• MIBIREM - Innovative technological toolbox for bioremediation

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MIBIREM Takes Centre Stage in Florence at BioRemid 2026

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Project summary

Contaminated sites pose a significant risk to humans and the environment. Innovative cleaning technologies are needed to remediate these sites and remove contaminants such as cyanides, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC).

Bioremediation uses living organisms like microbes (including bacteria), to digest and neutralise environmental contaminants. Like the microbiome in the gut, which supports the body in digesting food, microbiomes in contaminated sites can produce enzymes that degrade organic contaminants in soil and groundwater.

The EU-funded MIBIREM project will exploit microbiomes for bioremediation of contaminated sites. MIBIREM will develop a unique and innovative technological toolbox for microbiome-based bioremediation to clean up contaminated sites across Europe.

Contaminated sites pose a significant risk to humans and the environment. Innovative cleaning technologies are needed to remediate these sites and remove contaminants such as cyanides, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC).

Bioremediation uses living organisms like microbes (including bacteria), to digest and neutralise environmental contaminants. Like the microbiome in the gut, which supports the body in digesting food, microbiomes in contaminated sites can produce enzymes that degrade organic contaminants in soil and groundwater.

The EU-funded MIBIREM project will exploit microbiomes for bioremediation of contaminated sites. MIBIREM will develop a unique and innovative technological toolbox for microbiome-based bioremediation to clean up contaminated sites across Europe.

Challenge

In Europe, there are currently 324,000 severely contaminated sites, such as mines, landfills or petrol stations that pose a significant risk to humans and the environment.

Many organic contaminants in are difficult to remove: can reach deep into the soil, are extensive, or the contamination is below a used building.

Conventional remediation technologies to clean up these sites are often too costly, technically demanding and not eco-friendly.

Challenge

In Europe, there are currently 324,000 severely contaminated sites, such as mines, landfills or petrol stations that pose a significant risk to humans and the environment.

Many organic contaminants in are difficult to remove: can reach deep into the soil, are extensive, or the contamination is below a used building.

Conventional remediation technologies to clean up these sites are often too costly, technically demanding and not eco-friendly.

Solution – the MIBIREM toolbox

Through the MIBIREM toolbox, the project will provide innovative methods to use the potential of microbiomes in degrading contaminants in soil and groundwater. The project will develop molecular methods for the monitoring, isolation, cultivation and deposition of whole microbiomes.

The MIBIREM toolbox will also include methodology to improve microbiome functions, including evolution and enrichment. Improved microbiomes will then be tested under real field conditions in selected sites across Europe on cyanides, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC).

With its toolbox, MIBIREM aims to pave the way for the long-term upscaling of microbiome-based bioremediation to benefit humans and the environment.

Solution – the MIBIREM toolbox

Through the MIBIREM toolbox, the project will provide innovative methods to use the potential of microbiomes in degrading contaminants in soil and groundwater. The project will develop molecular methods for the monitoring, isolation, cultivation and deposition of whole microbiomes.

The MIBIREM toolbox will also include methodology to improve microbiome functions, including evolution and enrichment. Improved microbiomes will then be tested under real field conditions in selected sites across Europe on cyanides, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC).

With its toolbox, MIBIREM aims to pave the way for the long-term upscaling of microbiome-based bioremediation to benefit humans and the environment.

Project video animation

ALL4BIOREM – Our EU Projects Bioremediation Cluster

Impact
20-50%

Bioremediation can be 20-50% cheaper than current practice

70-90%

Bioremediation emits 70-90% less CO2 emissions than conventional remediation technologies

20-26K

20,000-26,000 sites in Europe are suitable for immediate bioremediation

3-5%

MIBIREM-based bioremediation increases every year by 3-5%

2x

The bioremediation market has huge potential, growing twice as fast as the remediation market as a whole

Testimonials

“With MIBIREM, we want to emphasise the importance of microbiomes for the bioremediation of contaminated sites. The resulting MIBIREM toolbox shall help to better exploit remediating microbiomes in the future.”

“The MIBIREM Consortium is ideal in the mix of disciplines and co-involvement of the private and public sectors. Without the committed company investment in this project, the research would remain in the lab. I am optimistic that the MIBIREM consortium will pave the way for effective and affordable soil bioremediation as an outcome”

“AIT has a lot of experience both on microbiomes and bioremediation. To integrate microbiome research better in bioremediation and to use this know-how for the development of new approaches and technologies to clean up soils from harmful chemicals is of key importance for us. Hence, I expect that within MIBIREM we will make together with the partners an important step to use molecular and microbiome tools to improve current bioremediation practices.”

“The takeaway from Ecomondo 2022 is that we need to continue on the track of circular economy. It is not an easy road – there are a lot of obstacles and resistance, for instance legislation that isn’t favorable, but the trend and the tendency is there: the shift to the circular economy. We as primary actors have to put our efforts in making the transition to circular economy as fast and as effective as possible.”

Partners in project