**4. Various applications of bioremediation**

Due to the increased population that is ultimately leading to pollution, anthropogenic activities have negative effects on ecosystems. Bioremediation is a purification technique to remove toxic waste from a polluted environment. Bioremediation is specifically helpful for decomposition, eradication, immobilization, or detoxification of variable chemical wastes and physical hazardous materials from the surrounding through the all-inclusive and action of microorganisms. The main principle is degrading and converting pollutants to less toxic forms. There are two approaches for bioremediation, in situ and ex situ. In situ methods involve treatment of the contaminated material at the site, whereas when the material is physically removed to be treated elsewhere it is referred to as ex situ. Bioremediation can occur naturally or stimulated, e.g. by the application of fertilizers (biostimulation), by the addition of similar microbe strains, the effectiveness of the resident microbe population to degrade contaminants may be increased. Every type of contaminant cannot be disposed of by means of microorganisms. Heavy metal contaminants, e.g. Cd2+ and Pb2+, tend to resist interception by microorganisms. Bioremediation is the most effective, economical, eco-friendly management tool to manage the polluted environment. All bioremediation techniques have their own advantage and disadvantage because it has their own specific applications.

Bioremediation, an appropriate method, can be applied to different states of matter in the environment.


The biological community exploited for bioremediation generally consists of the native soil microflora. However, higher plants can also be manipulated to enhance toxicant removal (phytoremediation), especially for remediation of metal contaminated soils.

There are different types of bioremediants used for bioremediation. We can classify its applications on basis of its bioremediants.
