Microbial Strategies to Remove Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals from Water for Sustainable Human Civilization

The presence of organic pollutants and heavy metals in water is a major environmental issue as they can have harmful effects on human health and ecosystems. Microbial strategies offer a sustainable solution to remediate contaminated water. This chapter discusses the mechanisms by which microorganisms can remove organic pollutants and heavy metals from water, including bio attenuation, biostimulation, bioaugmentation, bacteria and fungi-based bioremediation, microalgae-based bioremediation, and microbial glycoconjugates-based bioremediation. The use of microbial consortia and genetic engineering approaches to enhance microbial degradation and metal uptake is also explored. Finally, the challenges and future directions of using microbial strategies for water remediation are presented. Overall, microbial strategies have great potential for providing sustainable solutions to water pollution and supporting human civilization.