Outline
Bioremediation: Harnessing biotechnology for a sustainable future
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*Corresponding author: M. Mizanur Rahman, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Biological Science, Islamic University, Kushtia-7003, Bangladesh. Email: mmrahmanbtg79@hotmail.com.
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Received:
04 July 2024
Revised:
05 July 2024
Accepted:
05 July 2024
Published:
05 July 2024
Highlights
- Bioremediation uses biological processes involving microbes, plants, and fungi to cleanse polluted environments.
- Cyanobacteria are especially effective due to their ability to photosynthesize, fix nitrogen, and metabolize a range of pollutants, including heavy metals and hydrocarbons.
- Advances in genetic engineering have improved their capabilities, allowing them to target and degrade complex pollutants.
- Combining bioremediation with bio-augmentation and phytoremediation can enhance pollutant degradation and provide comprehensive environmental restoration.
Keywords
Bioremediation, Cyanobacteria, Phytoremediation, Genetic engineering, Environmental restoration
Bioremediation, which uses biological processes to cleanse and heal polluted environments, offers a more sustainable alternative to standard remediation approaches. This field uses microbes, plants, and fungi to break down, convert, or sequester toxic pollutants in soil, water, and air (Al Mamun et al., 2024
; Akter and Huq, 2020
).
Among these biological entities, cyanobacteria stand out for their ecological resilience and diver’s metabolic capacities. Their capacity to photosynthesis, fix nitrogen, and metabolize a wide spectrum of organic and inorganic chemicals makes them excellent candidates for a variety of bioremediation applications (Huda et al., 2024
).
These microbes flourish in polluted environments, decomposing substances including heavy metals, insecticides, and hydrocarbons. Their synthesis of extracellular polymeric compounds improves their ability to immobilize and sequester pollutants (Rahman et al., 2022
).
Biotechnological approaches to bioremediation are constantly evolving in response to advances in genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and systems biology. Scientists can improve cyanobacteria and other microorganisms’ natural abilities to degrade and detoxify pollutants by modifying their genetic makeup (Al Mamun et al., 2024
). For instance, by introducing specific genes, microorganisms can target and degrade complex organic pollutants that would otherwise be resistant to biodegradation (Huq and Akter, 2021
). Similarly, synthetic biology techniques can be used to create microbial consortiums with complementary metabolic pathways, resulting in synergistic effects that increase overall bioremediation efficiency.
Furthermore, combining bioremediation strategies with other biotechnological innovations, such as bioaugmentation and phytoremediation, shows great promise (Rana et al., 2022
). Bioaugmentation constitutes the introduction of specialized microorganisms into contaminated sites to speed up the degradation of pollutants, whereas phytoremediation, which uses the plants to extract, stabilize, and degrade contaminants from soil and water. The combined use of these techniques can improve the efficacy of bioremediation efforts and provide a more comprehensive approach to environmental restoration (Hossain et al., 2022
).
Numerous obstacles still exist in bioremediation research, despite notable advancements. Bioremediation techniques must be carefully evaluated and optimized due to the complexity of contaminated habitats, the unpredictability of pollutant kinds and concentrations, and the possibility of negative ecological effects. Additionally, the effective execution of bioremediation projects depends heavily on legal frameworks and public acceptance (Piwowarska et al., 2024
).
The potential of biotechnological approaches to bioremediation to contribute to a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environment appears more and more apparent as they continue to improve. By utilizing state-of-the-art biotechnological advancements in conjunction with the power of nature, we may solve some of the most important environmental issues of our day and create a more promising future.
Reference
(Akter and Huq, 2020).
Akter S and Huq MA 2020. Biologically rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Sphingobium sp. MAH-11T and their antibacterial activity and mechanisms investigation against drug-resistant pathogenic microbes. Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 48: 672-682. https://doi.org/10.1080/21691401.2020.1730390
Reference
(Al Mamun et al., 2024).
Al Mamun A, Rahman MM, Huq MA, Rahman MM, Rana MR, Rahman ST, Khatun ML and Alam MK, 2024. Phytoremediation: a transgenic perspective in omics era. Transgenic Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-024-00393-x
Reference
(Huda et al., 2024).
Huda N, Rana MR, Huq MA, Al-Mamun A, Rahman ST, Alam MK and Rahman MM, 2024. Understanding vermicompost and organic manure interactions: impact on toxic elements, nitrification activity, comammox Nitrospira inopinata, and archaea/bacteria. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(4): 355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12491-8
Reference
(Hossain et al., 2022).
