Bioaugmentation refers to the introduction of a group of natural microbial strain or a genetically engineered variant so as to achieve bioremediation.

Usually the step involves studying the indigenous varieties present in the location to determine if biostimulation is possible. If the indigenous variety do not have the metabolic capability to perform the remediation process, exogenous varieties with such sophisticated pathways are introduced.

The availability of glutaraldehyde treated recombinant E. coli is a boon to bioaugmentation approaches. The glutaraldehyde treatment crosslinks the cell wall, rendering the bacteria unable to reproduce, which makes treatment by these “catalytic particles” environmentally and ethically sound.