This reference book discusses the applications of microorganisms as a crucial solution for the sustainable management of toxic pollutants. It describes the microbial remediation of different kinds of pollutants like wastewater, antibiotics, and toxic chemicals. It highlights the technical, scientific, regulatory, safety, and societal impacts of various sustainable biodegradation approaches. The book describes various sensors in environmental pollution monitoring and pollutant detection. KEY FEATURES Provides a deep understanding of the use of sensors in environmental water monitoring and pollutant detection Covers exciting topics like biological upcycling of plastic wastes into value-added chemicals Presents future research needs on biodegradation and scientific challenges in the mitigation of environmental pollutants Brings out the latest themes, such as eco-design study of bio-nanomaterials, bio-nanofilters, and assessment for the treatment of emerging pollutants Reviews the biodegradation of toxicants to improve the quality of water and air and environmental sustainability This book is meant for scientists, ecologists, microbiologists, industry experts, researchers, students, innovators involved in biotechnology research, and policymakers focused on bioremediation.

This timely reference book discusses the biotechnological applications of microorganisms as a crucial solution for the sustainable management of different types of toxic pollutants. It reviews the sustainable biodegradation approach and resource recovery for different kinds of pollutants like plastic wastes, pharmaceutical wastes, pesticides, and textile industry wastes. The book provides an understanding of biotechnology-based interventions toward a zero-waste route. KEY FEATURES Provides a deep understanding of biodegradation of toxic pollutants from industries ranging from textiles to pharmaceuticals Presents novel technologies for the sustainable treatment of environmental pollution Reviews crucial considerations like energy requirements and cost analysis Brings out the latest themes such as the eco-design study of bio-nanomaterials, bio-nanofilters, and assessment for the treatment of emerging pollutants and IoT-based technology Covers the latest research developments in the biodegradation of antibiotics, pesticides, and electronic wastes This book is meant for scientists, ecologists, microbiologists, industry experts, researchers, students, innovators involved in biotechnology research, and policymakers focused on bioremediation.

In chapters written by authors on the cutting edge of investigative research, Biological Degradation and Bioremediation of Toxic Chemicals thoroughly covers the range of such organisms and the use of such pathways. Also described are genetic and molecular biological techniques to improve the ability of microorganisms to degrade harmful compounds, including the conversion of wastes into useful products. The book provides a comprehensive basis for further research, indicating future directions for biotechnological applications.

Ecotoxicity and Human Health emphasizes the relationships between toxicity, ecological systems, and human health. It focuses on the extent and nature of hazardous waste sites and how their effects may be studied in humans and other systems, using in vitro models, biomarkers of cellular and molecular damage, and animal models. It also includes considerable information on bioremediation, legal and regulatory issues, public perceptions and societal responses, quantitative modeling and analysis, and international directives. One of the unique features of Ecotoxicity and Human Health is its coverage of the legislative actions that have occurred over the past two decades and which have most affected the issue of hazardous waste. The book discusses the Superfund Statute, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Ocean Dumping Act of 1972, the Rio Conference, United Nations Declarations, EC Regulations and Directives, and selected state legislation.

Healthy environment is important for any kind of biota on earth. It provides the basic elements of life such as clean water, fresh air, fertile soil and supports ecosystem of the food chain. Pollution drastically alters quality of the environment by changing the physico-chemical and biological aspects of these components. Accordingly, toxic metals, combustible and putrescible substances, hazardous wastes, explosives and petroleum products are all examples of inorganic and organic compounds that cause contaminations. Specifically, pollution of toxic and heavy metal in the environment is a growing problem worldwide, currently at an alarming rate. Toxic metals threaten the aquatic ecosystems, agriculture and ultimately human health. Traditional treatment techniques offer certain advantages such as rapid processing, ease of operation and control and flexibility. But, they could not maintain the quality of the environment due to the high operational costs of chemicals used, high energy consumption and handling costs for sludge disposal and overburden of chemical substances which irreversibly affect and destroy biodiversity, which ultimately render the soil useless as a medium for plant growth. Therefore, bioremediation and biotechnology, carried out by living assets to clean up, stabilize and restore contaminated ecosystems, have emerged as promising, environmental friendly and affordable approaches. Furthermore, the use of microbes, algae, transgenic plants and weeds adapted to stressful environments could be employed to enhance accumulation efficiency. Hence, sustainable and inexpensive processes are fast emerging as a viable alternative to conventional remediation methods, and will be most suitable for developing countries. In the current volume, we discuss pollution remediation challenges and how living organisms and the latest biotechnological techniques could be helpful in remediating the pollution in ecofriendly and sustainable ways.

Biodegradation is the break down of organic matter by microbes. Bioremediation is an engineered technique applied by people to clean up organic matter by helping microbes with the biodegradation process. One way of doing that is to introduce oxygen into the subsurface to help more aerobic microbes grow in order to clean up oil in the soil.The potential toxicity (harmful action) inherent in a substance is manifest only when that substance comes in contact with that susceptible living biological system. A chemical normally thought of as "e;harmless"e; will evoke a toxic response if added to a biological system in sufficient amount. The toxic potency of a chemicals is defined by the relationship between dose (the amount) of the chemical and the response that is produced in a biological system. The toxicity of industrial wastes is not often managed and it has caused serious damage to earth and water. The most important aspect of environmental biotechnology is the effective management of hazardous and toxic pollutants (xenobiotics) by bioremediation. The environmental clean-up process through bioremediation can be achieved in two ways-in situ and ex situ bioremediation. The book aims to provide relevant theoretical and practical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in this area, along with case studies. It is written for students, academicians and industry professionals who want to improve their understanding of the strategic role of biodegradation and bioremediation at different levels of the biodegradation and bioremediation research and knowledge, that is, heavy metal pollution, toxicity, remediation methods and strategies to manage the waste in industries, which are a global concern.

The introduction of synthetic organic chemicals into the environment during the last few decades has given rise to major concern about the ecotoxicological effects and ultimate fate of these compounds. The pollutants that are considered to be most hazardous because of their intrinsic toxicity, high exposure level, or recalcitrant behavior in the environment have been placed on blacklists and other policy priority lists. The fate of synthetic compounds that enter the environment is mainly determined by their rate of biodegradation, which therefore also has a major effect on the degree of bioaccumulation and the risk of ecotoxicological effects. The degree and rate of biodegradation is also of critical importance for the feasibility of biological techniques to clean up contaminated sites and waste streams. The biodegradation of xenobiotics has thus been the subject of numerous studies, which resulted in thousands of publications in scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. These studies led to a deeper understanding of the diversity of biodegradation processes. As a result, it has become possible to enhance the rate of degradation of recalcitrant pollutants during biological treatment and to design completely new treatment processes. At present, much work is being done to expand the range of pollutants to which biodegradation can be applied, and to make treatment techniques less expensive and better applicable for waste streams which are difficult to handle.

This report addresses the microbiological detoxification of hazardous organic compounds before and after they have contaminated soil, groundwater, and other areas. The in situ degradation of toxic organic compounds is often the most cost-effective cleanup approach. Companies which use or provide microorganisms and other products and services for hazardous organic waste detoxification are listed in the appendices of this report. Keywords: Hazardous materials; Water pollution; Pollution control and Abatement; Biodegradation; Detoxification; Degradation; Hazardous wastes; Organic wastes; Microorganisms; Bacteria. (kt).