Affiliation:
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Surendranath College, 24/2, M. G. Road, Sealdah, Kolkata, West Bengal.
Abstract
EPSs are complex biomolecules composed of proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and their derivatives. Microorganisms
continuously secrete EPS throughout their development and metabolism. The EPS derived from various microbial
aggregates have been found to have diverse composition. They are important for microbial cell aggregation, biolm formation,
immunomodulation, and are also commercially utilized as food industry gelling agents, heavy metal contaminant sequestration, and other
processes (Chug et al., 2021). The ionizable functional groups of EPS, including carboxyl, amine, and hydroxyl, aid in the sequestration of metal
ions. Previous research has found a link between microbes' ability to eliminate metals and their synthesis of EPS. EPSs produced by microbes are
non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymers with several uses in various sectors (Siddharth et al., 2021). Bioremediation by bacterial
EPSs can be a cost-effective, sustainable, and simple alternative which is also ecologically viable.
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