Remediation is a process to remove contaminants such as gasoline, kerosene and fuel oil from soil.
Bioremedation uses naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or yeast to decompose harmful chemicals into less toxic or nontoxic compounds. Many species of soil bacteria, for example, use petroleum hydrocarbons as a food and energy source. This natural process transforms the petroleum hydrocarbons into harmless substances consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, water and fatty acids. In Ohio, over 15,000 underground storage tanks that store petroleum, heating oil and other materials are leaking. Petroleum contaminated soil, unregulated and left to evaporate into the atmosphere, can release potentially harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.