Microbes as Heavy Metal Removers in Industrial Waste

Environmental pollution is the greatest threat posed to the humanity and the biosphere as a whole. Among these water pollution is of great significance. Water pollution causes undesirable changes in the physico-chemical and biological properties of water, which may be harmful to the activities of man and domestic species. Now water pollution is a global problem due to rapid increase in industrialization. The effluent from industries contain heavy metals like Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cd, Mn etc. all of which are toxic to animals. The heavy metals discharged from industries into lakes and ponds reach the human through the food chain. The special characteristics of heavy metal chemicals is their strong attraction to biological system and slow elimination from it. Metal toxicity means the uptake of metals by the cell. The time required to develop tolerance mechanisms are influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. Many microorganisms acquire a mechanism that enables them to repair metal toxicity damages.