Soil Bioremediation in Heavy Metal Contaminated Mining Areas: A Microbiological/Biotechnological Point of View

Abstract

Bioremediation concerns the use of plants and microorganisms or their parts, for the decontamination and recuperation of polluted areas. The improvement of the bioremediation techniques is possible due to the last decade advances of the microbiological and biotechnological knowledge and methods. This study aimed to shortly review and discuss the bioremediation of mining areas contaminated with heavy metals focusing in some microbiological and biotechnological techniques. Strategies considered to be important on further studies are also presented. Vieira and Stefenon; JAMB, 4(1): 1-10, 2017; Article no.JAMB.33782 2 Mini-review Article

Mining Applications of Immobilized Microbial Cells in an Alginate Matrix: An Overview

“…Mining activities have a considerable impact on the environment, not only by soil profile and structure disruption as well as by metal deposition and accumulation in soil, which have negative consequences on human health and on the environment (García and Álvarez 2008). Any mining industrial activity involves environmental risk whether by producing contaminant liquid effluents or solid residues containing heavy metals, and this contamination is generated by mining activities such as excavation, ore transference, smelting and refining, which discharges large amounts of spoils, effluents, wastewater and dust in the environment (Vieira and Stefenon 2017).…”

“…Heavy metals most frequently found at contaminated sites are lead, chromium, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, mercury, nickel and copper; and it is necessary to use bioremediation technologies in situ, which requires combinated biotechnological and microbiological techniques Álvarez 2008, Vieira andStefenon 2017). Biosorption is the most common strategy employed in bioremediation of contaminated soil, and concerns the application of microbes (bacteria or fungi) as the main tool.…”

In vitro growth and indoleacetic acid production by Mesorhizobium loti SEMIA806 and SEMIA816 under the influence of copper ions

“…In addition, genetic manipulation can be used to take advantage of metal resistance mechanisms. 1 The use of microorganisms for the recovery of contaminated areas is an extremely important strategy and has been widely recognized as a very promissory bioremediation method 1 . In that sense, the capacity of growing in a copper-rich environment demonstrated from M. loti strains SEMIA806 and SEMIA816 has a significant meaning for the bioremediation of copper-contaminated areas using the rhizoremediation approach.…”

“…Rhizoremediation is a bioremediation method that consists in the enhancement of the metal extraction process through the root system of plants by its association with microbes. 1,2 For the effectiveness of rhizoremediation, an efficient microbe-plant interaction is needed. The indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) produced by plant-associated microbes is an important phytohormone signaling this interaction.…”

“…5 Therefore, the bioaccumulation of copper causing toxicity in human, animals and plants is an important issue for environmental health and safety, and rhizoremediation is an important alternative to diminish this problem. 1 Mesorhizobium loti is a soil and rhizosphere bacteria of agronomic importance due to the nitrogen-fixing symbioses formed with leguminous plants. This species is able to form determinant-type globular nodules and to perform nitrogen fixation on several Lotus species.…”