The most effective solution to degrade complex pollutants is the application of microorganisms/microbial communities originated from contaminated sites. The application of predominately autochthonous microbial community adapted to certain pollution and environmental conditions (physico-chemical properties) has a greater chance of being effective, i.e. the use of site specific bioaugmentation agent. A major advantage of site-specific microbial inoculants is that while bioaugmentation products containing allochthonous microorganisms are not fully effective in all contaminated areas, microorganisms originating from and returned to a site can result in a significant reduction of contaminants. During bioremediation the application of a bioaugmentation agent containing effective microbial community adapted to on-site parameters is a half-success.
For the development of site-specific bioaugmentation agent, enrichment cultures and microcosms (ecosystem selection systems) were prepared using contaminated soils and groundwater to isolate and enrich microorganisms and microbial communities capable of hydrocarbon degradation. During the development and production process the concentration changes of the contaminant i.e. the biological degradation of the pollutant and the alteration of the microbial community, are monitored by gas chromatography (GC/GC-MS) and molecular biological methods (PCR, quantitative PCR, sequencing, microbial community analyses), respectively, in order to ensure excellent product quality. The developed site-specific bioaugmentation agent are produced in our fermentor park with more than 4500 litre capacity. Although, the development of site specific inocula are time- and energy-intensive, however, it provides an opportunity for effective remediation, complemented with biostimulation (e.g. application of carbon, nitrogen sources, electron donors, acceptors), the time required for remediation can be significantly reduced.