Trends in Bioremediation of Heavy Metal Contaminations

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination of the ecosystem remains one of the severe global threats. Even in trace quantities, heavy metals and metalloids such as chromium, lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, and cobalt are toxic and carcinogenic, posing a serious threat to human life. Certain microbes and plants have evolved detoxifying pathways to fight the harmful effects of these inorganic metals, paving the door for bioremediation. Because of its environmentally benign nature, economic viability, and low labor and effort requirements, bioremediation outperforms other approaches in eliminating heavy metals. This review highlights the potential of microbes on remediation of heavy metals in the context of environmental protection and also focuses on the critical tolerance mechanisms used by these microbes in combating heavy metal contaminations. Furthermore, the bioremediation potential of bacteria, fungus, algae, plants, biosurfactants, biofilms and genetically altered microorganisms for the removal of these heavy metals was reviewed in this study. Applying these techniques as a sustainable environmental technology in the near future has shown synergistic benefits with a many-fold increase in the removal of heavy metals.

Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation as a Bioremediation Technique for Mining Waste

“…These microbial pathways include enzyme activity, oxidation–reduction reactions, or photosynthesis processes. Microorganisms can release organic acids, electron donors, and enzymes into the extracellular environment through passive diffusion, secretion, and active pumping [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Again, this impacts the extracellular environment, which can induce precipitation.…”

The potential of Monstera sp. phytoremediation in various lead-contaminated water samples

“…The correlation between pH and heavy metal uptake usually shows negative results, but plants are able to absorb heavy metals optimally when the pH is neutral. Low pH conditions of organic acids and H+ ions will compete, which can mobilize heavy metal ions in media and increased possibility absorbtion of Lead [21]. Inversely proportional if the pH is high the ions exist by insoluble oxide, hydroxide statement, which the plants hardly absorb heavy metals.…”

Bioremediation of Heavy Metals in Wastewaters: A Concise Review

“…It continued until the two components were in equilibrium. Fungi remove heavy metals by adsorbing metals on their surfaces and binding them with functional groups such as amine, carboxyl, phosphate, hydroxyl and sulfhydryl group, which is found on the cell's surface (Das et al, 2008;Kisielowska et al, 2010;Jeyakumar et al, 2022).…”