Recent Advances Towards Improved Phytoremediation Of Heavy Metal Pollution

Heavy metal pollution represents a global challenge to both public health and environmental sustainability. Any means to reduce heavy metal pollution in the environment is of considerable economic significance. The use of green plants to clean up heavy metal pollution is an environmentally friendly as well as a low-cost approach to the problem. This plant-based biotechnology is commonly known as ‘phytoremediation’. Presently, there is limited application of this technology because useful plants with enhanced heavy metal resistance/tolerance are still needed to assist remediation of environments polluted with heavy metals. A key to improved phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution lies in research seeking for a better understanding of the mechanism(s) of heavy metal resistance/tolerance in plants. This E-book presents a unique treatment of the topics that have never been comprehensively brought together before in a single advanced reference. The volume explores aspects of plant biology that are critical for employing phytoremedation techniques to combat heavy metal contamination such as the specific plant biology, seed biology, plant tissue culture and enzymology. This E-book will be a useful reference to plant biologists, biotechnologists and environmental engineers seeking information about phytoremediation of heavy metals from the environment.

Meet the challenge of contaminated soil with a range of sustainable tools The remediation of soils which have been polluted by trace metals is an increasingly significant environmental challenge in an industrialized global economy. The ongoing revolution in green technologies, however, has seen a range of sustainable methods emerge for remediating soils, water, and other aspects of the environment polluted by trace metals. By putting them into practice, environmental researchers and industrial professionals will be able to improve soil and groundwater quality and public health globally. Remediation of Heavy Metals offers a clear, accessible reference on these methods and their applications. It offers an overview of the major effects of heavy metal contamination and works through each of the methods or protocols available to remediate soil and minimize pollution at the source. Remediation of Heavy Metals readers will also find: Comparison of different absorption materials for heavy metal removal Detailed discussion of physical, chemical, and biological remediation methods Case studies demonstrating proper remediation Remediation of Heavy Metals provides key knowledge for environmental scientists, environmental toxicologists, and other researchers or industrial professionals working in soil remediation, as well as advanced graduate students in these areas.

Phytoremediation Technology for the Removal of Heavy Metals and Other Contaminants from Soil and Water focuses on the exploitation of plants and their associated microbes as a tool to degrade/detoxify/stabilize toxic and hazardous contaminants and restore the contaminated site. The book introduces various phytoremediation technologies using an array of plants and their associated microbes for environmental cleanup and sustainable development. The book mainly focuses on the remediation of toxic and hazardous environmental contaminants, their phytoremediation mechanisms and strategies, advances and challenges in the current scenario. This book is intended to appeal to students, researchers, scientists and a wide range of professionals responsible for regulating, monitoring and designing industrial waste facilities. Engineering consultants, industrial waste managers and purchasing department managers, government regulators, and graduate students will also find this book invaluable. Provides natural and eco-friendly solutions to deal with the problem of pollution Details underlying mechanisms of phytoremediation of organic and inorganic contaminants with enzymatic roles Describes numerous, successful field studies on the application of phytoremediation for eco-restoration of contaminated sites Presents recent advances and challenges in phytoremediation research and applications for sustainable development Provides authoritative contributions on the diverse aspects of phytoremediation by world leading experts

Heavy metals can be found everywhere; on Earth, in water, in the food we eat, and even inside our bodies. It is very important to learn more about heavy metals and how they can improve human life, including how to use them and how to avoid harm. This book covers several topics on heavy metals to enrich our knowledge about their effects, removal, and protection.

Heavy metal accumulation in soil and water from natural sources or anthropogenic activities have produced severe environmental contamination in some parts of the world due to the persistence of metals in the environment by their accumulation throughout the food chain. The purpose of this book is to present the most recent advances in this field, mainly concerning the uptake and translocation of heavy metals in plants, mechanisms of toxicity, perception of metal and regulation of cell response under metal stress. Another key feature of this book is related to the studies on signaling and remediation processes in recent years, which have taken advantage of recent technological advances including "omic" approaches. In recent years transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies have become very important tools for analyzing both the dynamics of changes in gene expression and the profiles of protein and metabolites under heavy metal stress. This information is also very useful for plotting the complex signaling and metabolic network induced by heavy metals, in which hormones and reactive oxygen species (ROS) also play an important role. Understanding the mechanism involved in sequestration and hyperaccumulation is very important to developing new strategies of phytoremediation, which are reviewed in several chapters of this book. The information included yields very stimulating insights into the mechanism involved in the regulation of plant responses to heavy metals, which in turn improve our knowledge of cell regulation under metal stress and the use of plants for phytoremediation.

The pollution of soil and groundwater by harmful chemical compounds and heavy metals is becoming very serious in many countries. Although remediation is necessary as soon as possible, the performance of conventional bioremediation processes is not sufficient. This book deals with advances in bioremediation and phytoremediation processes by using excellent strains and a combination of processes. In the chapters of this book, the researchers have introduced the overall status of contamination; the characteristics of bioremediation using halobacteria, Candida yeast, and autochthonous bacteria; and phytoremediation using macrophytes. Moreover, other researchers introduced a process using biochar and electric currents, and this combination of processes and phytoremediation enhances the overall process.

Assisted Phytoremediaion covers a wide range of uses of plants for remediation of environmental pollutants. It includes coverage of such techniques as root engineering, transgenic plants, increasing the biomass, use of genetic engineering and genome editing technology for rapid phytoremediation of pollutants. In order to improve the efficiency of plant remediation, genetic engineering plays a vital role in the overexpression of genes or gene clusters, which are responsible for degradation and uptake of pollutants. The book presents state-of-the-art techniques of assisted phytoremediation to better manage soil and water pollution in large amounts. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and engineers in environmental science and bioengineering, with case studies and state-of-the-art research from eminent global scientists. This book serves as an excellent basis from which scientific knowledge can grow and widen in the field of environmental remediation. Provides a clear picture of how to design, tune, and implement assisted phytoremediation techniques Offers a comprehensive analysis of current perspective and state-of-the-art applications of assisted phytoremediation Introduces the potential of genetic engineering as a rapid, cost-effective technology for environmental remediation using plants

Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation of Environmental Pollutants: Recent Advances and Challenges provides comprehensive information on the principles and practical knowledge of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants for environmental safety. This book describes the physiological, biochemical, microbiological, and molecular basis of microbe-assisted phytoremediation and contains many relevant topics to fill the gaps in developing an understanding of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of environmental pollutants. The book provides state-of-the-art knowledge on fundamental, practical, and purposeful utilization of plant-associated bacteria (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria [PGPR] and endophytes) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for plant-growth promotion and enhanced phytoremediation of environmental pollutants in the contaminated matrix. Features: Provides a state-of-the-art overview of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Emphasizes the roles of PGPR, endophytes, and mycorrhizal fungi in assisted phytoremediation Elucidates biochemical and molecular mechanisms of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Details field studies and success stories of microbe-assisted phytoremediation Explores advances, challenges, and future directions in microbe-assisted phytoremediation The book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, ecotoxicologists, environmental scientists and engineers, environmental microbiologists and biotechnologists, environmental health and risk scientists, environmental science managers and administrators, remediation practitioners, environmental policymakers, and students at the postgraduate and doctoral levels in the relevant fields who wish to work on microbe-assisted phytoremediation of pollutants for environmental safety and sustainability.