The experts consulted first gave their opinion by filling in a
questionnaire drawn up by the coordinator, covering three areas:
- fields and application techniques,
- fields and techniques of application,
- limitations,
- research needs.
The experts' answers to the questionnaire were compiled by the coordinator, then
discussed, amended and completed at a meeting held at INSA on 23 May, and finally checked and
completed by the experts in an exchange of emails during the month of June.
This document summarises the experts' opinions at the end of the entire
procedure. The experts' opinion on the use of
biotechnologies to treat polluted waste, soil and sediment is generally
positive, despite a number of physico-chemical, biological, technological and
economic limitations that generally need to be examined on a case-by-case
basis. The experts feel that the new
biotechnologies have great potential, whether in:
- in new fields of application (metallic pollutants, xenobiotic organic
pollutants),
- in the emergence of new tools (microbial consortiums, phytoremediation,
combination of several processes, etc.),
- in better control of biological processes and technical means to overcome
some of the current limitations.
The future of biotechnologies for
treating polluted waste, soils and sediments will be directly linked to the
research effort that will be devoted to developing new technologies or
improving the adaptation of current or emerging technologies. Research into the functioning of
microbial consortia (or microbial communities) appears to be a priority, as
microbial consortia are considered by experts to be potentially much more
effective than pure strains.) The following points should be addressed:
- structuring and functioning of microbial consortia (physiology, regulation,
etc.),
- metabolic potential,
- behaviour in complex environments.
The use of exogenous micro-organisms (which may or may not be genetically modified, mutated or adapted) can in some cases improve the efficacy of treatments, but research is needed into the procedures for obtaining active exogenous consortia and for controlling their introduction and fate in the environment to be treated. Biostimulation techniques are currently favoured when the indigenous flora can be effectively stimulated. However, technological progress is still needed to better control the stimulation factors (aeration, mixing, molecules that specifically induce enzymatic biocatalysts, etc.), or to reduce the kinetic limitations linked to the accessibility of pollutants (adsorption and diffusion in polluted soils or sediments, hydrolysis of solid substrates in organic waste).
Finally, the experts consider that the application of biotechnologies could be
improved:
- by seeking complementarities between different biotechnologies (e.g.
phytoremediation and biostimulation, or aerobiosis/anaerobiosis association) or
between biotechnologies and other treatments,
- by developing tools for on-line and in situ monitoring of fundamental
parameters (biosensors and molecular probes for pollutant analysis and
monitoring of microbial activities and communities).
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