Preface

Chapter 8 **Hexavalent Chromium (VI) Removal by Penicillium**

Ismael Acosta-Rodríguez, Damaris L. Arévalo-Rangel, Juan F. Cárdenas-González, María de Guadalupe Moctezuma-Zárate and

Bruna Vacondio, Willian Garcia Birolli, Mirna Helena Regali Seleghim, Sarah Gonçalves, Suzan Pantaroto de Vasconcellos and

Chapter 9 **Screening of Marine-derived Fungi Isolated from the sponge**

Chapter 10 **The Characteristics of Phytoremediation of Soil and Leachate**

**Didemnun ligulum for Biodegradation of**

**sp. IA-01 165**

**VI** Contents

Víctor M. Martínez-Juárez

**Pentachlorophenol 193**

André Luiz Meleiro Porto

**Polluted by Landfills 227**

**Microorganisms 247** Naofumi Shiomi

Reyhan Erdogan and Zeynep Zaimoglu

Chapter 11 **An assessment of the Causes of Lead Pollution and the Efficiency of Bioremediation by Plants and**

Consumable water comprises only 0.01% of the total water on earth and has been carefully used with great consideration of its limitedness. However, rapid population increases and the development of economies have led to excessive use of aquatic resources and pollution of vast amounts of river water and groundwater. For instance, acid rain, which is produced by sulfur and nitrogen oxides exhausted to the air from factories, has damaged the aquatic resources and ecosystems in ponds and forests. Domestic and industrial wastewaters have also polluted soils and groundwater in many countries because they are directly drained into the rivers without previous treatment to remove the harmful compounds. Moreover, the excessive use of fertilizers and herbicides has resulted in serious pollution of soil and groundwater. In China, for example, it has been estimated that 40% of the river water (95% in urban areas) is unsafe for consumption due to pollution.

Pollution by heavy metals as well as chemical compounds is also severe. Industrial and do‐ mestic wastes containing heavy metals are filled up or discarded without the removal of heavy metals. In the EU, for example, wastes of electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), such as television sets and cell phones, are expected to increase to more than 12 million tons by 2020, and most of them are filled without previous treatment. Strict Restriction of Haz‐ ardous Substance and 94/62/EC directives to decrease the emission in the EU have led to the export of WEEE to countries in Asia, thereby leading to pollution in those areas. Heavy met‐ als contained in batteries, such as lithium, nickel-cadmium and lead batteries, also cause pollution. Industrial wastewater containing heavy metals, which is produced by metallurgi‐ cal industries to produce batteries, leads to the pollution of rivers and soils.

Recently, the lack of aquatic resources has reached a critical condition. Many individuals living in polluted areas have developed symptoms of heavy metals poisoning. Furthermore, food shortages will most likely occur in the near future due to shortages in agricultural wa‐ ter, as well as drinking water. It is reported that the current drinking water shortage affects 700 million people worldwide, and 1.8 million children die annually due to water shortage or pollution. Therefore, for the future of human beings and other creatures, strict regulations on the emissions of harmful compounds and remediation of the soil and groundwater must be immediately implemented.

Among the various processes utilized for the remediation of wastewater and soil, bioreme‐ diation using microorganisms and plants has been remarkable due to its high safety and inexpensive running cost compared to physical and chemical methods. The USA invested 10 billion dollars in phytoremediation in the 1990s, and the market of phytoremediation is pre‐ dicted to increase to over several trillion dollars in the EU. However, current bioremediation processes do not often achieve sufficient remediation, and more effective processes are de‐ sired because of the insufficient performance or insufficient adaptability to various condi‐ tions.

This book discusses the recent advances in bioremediation of wastewater and polluted soil. In the first chapters of this book, respected researchers in this field describe how the optimi‐ zation of microorganisms, enzymes, absorbents, additives and injection procedures can help to realize excellent bioremediation. The general concept of bioremediation of polluted water is reviewed in chapter 1. In chapters 2–4, the utilization of Haloarchaea, Synechocystis and other microorganisms identified using metagenomics are introduced as effective reaction agents for bioremediation. Because bioremediation often occurs in specific environments, the selection of microorganisms which can actively work in said environments is a key fac‐ tor for optimal bioremediation. The contents of these chapters will assist the selection of mi‐ croorganisms for bioremediation. Moreover, in chapters 5–7, the authors discuss optimal biosurfactants for adsorption, enzymes for the degradation of dyes and the effects of addi‐ tives for bioremediation, respectively. The proper selection of absorbents, enzymes and ad‐ ditives is another key factor for optimal bioremediation. In the latter chapters, other respected researchers in this field introduce bioremediation processes that have been per‐ formed in the field. The eliminations of hexavalent chromium (VI) and organochlorine pesti‐ cides by fungi are introduced as concrete examples in chapters 8 and 9. Moreover, in chapters 10 and 11, phytoremediation of landfill soil and bioremediation of lead are dis‐ cussed, including novel methods for bioremediation.

This book will be useful for those studying or developing new bioremediation processes and students studying environmental science and engineering. It will provide important infor‐ mation about recent advances in bioremediation and novel ideas for effective bioremedia‐ tion. Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Ana Pantar, Ms. Ivona Lovric and the publishing process managers of the InTech Publishing Group for their great support and assistance throughout the writing and publication process of this book.

> **Dr. Naofumi Shiomi** Kobe College, Japan
