Bioremediation and Functional Metagenomics: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Non-degradable pollutants have emerged as a consequence of industrialization, population increment, and changing lifestyles, endangering human well-being and the environment. Biological techniques based on microorganisms are gaining popularity as an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective way to reduce pollution. Microorganisms may thrive in a variety of environments and create metabolites that degrade and change contaminants, allowing contaminated places to be organically revived. For a greater knowledge of biological and life sciences, multiple technologies have begun to be integrated into metagenomics. Technology such as metagenomics is now being used to develop strategies for studying the ecology and variety of microbes, as well as its application in the environment. Metagenomics is a novel and rapidly expanding discipline of environmental biology that provides a strong tool for accessing information on the genomes of environmental microorganisms and entire microbial communities. The application of metagenomics in environmental surveying and bioremediation is becoming more usual. In recent years, a number of functional metagenomics techniques have been used to investigate a wide range of resistant microbial degradation mechanisms. In a metagenomic investigation, it is critical to identify and screen metagenomes from the polluted location. These procedures are well-known for their effectiveness in eliminating many types of contaminants. These strategies may change rapidly as technology develops, but the once that focus on the best ways to improve bioremediation of the contaminated places will be the most successful. Culture-independent molecular approaches, on the other hand, can disclose very relevant information on the metagenome of environmental microorganisms, which play a key role in biogeochemical cycles and the breakdown and detoxification of environmental pollutants. These high-throughput studies would assist in the discovery of novel species for bioremediation, as well as providing new and interesting insights into their primary biodegradative processes at the molecular level. In this chapter, we are attempting to convey an overview that how functional one of the finest bioremediation adaptations that leads to the development of a clean non-toxic environment is metagenomics. We also went through the metagenomics analysis methods with respect to bioremediation. In addition to this, we provide an overview of examples of metagenomics in bioremediation which have recently been reported. Furthermore, our study clarifies the widespread use of metagenomes formed from metagenomics communities, which are capable of comprehending environmental pollutants and poisons.