Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds
Although bioremediation is considered the most environmentally friendly and sustainable technique for remediating contaminated soil and water, it is most effective when combined with physicochemical methods, which allow for the preliminary removal of large quantities of pollutants. This allows micro...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Łukasz Chrzanowski Irina Volf Hermann J. Heipieper Christian Eberlein |
| author_facet | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Łukasz Chrzanowski Irina Volf Hermann J. Heipieper Christian Eberlein |
| author_sort | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu |
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| description | Although bioremediation is considered the most environmentally friendly and sustainable technique for remediating contaminated soil and water, it is most effective when combined with physicochemical methods, which allow for the preliminary removal of large quantities of pollutants. This allows microorganisms to efficiently eliminate the remaining contaminants. In addition to requiring the necessary genes and degradation pathways for specific substrates, as well as tolerance to adverse environmental conditions, microorganisms may perform below expectations. One typical reason for this is the high toxicity of xenobiotics present in large concentrations, stemming from the vulnerability of bacteria introduced to a contaminated site. This is especially true for planktonic bacteria, whereas bacteria within biofilms or microcolonies have significant advantages over their planktonic counterparts. A physical matrix is essential for the formation, maintenance, and survival of bacterial biofilms. By providing such a matrix for bacterial immobilization, the formation of biofilms can be facilitated and accelerated. Therefore, bioremediation combined with bacterial immobilization offers a comprehensive solution for environmental cleanup by harnessing the specialized metabolic activities of microorganisms while ensuring their retention and efficacy at target sites. In many cases, such bioremediation can also eliminate the need for physicochemical methods that are otherwise required to initially reduce contaminant concentrations. Then, it will be possible to use microorganisms for the remediation of higher concentrations of xenobiotics, significantly reducing costs while maintaining a rapid rate of remediation processes. This review explores the benefits of bacterial immobilization, highlighting materials and processes for developing an optimal immobilization matrix. It focuses on the following four key areas: (i) the types of organic pollutants impacting environmental and human health, (ii) the bacterial strains used in bioremediation processes, (iii) the types and benefits of immobilization, and (iv) the immobilization of bacterial cells on various carriers for targeted pollutant degradation. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-c24574d9b39f4997a4d5ab9cf44403472025-01-24T13:42:51ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-01-0113115510.3390/microorganisms13010155Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic CompoundsEmanuel Gheorghita Armanu0Simone Bertoldi1Łukasz Chrzanowski2Irina Volf3Hermann J. Heipieper4Christian Eberlein5Department of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, PolandDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Management, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73A Prof. D. Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, GermanyAlthough bioremediation is considered the most environmentally friendly and sustainable technique for remediating contaminated soil and water, it is most effective when combined with physicochemical methods, which allow for the preliminary removal of large quantities of pollutants. This allows microorganisms to efficiently eliminate the remaining contaminants. In addition to requiring the necessary genes and degradation pathways for specific substrates, as well as tolerance to adverse environmental conditions, microorganisms may perform below expectations. One typical reason for this is the high toxicity of xenobiotics present in large concentrations, stemming from the vulnerability of bacteria introduced to a contaminated site. This is especially true for planktonic bacteria, whereas bacteria within biofilms or microcolonies have significant advantages over their planktonic counterparts. A physical matrix is essential for the formation, maintenance, and survival of bacterial biofilms. By providing such a matrix for bacterial immobilization, the formation of biofilms can be facilitated and accelerated. Therefore, bioremediation combined with bacterial immobilization offers a comprehensive solution for environmental cleanup by harnessing the specialized metabolic activities of microorganisms while ensuring their retention and efficacy at target sites. In many cases, such bioremediation can also eliminate the need for physicochemical methods that are otherwise required to initially reduce contaminant concentrations. Then, it will be possible to use microorganisms for the remediation of higher concentrations of xenobiotics, significantly reducing costs while maintaining a rapid rate of remediation processes. This review explores the benefits of bacterial immobilization, highlighting materials and processes for developing an optimal immobilization matrix. It focuses on the following four key areas: (i) the types of organic pollutants impacting environmental and human health, (ii) the bacterial strains used in bioremediation processes, (iii) the types and benefits of immobilization, and (iv) the immobilization of bacterial cells on various carriers for targeted pollutant degradation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/1/155BTEXcontaminants of emerging concernpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsnano-pollutantsmicrobial immobilizationsupport materials |
| spellingShingle | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Łukasz Chrzanowski Irina Volf Hermann J. Heipieper Christian Eberlein Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds Microorganisms BTEX contaminants of emerging concern polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons nano-pollutants microbial immobilization support materials |
| title | Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds |
| title_full | Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds |
| title_fullStr | Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds |
| title_short | Benefits of Immobilized Bacteria in Bioremediation of Sites Contaminated with Toxic Organic Compounds |
| title_sort | benefits of immobilized bacteria in bioremediation of sites contaminated with toxic organic compounds |
| topic | BTEX contaminants of emerging concern polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons nano-pollutants microbial immobilization support materials |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/1/155 |
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