2. Biological treatment concepts

2.1 Microorganisms

Microorganisms are microscopic, generally unicellular, living organisms that proliferate naturally in all environments and under widely varying conditions (temperature from 0 to 80°C, pressure from 1 bar to several hundred bars, pH from 1 to 12, oxygenated or strictly anoxic environments). Their diversification and adaptation give them a remarkable ubiquitous character .

As soon as contaminants are introduced into a given environment, they interact with each other and with the surrounding environment. These interactions result in changes in their respective...