A Review of Bioremediation of Soil Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Toxic and hazardous contaminants generated and accumulated as a result of industrial activities, improper waste management, and other anthropogenic factors, have become one of the major environmental threats. Heavy metal contamination, in particular, has long-lasting negative impacts on different life forms. In plants, it can disrupt the water and nutrient uptake mechanisms, photosynthesis, and other metabolic pathways, adversely affect the vital soil microflora, and can also make its way to the food chain, thereby resulting in the deterioration of human health. Although several chemical and physical treatment options have been developed, these conventional methods are expensive and may not be feasible for large-scale remediation. Bioremediation is therefore considered s a better eco-friendly alternative for solving this issue and for potentially reducing the toxic metal concentration in polluted resources. This review, in brief, discusses the scope of bioremediation for contaminated soil, the various metal-remediating microbes found, the different mechanisms of bioremediation used, and many more.