Biotechnological Strategies for Effective Remediation of Heavy Metals

Anthropogenic activities resulting from various industrial processes and some natural activities has caused the rise in discharge of heavy metals into the ecosystem. Environmental problems as a result of indiscriminate release of heavy metals is of significance due to the threat pose to all living biota in the environ and their perdurable character which makes them to pile-up in the energy chain and exerts their toxic consequences on all living components of the ecosystem. This necessitates urgent need to prevent their spread and elimination from the environment. The commonly used physicochemical techniques of remediation has many drawbacks that include loss of soil microbial diversity and function, secondary pollution, cost ineffectiveness, alteration of soil properties that render the soil unfit for agricultural purposes and other uses amongst others. Due to these concerns, research into the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches has been on the increase. Novel prospects of employing microorganisms (bioremediation) and plants (phytoremediation, rhizoremediation) to alter or eliminate heavy metals from the environment has been identified. In this section, various plant and microbe-based processes are identified as the biotechnological strategies that are currently adopted for reduction or elimination of heavy metal from polluted areas. This present chapter also discuss the mechanisms responsible for the actualization of the identified biotechnological strategies. It is therefore encouraged to adopt the use of these bio-based approaches in large-scale treatment of heavy metal polluted sites.