Arsenic Biological Treatment Using Microorganisms in the Environment

Abstract

The ecology and public health are seriously threatened by arsenic pollution of soil and groundwater. Natural sources such as aquifers and man-made sources account for the majority of primary releases of arsenic into the environment. Both organic (such as methylated) and inorganic (such as arsenate and arsenite) forms of arsenic (As) are prevalent in the environment. Because it is the most effective, economical and environmentally benign means of treating arsenic, the use of microorganisms in biological treatment provides an intriguing substitute for traditional techniques. Biological techniques in certain locations, methods such as arsenic microbial detoxification or phytoremediation employing aquatic plants are commonly accepted. Other techniques such as immobilization by microbial oxidation biological activity and microbiological molecular analysis were necessary, as was coprecipitation or adsorption with Fe oxyhydroxides in the solid phase. Arsenic oxygen is used by certain autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganism species to recover energy. Arsenate is a nutrient that some microorganism species can use in their respiratory processes. One prevalent type of arsenic resistance in microbes is detoxification operons. Therefore, bioremediation may be a practical and affordable means of removing this pollutant from the environment. This chapter summarizes what is now known about the various biological methods for removing arsenic from soil and groundwater.