag’s bioremediation pilot program was proven to reduce pollutants in the soil enough to grow edible plants.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

Lucas Martínez Álvarez, who specializes in bioremediation at the Argentine Antarctic Institute in Buenos Aires, and his colleagues are using bacteria to remove hydrocarbons from soil around Argentina’s Carlini Base on King George Island.

From Scientific American • Sep. 11, 2023

I’ll start a bioremediation project, in Ohuira Bay in Sinaloa state, with a microbial consortium of seven bacteria—four of them were isolated from Cuatro Ciénegas.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 23, 2023

It's called bioremediation - planting vegetation that naturally removes pollutants in the soil, without the need to remove chemicals and dispose of them elsewhere.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2022