Environmental Nanobiotechnology:
Microbial-Mediated Nanoparticles
for Sustainable Environment
O. M. Darwesh, M. F. Eida, and I. A. Matter
1 Introduction
It is clear that modern civilization, its technologies and related industries lead to many
environmental changes and thus affect the style and quality of human life. Some of
these changes and their impacts, directly or indirectly, include the depletion and
disintegration of natural resources, thereby disrupting the “long-term environmental
quality”, i.e., “environmental sustainability” (Davis et al. 2017). To protect our environment and save its resources for the next generations, many efforts, studies, strategies and initiatives have been demonstrated. Most promising strategies for preserving
the environment include using biotechnologies in general and microbial nanotechnology applications in particular to maximize and accelerate their environmental
performance in many areas (Darwesh et al. 2015, 2020a). Microbial biotechnology
is the field of science that deals with the utilization of microorganisms to obtain
benefits and services. It includes directing of microorganisms and their enzymes
for biodegradation of agricultural wastes, bioremediation of xenobiotics, production
of biofuels, production of pharmaceuticals and food additives as well as the green
synthesis of nanoparticles (Abou-Shanab et al. 2012; Darwesh et al. 2018a, 2019a,
b).
Nanotechnology includes synthesizing and applications of nano-sized materials
(1–100 nm); those materials could be nanoparticles, nanocomposites or nanotubes
that have tremendous technological and biotechnological applications. The incorporation of nanotechnology into microbial and environmental biotechnology is a relatively new trend that has shown auspicious results in many areas and applications
(Sangeetha et al. 2019; Besha et al. 2020). Due to the distinctive “size, shape, surface
area and structure of particles”, nanomaterials exhibit unique properties and behavior
O. M. Darwesh (B) · M. F. Eida · I. A. Matter
Agricultural Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, Elbohouth St., Dokki, Cairo
12622, Egypt
e-mail: darweshosama@yahoo.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_5
145
Microbial-Mediated Nanoparticles
for Sustainable Environment
O. M. Darwesh, M. F. Eida, and I. A. Matter
1 Introduction
It is clear that modern civilization, its technologies and related industries lead to many
environmental changes and thus affect the style and quality of human life. Some of
these changes and their impacts, directly or indirectly, include the depletion and
disintegration of natural resources, thereby disrupting the “long-term environmental
quality”, i.e., “environmental sustainability” (Davis et al. 2017). To protect our environment and save its resources for the next generations, many efforts, studies, strategies and initiatives have been demonstrated. Most promising strategies for preserving
the environment include using biotechnologies in general and microbial nanotechnology applications in particular to maximize and accelerate their environmental
performance in many areas (Darwesh et al. 2015, 2020a). Microbial biotechnology
is the field of science that deals with the utilization of microorganisms to obtain
benefits and services. It includes directing of microorganisms and their enzymes
for biodegradation of agricultural wastes, bioremediation of xenobiotics, production
of biofuels, production of pharmaceuticals and food additives as well as the green
synthesis of nanoparticles (Abou-Shanab et al. 2012; Darwesh et al. 2018a, 2019a,
b).
Nanotechnology includes synthesizing and applications of nano-sized materials
(1–100 nm); those materials could be nanoparticles, nanocomposites or nanotubes
that have tremendous technological and biotechnological applications. The incorporation of nanotechnology into microbial and environmental biotechnology is a relatively new trend that has shown auspicious results in many areas and applications
(Sangeetha et al. 2019; Besha et al. 2020). Due to the distinctive “size, shape, surface
area and structure of particles”, nanomaterials exhibit unique properties and behavior
O. M. Darwesh (B) · M. F. Eida · I. A. Matter
Agricultural Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, Elbohouth St., Dokki, Cairo
12622, Egypt
e-mail: darweshosama@yahoo.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_5
145