12.7 Conclusions and Future Perspective
Bioremediation provides a technique for cleaning up pollution by enhancing the
same biodegradation processes that occur in nature. Bioremediation is considered as
one of the best option to treat contaminated environments. Taking into account the
amazing metabolic features that define extremophilic microorganisms, these microorganisms may become good candidates to improve bioremediation procedures, or
even new bioremediation strategies could be defined using them. Although the
potential use of extremophilic microorganisms in bioremediation has been extensively demonstrated, but use of extremophilic microorganisms in bioremediation is
still hampered by an incomplete understanding of the genetics and genome-level
characteristics of these microorganisms used and metabolic pathways involved and
their kinetics. Hence, developing technologies for exploring for microbial microenvironments and understanding the mechanisms driving microbial activity and metabolic pathways (e.g. redistribution, detoxification, mobilization/immobilization,
translocation, transformation, biosorption and bioaccumulation) under diverse climatic and extreme conditions need to be further elucidated before successful and
better-controlled site-specific treatments can occur. Therefore, more studies from
molecular biology and biochemical points of view are required to properly comprehend extremophiles metabolism regulation. Hence, new niches and extreme
microecosystems in terms of pH, salt concentration and temperature should be
explored to identify and isolate extremophilic microorganisms capable to deal with
the pollutants such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds
affecting soil and water and have the potential to play key functions for bioremediation. In future, it is predicted that metagenomics tools together with new sequencing
technologies will provide the basis for the discovery of new extremozymes from
extremophilic microorganisms for bioremediation. Using high-throughput sequencing techniques and advanced bioinformatics tools together with metaproteiomics and
metabolomics analyses will allow the identification of genes and metabolites responsible for the production of biomolecules to be used in bioremediation. These multiomics technologies are also filling gaps in the knowledge of gene expression,
metabolism and ecology of extremophilic microorganisms which could allow the
improvements in knowledge related to their application in the field of
bioremediation.
References
Agarry S, Latinwo GK (2015) Biodegradation of diesel oil in soil and its enhancement by
application of bioventing and amendment with brewery waste effluents as biostimulationbioaugmentation agents. J Ecol Eng 13:82–91
Ahier BA, Tracy BL (1995) Radionuclides in the Great Lakes basin. Environ Health Perspect
103:89–101
Alexander M (1981) Biodegradation of chemicals of environmental concern. Science 211:132–138
320
S. Kaushik et al.
Bioremediation provides a technique for cleaning up pollution by enhancing the
same biodegradation processes that occur in nature. Bioremediation is considered as
one of the best option to treat contaminated environments. Taking into account the
amazing metabolic features that define extremophilic microorganisms, these microorganisms may become good candidates to improve bioremediation procedures, or
even new bioremediation strategies could be defined using them. Although the
potential use of extremophilic microorganisms in bioremediation has been extensively demonstrated, but use of extremophilic microorganisms in bioremediation is
still hampered by an incomplete understanding of the genetics and genome-level
characteristics of these microorganisms used and metabolic pathways involved and
their kinetics. Hence, developing technologies for exploring for microbial microenvironments and understanding the mechanisms driving microbial activity and metabolic pathways (e.g. redistribution, detoxification, mobilization/immobilization,
translocation, transformation, biosorption and bioaccumulation) under diverse climatic and extreme conditions need to be further elucidated before successful and
better-controlled site-specific treatments can occur. Therefore, more studies from
molecular biology and biochemical points of view are required to properly comprehend extremophiles metabolism regulation. Hence, new niches and extreme
microecosystems in terms of pH, salt concentration and temperature should be
explored to identify and isolate extremophilic microorganisms capable to deal with
the pollutants such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds
affecting soil and water and have the potential to play key functions for bioremediation. In future, it is predicted that metagenomics tools together with new sequencing
technologies will provide the basis for the discovery of new extremozymes from
extremophilic microorganisms for bioremediation. Using high-throughput sequencing techniques and advanced bioinformatics tools together with metaproteiomics and
metabolomics analyses will allow the identification of genes and metabolites responsible for the production of biomolecules to be used in bioremediation. These multiomics technologies are also filling gaps in the knowledge of gene expression,
metabolism and ecology of extremophilic microorganisms which could allow the
improvements in knowledge related to their application in the field of
bioremediation.
References
Agarry S, Latinwo GK (2015) Biodegradation of diesel oil in soil and its enhancement by
application of bioventing and amendment with brewery waste effluents as biostimulationbioaugmentation agents. J Ecol Eng 13:82–91
Ahier BA, Tracy BL (1995) Radionuclides in the Great Lakes basin. Environ Health Perspect
103:89–101
Alexander M (1981) Biodegradation of chemicals of environmental concern. Science 211:132–138
320
S. Kaushik et al.