Role of microbial biofilms in bioremediation: Current perspectives

Industrial operations have been generating wastes worldwide for decades, resulting in contaminated sediments and their widespread dissemination into various habitats. Bioremediation is a process that uses microorganisms to remove, detoxify, or immobilize contaminants without the use of toxic chemicals. It is especially well-suited to wide areas with low contamination levels and unique soil hydrology that does not allow using an intensive chemical remediation technique. Researchers have recently described bioremediation processes for a variety of priority pollutants, including chlorinated hydrocarbons, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. However, the majority of investigations to date have focused on planktonic cultures cultivated in a laboratory setting. Microorganisms in the environment typically form biofilms, which are aided by the presence of solid surfaces and a scarcity of organic carbon. When compared to their free-living planktonic counterparts, microorganisms that are embedded in sessile biofilm structures have many advantages, including the abilities to shield from the surrounding environment, to communicate and exchange genetic material, to facilitate nutrient availability from the environment and each other, and to persist in various metabolic states. Microbial biofilms also have numerous industrial applications, including bioremediation, power generation, and wastewater treatment. Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of the current achievements in bioremediation strategies that have been implemented based on the advantages of microbial biofilms.