The development of cost-effective technologies for the remediation of toxic chemicals in the soil has become a particularly active area of research. Bioremediation, the use of biological processes for remediation, is one promising area of research. Biological processes, using enzymes as catalysts, can modify natural organic molecules, transforming them to simpler organic or inorganic molecules. A familiar example is the breakdown of the sugar glucose by the cells in our bodies. This breakdown, called glucose metabolism, produces the energy needed by our cells while breaking down the sugar, made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules, to water and carbon dioxide.
Similar processes occur in the microorganisms living in the environment.
Microorganisms use organic molecules as their carbon source and break them down to simpler compounds. If they are aerobic, meaning that they require oxygen, the products of the breakdown of organic molecules are carbon dioxide and water. This process of converting organic molecules to inorganic products is known as mineralization. Anaerobic microorganisms, which don't require oxygen, metabolize organic molecules into simpler, possibly less toxic end products. In situ bioremediation is the use of biological treatment for the cleanup of toxic chemicals in the underground environment itself.