Bacillus species for sustainable management of heavy metals in soil: Current research and future challenges

Abstract

A significant environmental problem that has recently gained global notoriety is heavy metal pollution. Therefore, removal techniques are required. The environmental dissemination of heavy metals (HMs) can result in serious ecological and health risks. A possible alternative to traditional physical and chemical approaches is bioremediation, which uses microorganisms to eliminate contaminants. The ability of Bacillus species to create biosurfactants, siderophores, and enzymes that can sequester, solubilize, and convert HMs sets them apart from other microbes employed in bioremediation, which has led to their discovery as one of the most efficient. This review paper highlights the application of Bacillus species for the remediation of HMs in the environment. The paper focuses on elucidating the diverse heavy metal remediation mechanisms employed by Bacillus bacteria and provides an overview of the factors that influence the efficacy of bioremediation utilizing Bacillus sp. The benefits and drawbacks of employing Bacillus sp. for bioremediation are also discussed in the paper, along with recent advancement and difficulties in this area. The findings of this review demonstrate that Bacillus sp. has a significant potential for bioremediation of HMs, as evidenced by several studies. A cost-effective, sustainable, and ecologically acceptable method for bioremediation, Bacillus sp. has the added benefit of being able to remove a variety of HMs. This review paper comes to the conclusion that Bacillus sp. may be an effective choice for use in the bioremediation of heavy metal contamination in the years to come.