Genetically engineered microbes for bioremediation and phytoremediation of contaminated environment

Bioremediation is a term that refers to a group of procedures that employ biological systems, such as indigenous or genetically modified microbes (GEMs) microbes to restore or clean- up contaminated environments. The majority of indigenous bacteria are capable of successfully restoring the environment by oxidizing, immobilizing, and/or converting pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. As pollution levels rise, researchers are looking at bioremediation using GEMs as far safer and more cost-effective than conventional treatment approaches. GEMs, such as bacteria, fungus, and algae can degrade toluene, naphthalene, camphor, halobenzoates, trichloroethylenes, etc. These designed engineered microorganisms appeared high effective than normal strains and have superior debasement adaptability, as well as the ability to quickly adapt to different contaminants as substrates or co-metabolize. The term “phytoremediation” refers to the use of plants in an indirect or direct way to clean up polluted water, sludge, sediment, or soil. To enhance plants’ efficacy and to remove heavy metals from the environment in an efficient way, a phytoremediation approach based on genetic engineering has been developed. Plant-based metal purification techniques include volatilization, extraction/accumulation, rhizofiltration, rhizodegradation, and stabilization. A wide range of soil and the plant-associated factors including soil chemical and physical properties, exudates from plants and microbes, the bioavailability of metals, and the ability of plants to assimilate, accumulate, translocate, sequester, and detoxify metal levels are all factors to consider, influence phytoremediation efficacy. The methodologies and tactics for bioremediation using genetically modified bacteria and phytoremediation are discussed in the present chapter.