Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants

Abstract Industrial activities, agricultural runoff, municipal waste, and mining generate toxic pollutants that threaten ecosystems and human health, necessitating sustainable remediation strategies to mitigate their impact. Bacterial bioremediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for t...

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Main Author: Shaza Y. A. Qattan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-06-01
Series:Environmental Sciences Europe
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01103-y
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author Shaza Y. A. Qattan
author_facet Shaza Y. A. Qattan
author_sort Shaza Y. A. Qattan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Industrial activities, agricultural runoff, municipal waste, and mining generate toxic pollutants that threaten ecosystems and human health, necessitating sustainable remediation strategies to mitigate their impact. Bacterial bioremediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for treating metal-contaminated industrial effluent. It uses biosorption and bioaccumulation mechanisms, redox reactions, and enzymatic transformation methods, with bacterial cell walls as potential chemisorption sites. Simultaneously, bacteria employing various ways to tolerate and detoxify metalloid pollutants play a crucial role in mitigating hazards. This review highlights the most effective bacterial consortia for removing heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants, emphasizing their mechanisms and applications. In addition, it explores emerging technologies, including synthetic biology, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and CRISPR-Cas9, to enhance biodegradation efficiency, particularly in underexplored areas like plastic decomposition. These advancements hold significant promises for improving bioremediation efficacy and expanding its industrial and environmental applications.
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spelling doaj-art-04b4a77485e048da975f15832f5e84b12025-08-20T02:30:45ZengSpringerOpenEnvironmental Sciences Europe2190-47152025-06-0137113510.1186/s12302-025-01103-yHarnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutantsShaza Y. A. Qattan0Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz UniversityAbstract Industrial activities, agricultural runoff, municipal waste, and mining generate toxic pollutants that threaten ecosystems and human health, necessitating sustainable remediation strategies to mitigate their impact. Bacterial bioremediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for treating metal-contaminated industrial effluent. It uses biosorption and bioaccumulation mechanisms, redox reactions, and enzymatic transformation methods, with bacterial cell walls as potential chemisorption sites. Simultaneously, bacteria employing various ways to tolerate and detoxify metalloid pollutants play a crucial role in mitigating hazards. This review highlights the most effective bacterial consortia for removing heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants, emphasizing their mechanisms and applications. In addition, it explores emerging technologies, including synthetic biology, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and CRISPR-Cas9, to enhance biodegradation efficiency, particularly in underexplored areas like plastic decomposition. These advancements hold significant promises for improving bioremediation efficacy and expanding its industrial and environmental applications.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01103-yMicrobial bioremediationBacterial consortiaHeavy metal removalHydrocarbon degradationSynthetic biologyCRISPR-engineered microbes
spellingShingle Shaza Y. A. Qattan
Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
Environmental Sciences Europe
Microbial bioremediation
Bacterial consortia
Heavy metal removal
Hydrocarbon degradation
Synthetic biology
CRISPR-engineered microbes
title Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
title_full Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
title_fullStr Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
title_full_unstemmed Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
title_short Harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation: targeted removal of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and persistent pollutants
title_sort harnessing bacterial consortia for effective bioremediation targeted removal of heavy metals hydrocarbons and persistent pollutants
topic Microbial bioremediation
Bacterial consortia
Heavy metal removal
Hydrocarbon degradation
Synthetic biology
CRISPR-engineered microbes
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01103-y
work_keys_str_mv AT shazayaqattan harnessingbacterialconsortiaforeffectivebioremediationtargetedremovalofheavymetalshydrocarbonsandpersistentpollutants