Chapter 21 Microbial activities, monitoring and application as part of a management strategy for heavy metal-contaminated soil and ground water

Abstract

This chapter focuses on monitoring for heavy metal-contaminated soil and ground water. Because of the threat they pose to human health and the extent of the problem of both natural and anthropogenic contamination by heavy metals, major efforts are being made to develop remediation technologies for the treatment of metal-contaminated soils, sediments and groundwater. Heavy metal pollution in soils and waters is conventionally treated using methods based on physical or chemical processes. Pump and treat, using precipitation or flocculation techniques, followed by sedimentation and disposal of the resulting contaminated sludge, is frequently used for treating heavy metal contamination in water. Other methods for heavy metal removal from water involve ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and microfiltration. For in situ treatment of groundwater, a reactive barrier may be installed that removes the heavy metals either by chemical means—that is, reduction by ferrous iron—or by biological means. This chapter describes concepts related to biological treatment of heavy metals. Heavy metal resistance in bacteria is discussed and The methods for studying microbial community composition and activity are described in the chapter Bioremediation processes based on microbial heavy metal detoxification mechanisms are elaborated. Treatment of heavy metal-contaminated soil is also analyzed.