Role of abiotic and biotic components in remediating environmental pollutants: A review

Abstract

Increasing environmental pollutants due to various anthropogenic activities are of great concern nowadays since they affect the health of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, fertilizers are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment for a longer duration affecting the health of living organisms. In this context, bioremediation technology is gaining considerable attention. Bioremediation technology involves various living organisms for the removal of toxic pollutants. This review discusses detoxification methods adopted by various microorganisms. An attempt has also been made to understand how these detox-mechanisms can be exploited to clean up the environment in a natural way. Finally, various environmental factors that regulate bioremediation processes and the methods to improve the rate of bioremediation have been mentioned. This comprehensive study may help to understand the fundamental aspects and future perspectives of microbial remediation of pollutants which could help in commercial success of waste management processes.