ABSTRACT
Chromium (VI) is one of the most common environmental contaminants due to its tremendous industrial applications and commercial processes in the stainless steel, electroplating, textile, leather tanneries, and wood preservation industries. It is non-biodegradable as it is a heavy metal, and hence of major concern as it causes serious human diseases because of its toxicity. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a novel, efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective approach to the remediation of inorganic Cr metals released into the environment and to safeguard the ecosystem. Bioremediation plays an important role in the remediation of chromium-contaminated soil because it is an environmentally-friendly technology. Microorganisms adopt several mechanisms to deal with chromium toxicity, bringing chromium within permissible limits. These include biotransformation (reduction or oxidation), bioaccumulation, and/or biosorption, and are considered as alternative methods to removing heavy metals. This chapter highlights the toxicity issues associated with Cr(VI) and eco-friendly bioremediation mediated by microorganisms.
