Halophiles in Nanotechnology

Abstract

Halophiles are salt loving organisms that flourish in saline environments such as marine and estuarine environments, solar salterns, salt lakes, brines and saline soils. They offer potential applications in various fields of biotechnology. They can be used as a source of metabolites, compatible solutes and other compounds of industrial value. The biodegradation of organic pollutants in hypersaline environments and treatment of saline effluents contaminated with organic by halophiles have been investigated. Some halophiles are a potential source of extracellular hydrolases like proteases with a wide array of industrial applications. These enzymes exhibit stability over a range of saline conditions and harsh conditions of pH or/and ionic strength. Recently, they are being explored as potential sources of metal tolerant microorganisms with the ability to synthesize metallic nanoparticles. This chapter covers the various halophilic organisms and their by-products that have been exploited for nanomaterial synthesis, the mechanisms that may be involved in the nanomaterial fabrication and the possible applications of the fabricated nanoparticles.