ABSTRACT
Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in an environmental condition which are extremes of growth associated physicochemical conditions. In recent times, their ability to survive in extreme conditions has been exploited by the biotechnology industry. The exploitation of extremophiles can be seen in the field of gene manipulation, gene amplification, tanning of leather, treatment of lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production, etc. One such application of these extremophilic organisms is bioremediation and treatment of wastewaters originating from different sources. Wastewater consists of a variety of pollutants and chemical (organic or inorganic) components, which are responsible for the chemical nature and the type of wastewater (i.e., whether they are acidic, basic or saline, etc.). In this chapter, we have discussed the potential of extremophiles in bioremediation and the treatment of different types of wastewaters. We have also described the specific extremophiles which are being used for the treatment of water bodies contaminated with certain pollutants and the particular nature of wastewaters.
