Eco-Friendly Remediation to Mitigate the Toxic Effects of Emerging Contaminant Diclofenac

Abstract

Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drug has turned into an anthropogenic pollutant of emerging concern. Chronic exposure to DCF not only draws special attention to health issues for aquatic organisms, arthropods, and higher plants but also leads to serious damage to human beings. Its persistence in the ecosystem and synergistic interactions with existing pollutants may lead to proliferation of newly emerging contaminants which further disrupt the balance of nature. This comprehensive review highlights the toxicity effects of DCF and its metabolites. To counter this critical environmental imbalance, bioremediation is exploited for effective environmental clean-up. It is a fast, simple, cost effective and eco –friendly approach that explores microbial communities for mitigating the harmful effects of such toxic contaminants to control the levels of pollution. The practice of bioremediation approach using beneficial microorganisms in DCF degradation is important as it generates less hazardous compounds by maintaining the environment stability. Microorganisms adapt in the extreme conditions to transform DCF into innocuous intermediate metabolic products. These beneficial bioremediators can be used in the biological treatment of waste water thereby providing cleaner water resources to reduce the levels of water pollution, which is a great concern worldwide.