3. Role of Bacteria in bioremediation

Bacteria are essential agents for eliminating a variety of pollutants, such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, and nutrients, due to their metabolic diversity, adaptability, and engineering potential.

Bacteria can break down or transform pollutants such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and xenobiotic compounds through their natural metabolic pathways, making them less toxic or easier to remove from the environment.

Biofilm Formation: Many bacteria form biofilms—structured communities that enhance their ability to degrade persistent organic pollutants by providing stability and increased resistance to environmental stresses

Community Interactions: Bacterial consortia (mixed communities) often outperform single strains due to synergistic interactions, substrate specificity, and adaptability to complex waste mixtures.

 Modern techniques in systems biology and metabolic engineering allow for the design of bacteria with enhanced or novel pollutant-degrading abilities, including the construction and optimization of catabolic pathway

 Encapsulating bacteria in hydrogels or other matrices improves their stability, reusability, and efficiency in bioreactors, making the process more cost-effective and sustainable

Common Bacteria Used in Bioremediation

  • Pseudomonas: Known for breaking down hydrocarbons and heavy metals in soil and water.
  • Bacillus: Effective in degrading oil, heavy metals, and other organic pollutants.
  • Flavobacterium: Involved in the removal of heavy metals.
  • Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Rhodococcus, Streptomyces, Nocardia, Microbacterium: These Actinobacteria are notable for degrading pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals.
  • Cupriavidus, Paenibacillus, Burkholderia, Ensifer: Identified as resistant to and capable of removing heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, and nickel from contaminated soils.
  • Alcanivorax, Halomonas: Marine bacteria effective in degrading petroleum hydrocarbons and removing heavy metals from marine environments