Microbial mediated remediation of heavy metals toxicity: mechanisms and future prospects

Microbial mediated remediation of heavy metals toxicity: mechanisms and future prospects

19 July 2024 | Haiying Tang, Guohong Xiang, Wen Xiao, Zeliang Yang, Baoyi Zhao
The article reviews the role of microbes in bioremediation of heavy metal (HM) contaminated soils, highlighting their mechanisms and future prospects. Heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), pose significant environmental and health risks due to their persistence, toxicity, and ability to accumulate in the food chain. Microbial remediation is presented as a promising approach to address these issues, offering long-term environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness compared to chemical and physical methods. Microbes employ various mechanisms, including bio-sorption, bioaccumulation, bioleaching, bio-transformation, bio-volatilization, and bio-mineralization, to mitigate HM toxicity. The review discusses the effectiveness of different microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and algae, in remediating HM-contaminated soils. It also addresses the factors influencing bioremediation processes, such as pH, temperature, and soil organic matter, and highlights the need for further research to enhance microbial efficiency. The article concludes by emphasizing the potential of microbial remediation in improving soil fertility, ecosystem health, and sustainable food production.The article reviews the role of microbes in bioremediation of heavy metal (HM) contaminated soils, highlighting their mechanisms and future prospects. Heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), pose significant environmental and health risks due to their persistence, toxicity, and ability to accumulate in the food chain. Microbial remediation is presented as a promising approach to address these issues, offering long-term environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness compared to chemical and physical methods. Microbes employ various mechanisms, including bio-sorption, bioaccumulation, bioleaching, bio-transformation, bio-volatilization, and bio-mineralization, to mitigate HM toxicity. The review discusses the effectiveness of different microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and algae, in remediating HM-contaminated soils. It also addresses the factors influencing bioremediation processes, such as pH, temperature, and soil organic matter, and highlights the need for further research to enhance microbial efficiency. The article concludes by emphasizing the potential of microbial remediation in improving soil fertility, ecosystem health, and sustainable food production.
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