Microbes for Sustainable Development and Bioremediation

Book excerpt: Microbes are the predominant form of life on the planet due to their broad range of adaptation and versatile nutritional behavior. The ability of some microbes to inhabit hostile environment incompatible with most forms of life means that their habitat defines the extent of the biosphere and delineates the barrier between the biosphere and geosphere. The direct and indirect role of microbes that include bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, viruses, mycoplasma, and protozoans are very much important in development of modern human society for food, drugs, textiles, agriculture, and environment. Furthermore, microorganisms and their enzyme system are responsible for the degradation of various organic matters. Microbes for Sustainable Development and Bioremediation emphasizes the role of microbes for sustainable development of ecosystem. Environmental microbiology role in biogeochemical cycle and bioremediation of environmental waste is major theme, which comprises the following aspects: Bacterial phytoextraction mechanism of heavy metals by native hyperaccumulator plants from complex waste-contaminated site for eco-restoration Role of microbial enzyme for eco-friendly recycling of industrial waste Field-scale remediation of crude oil–contaminated desert soil and treatment technology Microbial technology for metal recovery from e-waste printed circuit board Impact of genomic data on sustainability of ecosystem Methane monooxygenases: their regulations and applications Role of microbes in environmental sustainability and food preservation This book will be directly beneficial to researchers and classroom students, in areas of biotechnology, environmental microbiology, molecular biology, and environmental engineering with specialized collection of cutting-edge knowledge.