A Critical Review of Microbial Potential for Biodegradation Mechanism of Organic Pollutants

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The rise in environmental pollution is a major issue of concern in the current times. Due to globalization and the Industrial Revolution in the 20th century, pollution has become a problem for the world's population. Numerous factors, including unchecked human activity, careless use of petroleum products, industrial waste emissions, poor waste management, release of toxic organic by-products, and increased use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers have contributed to increased pollution and its detrimental effects on the planet Earth. For all forms of life, organic molecules are known to have the potential to be carcinogenic and poisonous. To reduce organic pollutants and dispose of industrial waste properly, several techniques have been put forth and put into action, but some of them are either not relevant or have not produced the expected outcomes. For the past few decades, research has been focused on finding biological methods of degradation of complex organic contaminants. Numerous microbial species obtained from polluted native environments have been shown to digest hazardous, complex organic chemicals and can be used to effectively biodegrade contaminated areas. The development of recombinant DNA technologies has revitalized the area of bioremediation by enabling the emergence of microorganisms and entire microbial communities that contain novel genes and enzymes with improved efficiencies. This chapter discusses the significance of isolating efficient indigenous microbial species, different factors that affect the distribution of pollutants in the soil matrix, biodegradation pathways, and physiological factors that affect the efficiency of biodegradation for complete mineralization. In addition to these, efforts to enhance the biodegradation potential of microbes through multiple pathways have also been highlighted.