MICROBIAL BIODIVERSITY AND BIO-MITIGATION ASSESSMENT – RECENT ADVANCES AND STRATEGIES

Authors Hafiz M. N. Iqbal

Received 1 June 2023

Accepted for publication 20 October 2023

Published 19 December 2023 Volume 1:1 Pages 50—64

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Peer reviewer comments 2

Quimicos 10410-, Parque Tecnologico, Monterrey CP 64700, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Correspondence: hafizmniqbal@gmail.com

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Abstract

The ever-increasing population growth and industrialization have stemmed the genesis of several environmentally related contaminants of emerging concern. Numerous of them influence the living ecosystem, including pharmaceutically bioactive residues, antibiotics, pesticide-based polluting agents, industrial-based synthetic dyes, etc. Indeed, several approaches, e.g., chemical and physical treatments and their possible combinations, have been proposed, established, and executed to treat and remove environmental pollutants from numerous matrices. However, the existing approaches are becoming inefficient due to the growing quantity and complex nature of environmental contaminants. Therefore, more effective and suitable measures are needed to sustain the green environment by remediating and mitigating the hazards of emerging concerns associated with environmentally related pollutants. Among other recent approaches, microbial biodiversity, bio-mitigation assessment, and removal of current pollution load using robust materials are of supreme interest with evident merits. In addition, microorganisms have an enormous capacity to adapt and survive in divergent environments and, once established, produce unique biocatalytic molecules that break down and transform the contaminating agents, thus making it possible to revive the polluted matrices. Likewise, nanozymes are nanostructured materials with enzyme-like activities that effectively catalyze the breakdown of contaminating agents and, thus, are other suitable candidates to upgrade modern bioremediation practices. This review thoroughly examines the most recent developments in novel bio-mitigation and nanozyme-based approaches. Finally, we highlight their current challenges to provide a perspective on potential future research directions.

Keywords Bioremediation; Hazardous contaminants; Water matrices; Mitigation strategies

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