A Novel Strategy: Microbes in Relation to Heavy Metals Toxicity and Future Prospects

Abstract

The heavy metals persistence in the environment may pollute or contaminate aqueous streams and soils. In this respect, an option of bioremediation process offers to take into account the microbes and plants to reduce the possible harmful effect or to destroy the various contaminants. Under the metal stress, numerous strategies have been developed to avoid the heavy metal toxicity by the soil microbes. Plants growth significantly improves when these metal resistant microbes used in soils as bio-fertilizers or bio-inoculant that are stressed by the heavy metal. It proves to be a highly environmental friendly, easy and cost-effective approach to apply the beneficial plant traits along with the microbes that have efficient properties of heavy metal detoxification. Bioremediation by microbes and phyto-remediation between the various processes of bioremediation are quite operative. Some microbes allow the desired process optimization through varying physicochemical conditions of the contaminated area by catalyzing the heavy metal related reactions. The combination of microbial community genetic engineering will prove to be paramount importance for polluted sites. This review summaries the key significant properties and phenotypes of the microbes that could be contributory to heavy metal bioremediation, along with their biochemical background and community genetic engineering.