Excessive utilization of chemicals based substances such as pesticides,
pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, inappropriate dumping of industrial materials and local
wastes, etc., into the environment is leading towards deliverance of high amounts of
contaminants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, dyes, toxins, petroleum and diesel
spills into the soil. The mingling of these materials with soil and water is becoming one
of the supreme complications associated with the environment, as these contaminants
are a potential menace to human health. Bioremediation is a process that has the ability
to destroy harmful contaminants and transform them into less toxic forms using living
organisms such as bacteria, fungi, plants, etc. It is the most up-to-date nature-friendly
approach to lower the extent of pollutants in the environment. With continuous
developments in the scientific area, researchers are focussing on improving the process
of bioremediation by using genome editing technologies. The gene editing techniques
have the potential to significantly improve bioremediation processes such as xenobiotic
removal, conversion of toxic compounds to less toxic compounds and pesticide
degradation to simple components. The main gene editing techniques, CRISPR-Cas,
ZFN and TALEN, have the potential to meet the aforementioned goals. This chapter
focuses on the various gene editing tools and different genomic strategies such as gene
editing, gene circuit, etc., for the alteration or editing of the genome so that their
potential value or applications can be seen in various areas.
Keywords: Bioremediation, Chlorinated, Contaminants, Dumping, Environment, Fertilizers, Hydrocarbons, Industrial, Nature-friendly, Pharmaceuticals, Pesticides, Pollutants, Potential, Spills.
