Environmental services: improved bioremediation and revitalization strategies for soil, sediments and water

Environmental pollution has been a major concern over the past few decades influencing the quality of life. Contamination of soils, sediments and water remains a major ecological problem. This pollution contains dangerous and persistent toxic substances that have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Pollutants resulting from human activity are detrimental to ecosystems at different functional levels, representing an important economic burden for society.

Remediation strategies, such as chemical and physical approaches, are not enough to mitigate pollution problems. Bioremediation using microbes is a sustainable, eco-friendly and socially acceptable alternative to conventional remediation approaches and helps improve the environment. It plays a significant role in monitoring “Zero-pollution”. Many microbes with bioremediation potential have been isolated and characterised but, in many cases, cannot completely degrade the targeted environmental pollutant or