Hossain MS, Paul GK, Mahmud S, Saleh MA, Uddin MS, Dutta AK, Roy AK, AK Saha, Sheam MM, Ahmed S, Rahman MM, Paul DK and Biswas SK, 2022. Mixed dye degradation by Bacillus pseudomycoides and Acinetobacter haemolyticus isolated from industrial effluents: A combined affirmation with wetlab and in silico studies. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 15(9): 104078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104078
Reference
(Huq and Akter, 2021).
Huq MA and Akter S, 2021. Biosynthesis, characterization and antibacterial application of novel silver nanoparticles against drug-resistant pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella Enteritidis. Molecules, 26: 5996. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26195996
Reference
(Rahman et al., 2022).
Rahman M, Haque M, Huda Z, Huq N, Rauf MA, Fahim M, M. M. H., and Arif M, 2022. Microplastics and synthetic polymers in agricultural soils: biodegradation, analytical methods and their impact on environment. In: J Malik (Eds.), Advances in Bioremediation and Phytoremediation for Sustainable Soil Management: Principles, Monitoring and Remediation (pp. 261-281). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89984-4_17
Reference
(Piwowarska et al., 2024).
Piwowarska D, Kiedrzyńska E and Jaszczyszyn K, 2024. A global perspective on the nature and fate of heavy metals polluting water ecosystems, and their impact and remediation. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2024.2317112
Reference
(Rana et al., 2022).
Rana R, Ferdous J, Rahman M, Rahman F, Huq A, Ali Y, Huda N, Mukhles MB and Rafi MH, 2022. Biosynthesis and chemical composition of nanomaterials in agricultural soil bioremediation: a review. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 19410: 730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10315-1
Acknowledgments
None to declare.
Ethical approval statement
None to declare.
Data availability
Informed consent statement
Conflict of interest
The author declare no competing interests.
Authors’ contribution
Abdullah Al Mamun and M. Mizanur Rahman equally contributed to the design and writing of this editorial.
References
Akter S and Huq MA 2020. Biologically rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Sphingobium sp. MAH-11T and their antibacterial activity and mechanisms investigation against drug-resistant pathogenic microbes. Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 48: 672-682. https://doi.org/10.1080/21691401.2020.1730390
Al Mamun A, Rahman MM, Huq MA, Rahman MM, Rana MR, Rahman ST, Khatun ML and Alam MK, 2024. Phytoremediation: a transgenic perspective in omics era. Transgenic Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-024-00393-x
Huda N, Rana MR, Huq MA, Al-Mamun A, Rahman ST, Alam MK and Rahman MM, 2024. Understanding vermicompost and organic manure interactions: impact on toxic elements, nitrification activity, comammox Nitrospira inopinata, and archaea/bacteria. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(4): 355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12491-8
Hossain MS, Paul GK, Mahmud S, Saleh MA, Uddin MS, Dutta AK, Roy AK, AK Saha, Sheam MM, Ahmed S, Rahman MM, Paul DK and Biswas SK, 2022. Mixed dye degradation by Bacillus pseudomycoides and Acinetobacter haemolyticus isolated from industrial effluents: A combined affirmation with wetlab and in silico studies. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 15(9): 104078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104078
Huq MA and Akter S, 2021. Biosynthesis, characterization and antibacterial application of novel silver nanoparticles against drug-resistant pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella Enteritidis. Molecules, 26: 5996. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26195996
Rahman M, Haque M, Huda Z, Huq N, Rauf MA, Fahim M, M. M. H., and Arif M, 2022. Microplastics and synthetic polymers in agricultural soils: biodegradation, analytical methods and their impact on environment. In: J Malik (Eds.), Advances in Bioremediation and Phytoremediation for Sustainable Soil Management: Principles, Monitoring and Remediation (pp. 261-281). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89984-4_17
Piwowarska D, Kiedrzyńska E and Jaszczyszyn K, 2024. A global perspective on the nature and fate of heavy metals polluting water ecosystems, and their impact and remediation. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2024.2317112
Rana R, Ferdous J, Rahman M, Rahman F, Huq A, Ali Y, Huda N, Mukhles MB and Rafi MH, 2022. Biosynthesis and chemical composition of nanomaterials in agricultural soil bioremediation: a review. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 19410: 730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10315-1
How to cite
Mamun AA and Rahman MM, 2024. Bioremediation: Harnessing biotechnology for sustainable future. Journal of Bioscience and Environment Research, 1 (1): 1-2. https://doi.org/10.69517/jber.2024.01.01.0001