Foreword

The process of production and consumption to meet the incessant demands of mankind leads to the generation of different undesirable pollutants and waste materials. Such undesirable products are potential threats to the environment and pose different kinds of risks to mankind. We need a proper management system and decontamination technologies for the abatement of pollutants and waste materials in a sustainable manner. Most of the decontamination methods are not only costly and energy-consuming, but the generated byproducts are toxic to the environment. Nevertheless, bioremediation is an ecofriendly and economical method that employs different types of microorganisms for the removal of pollutants from the environment. Microorganisms utilize several strategies to remove contaminants, including enzymatic detoxification, adsorption to cell surfaces, intracellular accumulation, sequestration into exopolysaccharides, volatilizations, and biotransformation into their non-toxic form. The wide metabolic and physiological capabilities of microorganisms allow them to survive in extreme environments. These properties render microorganisms the incredible potential of bioremediation, but microorganisms also meet several challenges when applied to the environment for bioremediation. Researchers are working consistently to combat challenges for the successful development of new bioremediation technologies.

This book titled “Bioremediation: Challenges and Advancements” discusses the concepts of bioremediation, challenges, and advancement in bioremediation of different pollutants such as hydrocarbons, xenobiotics, heavy metals, radioactive compounds, and phytoremediation of industrial wastes. Some of the chapters that make the book unique and distinguish it from its contemporaries are the management of plastic wastes and e-wastes, biomedical wastes, and the management of agricultural wastes. Another very interesting chapter is “Application of ‘omics’ in bioremediation.” I hope this book will be beneficial for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, and environmental scientists involved in the bioremediation of different contaminated sites.