Bioremediation Of Contaminated Soil And Ground Water: A Review

Abstract

Soil and groundwater contamination by a growing array of pollutants poses a critical threat to global environmental and public health. Conventional remediation techniques are typically challenged by costliness, secondary pollution, or ecological disturbance, impelling the pressing demand\ for viable alternatives. This review gives a balanced review of the state-of-the-art in bioremediation methods for contaminated soil and groundwater, synthesizing recent advances and main findings released since 2020. Systematic literature searches in major scientific databases revealed current advances in various bioremediation approaches, such as microbial bioremediation (biostimulation, bioaugmentation), phytoremediation (phytoextraction, phytostabilization, rhizoremediation), and mycoremediation, and their mechanistic basis. There has been important progress made by the convergence of 'omics' technologies, the development of nanobioremediation and bioelectrochemical systems, and the investigation of AI/Machine Learning for process fine-tuning. Nonetheless, challenges like site heterogeneity, pollutant bioavailability, and scalability still exist. To address these and other issues in the future, more robust and flexible biological solutions as well as innovative monitoring and control options need to be developed. Finally, bioremediation provides a bright, environmentally friendly way to restore polluted environments and protect valuable natural resources.

Key words: Bioremediation, Contamination, Soil, Groundwater, Pollutants