Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. VII
Written by Sebastian Cristian Radu PLUGARU, Viorel DAN, Xenia Paula MENTIU
A number of different physicochemical and biological processes are commonly used to remove heavy metals from industrial wastewater before being discharged into the environment. Conventional physicochemical methods, such as electrochemical treatment, ion exchange, precipitation, osmosis, evaporation, are not cost-effective and some of them are not environmentally friendly. On the other hand, bioremediation processes show promising results for metal removal, even when they are present in very low concentrations if the physicochemical elimination methods fail to function. Moreover, this is a cross-compatible and economically feasible option. The bioremediation strategy is based on the high metal binding capacity of biological agents, which can remove heavy metals from contaminated sites with high efficiency. In this sense, micro-organisms can be considered as a biological tool for metal removal as they can be used to concentrate, remove and recover heavy metals from contaminated aquatic environments.
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