Manganese Contaminant: Revolutionizing In-Situ Microbial-Assisted Remediation Approach

Manganese is one of the most prevalent elements in the earth’s crust, deposited in the form of different oxides. Strategically, it is an important metal that has augmented industrial applications. Being a cofactor of multiple metabolic enzymes, the Mn (II) ion exhibits a crucial role as an essential trace element of all living organisms. Rapid industrialization, mining, mineral processing, and further anthropogenic activities imposed severe consequences on the generation of a large amount of manganese mining waste product. The inappropriate supervision and unprocessed dumping of these Mn waste products have caused a significant threat to the ecosystem and public health. Hence, remediation is required to avoid heavy metal mobilization into environmental segments and facilitate their extraction. At first, this chapter introduces the essentiality, toxicity, and regulation of Mn. Various Mn-solubilizing microorganisms mediated In-situ approaches to bioremediation, viz., microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), biomineralization, biosorption, bioaccumulation, bio-oxidation, bioleaching, biomining, bioventing, disparaging, biostimulation, and bioaugmentation, are discussed in detail. To promote bioremediation efficiency, the combination of different techniques is preferred. Finally, we propose the cost-efficient and eco-friendly future approach of Mn bioremediation without producing any secondary pollutants and, conclusively, providing a scientific basis for the microbial remediation performance for Mn pollution.