Courses : Forest Ecology Lecturer :Frischa Adellia Semester : 4thSemester, 2022/2023 Session Definition of Bioaugmentation Bioaugmentation is a technique in the field of bioremediation that involves adding living organisms that have been specially selected or isolated from other environments into a polluted environment with the aim of increasing the natural ability of existing bioremediation organisms to clean certain pollutants. Basically, bioaugmentation involves the introduction or addition of microorganisms that have special abilities to degrade, reduce, or remove specific pollutants in polluted environments. These added organisms are usually selected because of their ability to produce enzymes that are effective in degrading certain pollutants or their ability to adapt to polluted environmental conditions. Some things that need to be considered in bioaugmentation are: 1. Selection of bioremediation organisms: The organisms selected for bioaugmentation must have the appropriate ability to degrade pollutants present in the target environment. For example, bacteria are able to degrade certain organic compounds or fungi are able to reduce heavy metals. 2. Preparation and introduction of organisms: The organisms to be added must be properly prepared before being introduced to the polluted environment. This may involve isolation, breeding, or genetic modification of bioremediation organisms. 3. Environmental conditions: Environmental factors such as temperature, pH, humidity, and nutrient availability must be considered to match the requirements of the added bioremediation organisms. Setting optimal environmental conditions can improve the survival and activity of new bioremediation organisms. 4. Integration with other methods: Bioaugmentation is often used together with other bioremediation methods, such as biostimulation or phytoremediation, to achieve optimal results in cleaning polluted environments. By using bioaugmentation, the hope is that the addition of specially selected bioremediation organisms will increase the effectiveness of the bioremediation process, accelerate the removal of pollutants, and accelerate the overall recovery of polluted environments. The main function of bioaugmentation in the context of bioremediation is to increase or expand the ability of existing bioremediation organisms to clean polluted environments. Following are some of the key functions of bioaugmentation: 1. Increasing biodegradation activity: Bioaugmentation aims to increase the biodegradation activity of bioremediation organisms that already exist in a polluted environment. By adding bioremediation organisms that have specific abilities to degrade certain pollutants, the biodegradation process can be accelerated. 2. Introduction of new capabilities : Organisms added through bioaugmentation may bring new capabilities or additional enzymes that existing bioremediation organisms do not have. This broadens the spectrum of pollutants that microbial communities can cope with in polluted environments. 3. Increased resistance: Bioaugmentation can increase the resistance of bioremediation organisms to extreme environmental conditions or chemicals present in polluted environments. The added organisms can have strong adaptation properties to pollutants or unfavorable environmental conditions. 4. Improving efficiency : By increasing the activity and capabilities of bioremediation organisms, bioaugmentation can improve the overall efficiency of the bioremediation process. This can result in lower time and costs in cleaning up a polluted environment. 5. Faster environmental recovery: Through increasing biodegradation activity and capabilities, bioaugmentation can accelerate the recovery of polluted environments by reducing pollutant concentrations in a shorter time. Thus, bioaugmentation plays an important role in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the bioremediation process by expanding the capabilities of existing bioremediation organisms, accelerating the recovery of polluted environments, and reducing the negative impacts of such pollution. In conclusion, bioaugmentation is a technique in bioremediation which aims to increase the ability of bioremediation organisms to clean polluted environments by adding specially selected living organisms to the environment. Some important points that can be concluded about bioaugmentation are: 1. Bioaugmentation aims to increase the biodegradation activity of bioremediation organisms in polluted environments by adding bioremediation organisms that have specific abilities to degrade certain pollutants. 2. The introduction of new bioremediation organisms through bioaugmentation can bring new capabilities or additional enzymes that expand the spectrum of pollutants that can be addressed by microbial communities in polluted environments. 3. Bioaugmentation can increase the resistance of bioremediation organisms to extreme environmental conditions or chemicals present in polluted environments, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the bioremediation process. 4. By increasing the activity and capabilities of bioremediation organisms, bioaugmentation can improve the overall efficiency of the bioremediation process, thereby accelerating the recovery of polluted environments. 5. By increasing biodegradation activity and capability, bioaugmentation can accelerate the recovery of polluted environments by reducing pollutant concentrations in a shorter time. Thus, bioaugmentation is an important strategy in bioremediation technology to achieve optimal results in cleaning polluted environments in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.