ABSTRACT
Due to the increase in the population and the development of society, the production of chemically synthesized products is growing, and many natural resources have been misused to meet the daily requirements of today’s population. Due to the immense demands of society, hazardous synthetic materials or their waste are continually being disposed of in the environment. The accumulation of these harmful materials causes severe health issues and disrupts the ecological balance between the natural flora and fauna. Researchers are committed to developing methodologies to combat these environmental issues. Several physical and chemical methods have been developed to minimize the harmful effects or detoxify refractory materials from the environment. However, these methods have some advantages, but they have some significant disadvantages. A safer and greener approach is required to detoxify environmental contaminants. Recently, bioremediation has emerged as a promising method for the decontamination of pollutants. Bioremediation transforms complex or toxic materials into simpler or less toxic substances through the application of living organisms, for example, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and algae. Microorganisms use an almost infinite combination of molecules as electron donors and electron receptors to control their metabolism and fulfill their energy requirements through bioremediation. The use of in-house or engineered bioremediation processes provides a range of potential advantages that are appealing to site owners, regulators, and the public. This chapter will emphasize the basics of bioremediation technology and its relevance as a low-cost and clean green technology for environmental management. The various types of bioremediation processes, such as in situ, ex situ, bioaugmentation, biostimulation, landfarming, and biopiles will be discussed. The different potential underlying mechanisms of bioremediation will be discussed in this chapter.
