Heavy Metal Remediation by Microorganisms in the Total Environment: Effects of Processing Conditions and Recent Advances

Abstract

Heavy metals are found in nature in trace amounts but, due to rapid industrialization, urbanization and various anthropogenic activities, their concentration in the environment has reached an undesired level in recent years. Pollution by heavy metals has become a serious threat to human health due to their toxicity and long-term persistence in the environment. The use of microorganisms in detoxifying heavy metals has great potential in tackling these adverse effects. Microbial bioremediation is an economical and effective technique to alleviate the toxic forms of heavy metals by converting them into less toxic forms. Upon inoculation, these microbes help reduce the elevated concentrations of heavy metals in both soil and plants. The long-term exposure of some microorganisms to high concentrations of heavy metals has made them resistant and acquire the ability to remove different heavy metals using different types of mechanisms. The processing conditions that affect microbial remediation include temperature, pH, and different substrates. Recent technological advances in microbial remediation have suggested it to be a better alternative to other approaches. The study of such microbes and their interaction is crucial to understanding and developing strategies for future research directions.