Role of Biosurfactants in Remediation of Heavy Metals

Environmental contamination by heavy metals is fast becoming a worldwide concern due to their non-degradable nature that enhance their accumulation in the environment. Several conventional methods are in used for treatment of contaminated sites but these methods are usually inefficient financially and negatively impact the qualities of contaminated areas. Therefore, there is a pressing requirement for more economically viable and minimally invasive strategies for detoxifying polluted areas of heavy metals. The exploitation of biosurfactants towards removal of heavy metals from the environment is an exciting new area of research. Micelle production is the fundamental principle of biosurfactants-mediated heavy metal removal. The pace at which metals are removed from contaminated locations is related to the type of biosurfactant generated by the producer strains. Biosurfactant is known to improve heavy metal removal from the environment via a number of mechanisms, the most important of which are complexation, ion exchange, and metal solubilization. Experiments showing that biosurfactants can help remove metals from a laboratory setting pave the way for their potential use on a larger scale. This section describes the properties, classification, and screening procedures of biosurfactants and the mechanisms by which biosurfactants remove heavy metals from soils.