The studies on freshwater and terrestrially derived
conventional treatment cultures indicate that these
organisms are not genetically capable of surviving in
hypersaline environments. In order to biologically
remove organic compounds from hypersaline wastes
without dilution, specialized microbes will be required.
Natural hypersaline environments such as the
Great Salt Lake and solar salterns contain complex
communities of such microbes. These halotolerant
and halophilic organisms are metabolically diverse
and possess many of the same characteristics as
conventional waste treatment cultures. Organisms
found in these environments can be classified as
non-halopbilic, marine, moderately halophilic or extremely
halophilic based upon their salt requirement
for optimum growth.