ABSTRACT
The current chapter covers the current state of the mechanisms of phytoremediation and microbial remediation of soils and waters contaminated with radionuclides using different microbial and green plant species. These mechanisms include biosorption involving functional groups (amino, carboxylate, phosphate, hydroxyl, and sulphydryl) present on the microbial cell surfaces, metabolism-dependent bioaccumulation (biocomplexation) involving secreted chelators (siderophores and exopolysaccharides) and intracellular chelators (metalloproteins), enzymatic biotransformation (direct and indirect bioreduction), and biomineralization involving different ligands such as phosphate, carbonate, and hydroxide. A detailed description of studies dealing with the biotreatment of three radionuclides (plutonium, uranium, and technetium), illustrating these mechanisms, is presented and discussed in this chapter.
