Bioremediation: Current Research and Applications

Contents: I. Bioremediation of Inorganic Contaminants: 1. Bioremediation Overview and Case Studies. 2. Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Eco-friendly Management. 3. Bioremediation of Heavy Metals from Industrial Effluents using Cyanobacterial Strains. 4. Microbial Remediation of Cyanides. 5. Arsenic Contamination in Water and Its Management. 6. Role of Heavy Metal Binding Polypeptides in Phytoremediation. 7. Case Studies in Phytoremediation. II. Bioremediation of Organic Contaminants: 8. Eradication of Pollution using Marine Microbes. 9. Biosorption of Dyes: An Implication of Microbial Exopolysaccharides. 10. Case Studies in Biosorption. 11. Current Modifications Introduced for Improving Bioremediation Efficiency of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. 12. Bioavailability Aspects of Hydrophobic Organic Pollutants with Respect to the Potential for Biodegradation. 13. Genetically Modified Microbes for Bioremediation of Oil Spills in Marine Environment. 14. Potential of Edible Fungal Mycelia, Individually and in Consortium Form for Bioremediation. 15. Oil Spill Cleanup by Textiles. III. Bioremediation of Textile and Tannery Effluents: 16. Textile Biological Decolourization and Effluent Remediation Techniques. 17. Bioremediation of Textile Effluents. IV. Environmental Sustainability: 18. Bioremediation of Polluted Waters using by Water Hyacinth. 19. Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) - An Important Determinant for the Development of Green Space in and Around Industrial/Urban Areas.

Bioremediation is one of the most promising technological approaches to the problem of hazardous waste, which relies on microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi to transform hazardous chemicals into less toxic or nontoxic substances. Such biological transformation is more attractive than direct chemical or physical treatment. Microorganisms directly degrade contaminants rather than merely transferring them from one medium to another, employ metabolic degradation pathways and can be used in situ to minimize disturbance of the cleanup site. Hence, microorganisms can be effective, economical and non-disruptive tools for eliminating hazardous chemicals. There is no doubt that bioremediation is in the process of paving a way to greater pastures. The book aims to provide relevant theoretical and practical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in this area, along with case studies. It is written for students, academicians and industry professionals who want to improve their understanding of the strategic role of bioremediation at different levels of the bioremediation research and knowledge, that is, heavy metal pollution, toxicity, remediation methods and strategies to manage the waste in industries, which are a global concern. (jacket)