An up-to-date overview of the characterization, risk assessment and remediation of mercury-contaminated sites. The book summarizes, for the first time, works from Europe, Russia and the American continent, and review chapters are supplemented by detailed, international case studies.

Mercury is a heavy metal with extreme toxicity, the ability to biomagnify, and long range atmospheric transport of its gaseous form. Past and present industrial uses of mercury have resulted in the pollution of soils, groundwater, rivers, and marine ecosystems worldwide - the clean-up of which, using standard technology, is either not feasible or is prohibitively costly. A low cost and environmentally friendly alternative is bioremediation: the use of microbes or plants (phytoremediation) to remediate contaminated sites. In this timely book, established mercury experts review the latest research in this area, including the genetic engineering of bacteria and plants. The gap between laboratory research and field application is bridged using the following case studies: an abandoned chlor-alkali electrolysis factory in Kazhakhstan, a former PVC plant in Albania, and the Madeira River Basin in the Amazon region. The remaining chapters cover: the mercury-cell process of the chlor-alkali electrolysis industry, a pilot plant for wastewater bioremediation, and a comparison of the efficiency of microbial bioremediation to clean-up three types of industrial wastewater. The book covers the complete range from laboratory scale research to full scale industrial operation and shows a multitude of options for future mercury bioremediation technologies. It will be essential reading for research scientists, graduate students, and other specialists interested in mercury bioremediation. It is also recommended reading for environmental microbiologists, chemists, and engineers.

Microbial Biodegradation and Bioremediation brings together experts in relevant fields to describe the successful application of microbes and their derivatives for bioremediation of potentially toxic and relatively novel compounds. This single-source reference encompasses all categories of pollutants and their applications in a convenient, comprehensive package. Our natural biodiversity and environment is in danger due to the release of continuously emerging potential pollutants by anthropogenic activities. Though many attempts have been made to eradicate and remediate these noxious elements, every day thousands of xenobiotics of relatively new entities emerge, thus worsening the situation. Primitive microorganisms are highly adaptable to toxic environments, and can reduce the load of toxic elements by their successful transformation and remediation. Describes many novel approaches of microbial bioremediation including genetic engineering, metagenomics, microbial fuel cell technology, biosurfactants and biofilm-based bioremediation Introduces relatively new hazardous elements and their bioremediation practices including oil spills, military waste water, greenhouse gases, polythene wastes, and more Provides the most advanced techniques in the field of bioremediation, including insilico approach, microbes as pollution indicators, use of bioreactors, techniques of pollution monitoring, and more

Assisted Phytoremediaion covers a wide range of uses of plants for remediation of environmental pollutants. It includes coverage of such techniques as root engineering, transgenic plants, increasing the biomass, use of genetic engineering and genome editing technology for rapid phytoremediation of pollutants. In order to improve the efficiency of plant remediation, genetic engineering plays a vital role in the overexpression of genes or gene clusters, which are responsible for degradation and uptake of pollutants. The book presents state-of-the-art techniques of assisted phytoremediation to better manage soil and water pollution in large amounts. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and engineers in environmental science and bioengineering, with case studies and state-of-the-art research from eminent global scientists. This book serves as an excellent basis from which scientific knowledge can grow and widen in the field of environmental remediation. Provides a clear picture of how to design, tune, and implement assisted phytoremediation techniques Offers a comprehensive analysis of current perspective and state-of-the-art applications of assisted phytoremediation Introduces the potential of genetic engineering as a rapid, cost-effective technology for environmental remediation using plants

SOIL BIOREMEDIATION A practical guide to the environmentally sustainable bioremediation of soil Soil Bioremediation: An Approach Towards Sustainable Technology provides the first comprehensive discussion of sustainable and effective techniques for soil bioremediation involving microbes. Presenting established and updated research on emerging trends in bioremediation, this book provides contributions from both experimental and numerical researchers who provide reports on significant field trials. Soil Bioremediation instructs the reader on several different environmentally friendly bioremediation techniques, including: Bio-sorption Bio-augmentation Bio-stimulation Emphasizing molecular approaches and biosynthetic pathways of microbes, this one-of-a-kind reference focuses heavily on the role of microbes in the degradation and removal of xenobiotic substances from the environment and presents a unique management and conservation perspective in the field of environmental microbiology. Soil Bioremediation is perfect for undergraduate students in the fields of environmental science, microbiology, limnology, freshwater ecology and microbial biotechnology. It is also invaluable for researchers and scientists working in the areas of environmental science, environmental microbiology, and waste management.

Bioremediation of Petroleum Contaminated Sites provides important background information on the major aspects of technologies and related research dealing with the use of biodegradation for treating environmental contamination by toxic organic substances. The book can be used as a broad reference base for developing programs for in situ biorestoration of fuel contaminated soil and groundwater. A detailed appendix includes supplementary technical information for readers needing in-depth information. Bioremediation of Petroleum Contaminated Sites is an excellent reference for managers, consultants, regulators, hazardous waste professionals, contractors, students, and environmental researchers.