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Bioremediation of Heavy Metals

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Bioremediation: Applications for Environmental Protection and Management

Part of the book series: Energy, Environment, and Sustainability ((ENENSU))

Abstract

Bioremediation technology is an effective and eco-friendly technology for removing toxic pollutants from the soil and aquatic environment. The lesser quantities of some heavy metals are important to humans and animals. However, the extensive usage of heavy metals for human purposes can change the geochemical cycles and biochemical balance. Due to this reason, the excess amount of toxic heavy metals like copper, lead, cadmium, nickel, and chromium is directly discharged into the soil and water bodies. The indiscriminate accumulation of heavy metals can be hazardous to the human life and aquatic biota. To overcome this problem, bioremediation technique has been developed for the treatment of heavy metals using biological agents like bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants. These biological agents can be used to change the metal bioavailability and toxicity in the soil and aqueous environment. The remediation of heavy metals in soil is further improved by the addition of organic amendments like biosolid, compost, and municipal solid waste, which is used as both nutrients and conditioner. Aim of this chapter is to investigate the role of microorganisms and plants to remediate the heavy metals and also to discuss the recent bioremediation technologies and methods for heavy metals in soil and aquatic environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, SSN College of Engineering, 603110, Chennai, India

    P. Senthil Kumar & E. Gunasundari

Authors
  1. P. Senthil Kumar
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  2. E. Gunasundari
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Senthil Kumar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

    Sunita J. Varjani

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Avinash Kumar Agarwal

  3. Bioenergy and Energy Planning Research Group (BPE), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Edgard Gnansounou

  4. Department of Biotechnology, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Baskar Gurunathan

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Senthil Kumar, P., Gunasundari, E. (2018). Bioremediation of Heavy Metals. In: Varjani, S., Agarwal, A., Gnansounou, E., Gurunathan, B. (eds) Bioremediation: Applications for Environmental Protection and Management. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7485-1_9

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