ABSTRACT
Heavy metal(loid)s are serious environmental pollutants. In the last few decades, contamination of the biosphere with trace elements has significantly accelerated. Plant-based remediation methods have gained recent attention as methods for cleaning polluted water and soils. These methods are collectively referred to as bioremediation and refer to the exploitation of plant species and corresponding native microbiota for in situ management of contaminated soil, groundwater, and sediment. Bioremediation is an effective, low-cost, ecologically-friendly, and sustainable technique that proves useful in the remediation of soil polluted with heavy metals and metalloids. Microorganisms and plants use various pathways, which ensure more effective cleaning of heavy metals contaminated soil. Despite this ability, bioremediation is yet to become a commercially available technology in India. This chapter represents the status of phytoremediation technologies involving microbes in the remediation of toxic metals and metalloids in soils.
