Bioremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals

VICENTE M.S; GARCÍA- BALBOA C.; GONZÁLEZ. F.; BALLESTER A.; BLÁZQUEZ M.L.; MUÑOS J. A.

Environmental Management

Robert H. Theobald

Lugar: New York; Año: 2008; p. 277 - 296

Soil contamination by heavy metals is becoming a serious concern because of its persistence. The mining/metallurgical industry is one of the most polluting sources of heavy metals. Research in this field has focused on studies related to metal/soil interactions and soil remediation methods. There are clear evidences respect to that many contaminants are affected by geochemical and biological processes taking place beneath the top soil. Hence bioremediation or natural attenuation could be adopted as one of the cheapest methods for soil decontamination. Soils, in general, are living ecosystems which can have a response against external factors such as contamination by acid drainages and heavy metals generated by mining residues of high sulphur content. Therefore, soils cooperate to modify chemical species responsible for the environmental damage and, in many cases, to its immobilization. Moreover, oxidation and reduction processes of iron compounds taking place naturally in the biochemical cycles of the biosphere contribute to the mobilization and immobilization of metals. This work collects a bibliographic revision on the role play by microorganisms involved in environmental applications of bioremediation, especially in soils contaminated by heavy metals. Further information is given concerning to enrichment cultures and biochemical activity of several microorganisms associated to a contaminated soil from a mining area located in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula.