Bio- and Phytoremediation of Pesticide-Contaminated Environments

In the past twenty years or so, researchers have endeavored to utilize plants to facilitate the removal of both organic and inorganic contaminants from the environment, especially from soil. These phytoremediation approaches have come a long way in a short time. However, the majority of this work has been done under more controlled laboratory conditions and not in the field. As an adjunct to various phytoremediation strategies and as part of an effort to make this technology more efficacious, a number of scientists have begun to explore the possibility of using various soil bacteria together with plants. These bacteria include biodegradative bacteria, plant growth-promoting bacteria and bacteria that facilitate phytoremediation by other means. An overview of bacterially assisted phytoremediation is provided here for both organic and metallic contaminants, with the intent of providing some insight into how these bacteria aid phytoremediation so that future field studies might be facilitated. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Due to human activities to a greater extent and natural processes to some extent, a large number of organic chemical substances such as petroleum hydrocarbons, halogenated and nitroaromatic compounds, phthalate esters, solvents and pesticides pollute the soil and aquatic environments. Remediation of these polluted sites following the conventional engineering approaches based on physicochemical methods is both technically and economically challenging. Bioremediation that involves the capabilities of microorganisms in the removal of pollutants is the most promising, relatively efficient and cost-effective technology. However, the current bioremediation approaches suffer from a number of limitations which include the poor capabilities of microbial communities in the field, lesser bioavailability of contaminants on spatial and temporal scales, and absence of bench-mark values for efficacy testing of bioremediation for their widespread application in the field. The restoration of all natural functions of some polluted soils remains impractical and, hence, the application of the principle of function-directed remediation may be sufficient to minimize the risks of persistence and spreading of pollutants. This review selectively examines and provides a critical view on the knowledge gaps and limitations in field application strategies, approaches such as composting, electrobioremediation and microbe-assisted phytoremediation, and the use of probes and assays for monitoring and testing the efficacy of bioremediation of polluted sites. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.