Potential Research Bioremediation of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutant) in Indonesia

Abstract

The Stockholm Convention aims to protect human health and environment from Persistent organic pollutants (POPs). As a country has ratified the Stockholm Convention, Indonesia has obligation to conduct activities with the final goal of reducing and the phase out of POPs. POPs are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of this, they have been observed to persist in the environment, to be capable of long-range transport, bioaccumulate in human and animal tissue, bioaccumulate in food chains, and to have potential significant impacts on human health and the environment. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) become one of the major problems for the environment in the last years. Their properties that can resist in the atmosphere for several years and easy moving over the long area, make this problem become more serious. Identification of Contaminated site and remediation in an environmentally sound manner, but recently remediation has not been perfomed. In Indonesia, Research bioremediation of organic pollutants have been carried out by researchers at universities and research institutes both LIPI, Pusarpedal, BPPT and other research institutions. Bioremediation Indonesian Forum has been established and its action immediately realized in field applications.