Applications of microbes in bioremediation of point source pollutants from wastewater

Abstract

Water pollution is the major concern of this era. Industrial developments, agriculture patterns, construction processes and unsustainable mining have contributed to increased level of pollutants in most of the fresh water bodies across the globe. This review categorizes different sources of water pollution and focuses on remediation of wastewater through microbial applications. The point source pollutants can be remediated using ‘at source’ microbial bioreactor installations. This work concludes that hybrid biofilm reactors and membrane bioreactors can be utilize for the removal of micro-pollutants. However, anaerobic bioreactors are more efficient in treating wastewater having high concentration of organic matter.