Biocatalytic Remediation of Industrial Pollutants

Abstract

The release of an significant amount of pollutants from various industrial activities pose a serious threat to environmental sustainability and ecological integrity. Toxic pollutants, such as dyes, pesticides, metal ions, plastics, and antibiotics, can cause detrimental diseases to diverse living beings in their ecosystems. Biocatalytic remediation is one efficient method of removing toxic industrial pollutants by applying microorganisms or enzymes. Microorganisms in the environment typically produce a variety of enzymes to immobilize and degrade contaminants by using them as a substrate for growth and development. Biocatalytic remediation has attracted enormous interest worldwide due to its affordability and eco-friendliness. The use of microbial enzymes and microorganisms, especially immobilized biocatalysts, has been established as a flexible approach for the sustainable alleviation of industrial pollutants, in contrast to physical and chemical methods. This chapter presents and discusses recent scientific and technological advancements related to biocatalytic remediation of industrial pollutants. It also considers different biocatalysts and novel methodologies to mitigate various pollutants. This article also examines current trends, challenges, and directions for efficiently removing pollutant using biocatalysis method. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.