Microbial bioremediation: Effective Strategy for Removal of Pollutants from Contaminated Industrial Water of Textile Mills Plants. An Overview

Abstract

Bioremediation is a process used to treat contaminated water by altering environmental conditions to stimulate growth of microorganisms and degrade the target pollutants. Microbial bioremediation uses microorganisms to break down contaminants by using them as a food source. These toxic compounds are metabolized by enzymes of microorganisms. The industrial water contaminated by heavy metals and other pollutants are common throughout the world. Many strategies are developed to encourage the degradation of pollutants from such affected sites. Bioremediation as one feasible way to be used. It is a technology that employs living microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi to remove harmful contaminants from the polluted environment. The basis of bioremediation is that microorganisms remove substances from the environment to carry out their growth and metabolism. The microorganisms used in this strategy can be both indigenous and non-indigenous. These microorganisms take part in the degradation, immobilization, and detoxification of various harmful chemical wastes and contaminants. Microorganisms which perform the function of bioremediation are known as bio-remediators or bio-reformers. The treatment of contaminated water by the conventional method is found to be unfeasible due to its high cost and generates secondary pollutants. Therefore, bioremediation is not effective only for the degradation of pollutants but it can also be used to clean unwanted substances in industrial water and raw materials form industrial waste through the biological activities of microorganisms. Microbial growth depends on several environmental factors such as pH, temperature, and nutrients. The practice bio-stimulation that involves the addition of nutrients to the contamination site enhances the growth of microbes that assist in bioremediation. One of the main nutrients is molasses, in Iraq we used a natural material (dates extracts) in bioremediation of industrial water of textile mills plants.