Bioremediation techniques as affected by limiting factors in soil environment

Abstract

Soils are polluted by both organic and inorganic substances. Plants growing in polluted soils suffer damages such as leaf rolls, chlorosis, growth inhibition, root tips browning, and death of plant. Soil pollutants such as hydrocarbon and heavy metals are absorbed by crops and such ends up being consumed by human posing health risk like cancer and respiratory abnormally. Conventional methods of remediation such as chemical and physical methods are very expensive and not sustainable. Excavation, which is a type of physical method, merely shifts the pollutant from one site to another. Bioremediation is a biological method of reclaiming polluted soils. Bioremediation is less expensive and more sustainable and safer when compared to the conventional methods of reclamation of polluted environment. This biological method of remediation is an extremely attractive, important, and productive alternative for cleaning, debugging, managing, and rehabilitating and consequently ameliorating contaminated environments via judicious utilization of microbial activities. The rate, at which the waste substances are degraded, is usually dictated by competitiveness among biological agents, sub-optimal supply of essential nutrients, unconducive abiotic conditions (in forms of temperature, aeration, pH, and moisture), and constrained pollutant’s bioavailability. Bioremediation is often effective only under conducive environmental conditions favorable for microbial growth and development. It has been successfully used at various parts of the world. Based on the significance of bioremediation in enhancing the reclamation of polluted environments by decontaminating and degrading heavy metals and xenobiotics, more focused researches would be needed so as to improve contaminated environments in much safer ways and conditions through bioremediation techniques. This research discussed the various types and methods of bioremediation. The mechanisms of actions and strategies of microorganisms in bioremediation were well expatiated. The interaction between bioremediators and the mineral particles in the soil environment was explained. Graphical Abstract