Bioremediation of environmental pollutants and contaminants in soil is an
emerging technology, which will gain relevance and importance in the near future.
Microbiological bioremediation is not only cost-effective but also environmentally
sustainable, as it does not cause undesirable effects like toxic byproducts or residues,
requires heavy infrastructure, has on-site application, and is the least hazardous to
human health. With new biotechnological tools, the microbes can be designed to have
desirable effects for the bioremediation of more toxic wastes. However, the free release
of genetically modified microbes for this purpose is still under risk assessment. This is
an effective method to use indigenous microflora and harness their biodegradation
properties to remove unwanted contaminants from soil, water bodies, underground
water aquifers, ocean spills, etc. Currently, they are mostly used for cleaning oil spills
and removing petroleum products and heavy metals from soil. Both in situ and ex situ
methods are employed, where microbes can be used in varied ways. Much work is
going on to explore and enhance the properties of microbes, especially bacteria, to be
used as agents for contaminant removal from our environment. Global bioremediation
is an emerging market that is slowly growing and will become a multibillion-dollar
market worldwide in days to come. The current review tries to view the subject with
microbes in perspective; their role in bioremediation; mode of action; technologies
used; and their use for sustainable cleanup of the environment.
Keywords: Bioremediation, Biotransformation, Microflora, Pollutants, Pollutants.
