Bioremediation is the use of living organisms, such as microbes and bacteria, to remove contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil, water, and other environments. Bioremediation can be used to clean up contaminated groundwater or environmental problems, such as oil spills. The process relies on stimulating the growth of certain microbes that utilize contaminants like oil, solvents, and pesticides for sources of food and energy. These microbes convert contaminants into small amounts of water, as well as harmless gases like carbon dioxide. Bioremediation offers numerous advantages over other cleanup methods. By relying solely on natural processes, it minimizes damage to ecosystems. Bioremediation often takes place underground, where amendments and microbes can be pumped in order to clean up contaminants in groundwater and soil. Some examples of bioremediation related technologies are phytoremediation, bioventing, bioattenuation, biosparging, composting (biopiles and windrows), and landfarming. The end goal of bioremediation is to remove or reduce harmful compounds to improve soil and water quality.