Microbial Remediation Technologies for Hazardous Metals in Soil, Sediments, and Water

A gradual rise in the level of hazardous metal viz., arsenic, lead, cadmium, nickel, etc., concentrations in soil, sediments, and water has become one of the most severe problems in India and worldwide over the last few decades. Many studies have also revealed the fate, transport, bioaccumulation, ecotoxicity, and health risks of these metal contaminants in humans, animals, and soil biomass. Therefore, various conventional and modern in-situ and ex-situ technologies have been proposed and developed to control the increasing levels of hazardous metals. However, only a few studies have investigated microbial-based technologies and their processes for the remediation of these metal contaminants to prevent health hazards in plant, animal, and soil ecosystems. Further, technological breakthroughs in microbe-based bioremediation have pushed bioremediation as a promising alternative to standard approaches. Therefore, in this chapter, we aim to review all the recent advancements in the remediation of metals, address the status of hazardous metals in soil, sediments, and water, and discuss their impact on human and animal health. Furthermore, this chapter also discusses the microbial technologies currently available for removing metals from soil, sediments, and water, followed by their management.