Study on Bioremediation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Soil and Sediments by Microorganisms and Plants

The present study aimed to investigate the biological remediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the soil and sediments by microorganisms and plants. This chapter focuses on the possible trends of remediation of PCBs in the environment and the methodologies applied. It also reviewed the merits and demerits of using plants and microorganisms as biological detoxification agents. The last two decades have seen an increase in interest in biological methods for cleaning the environment, particularly the soil. For centuries, fungi and bacteria have served as the environment's natural detoxification systems for pollutants. Recent studies have demonstrated that using plants and microorganisms in the proper ratios and techniques will produce a desirable and better result for the detoxification of environmental contaminants, and most importantly, the natural environment won't be harmed because some of the processes are environmentally friendly. It is common knowledge that various unchecked human activities and chemicals in the biosphere have severely contaminated the environment. If left unchecked, this acute and widespread contamination of the air, soil and water by metals, chemicals and metalloids will be harmful to people and other living things. Despite the numerous steps taken to control the presence pf these compounds in the environment, their widespread presence and other members of the well-known class known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which share similar chemical, toxicological, and environmental characteristics, continues to rise. However, the hydrophobic nature and characteristics of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) tend to be much less responsive to bioremediation strategies. The study also highlighted the possible improvement measures on the combination of plants and microorganisms in bioremediation, thereby filling the gap left behind by the conventional methods of remediation with its enormous limitations and disadvantages to enable the triumph of agricultural practices. This chapter focuses on the possible trends of remediation of PCBs in the environment and the methodologies applied. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using plants and microorganisms as biological detoxification agents.