Facets of nanoparticle-microbe interactions and their roles in nanobioremediation of environmental pollutants: Biochemical, molecular, and technological perspectives

Advancement in the technological era is quite inevitable for amelioration of existing systems, for example, bioremediation is upgraded to nanobioremediation using different forms of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in conjunction with different microbes, which proffers ecofriendly strategies for cleaning hazardous environmental pollutants. In recent times, nanobioremediation has received much attention due to its excellent efficacy in developing a sustainable environment. Conventional bioremediation approaches are meant for environmental contaminants using microorganisms and plants or derived products, yet such approaches possess a major limitation, i.e., inability of displaying efficiency in the presence of a high concentration of pollutants. In contrast, nanobioremediation is effective, rapid, economical, efficient, and most importantly it minimizes the harmful effect of pollutants present in high concentration. Biogenic or synthetic NPs with their unique physiochemical properties are extremely useful in counteracting various environmental contaminants. This chapter has been written with the intention to present a comprehensive overview on the different dimensions of biochemical interactions among different NPs and with microbes leading to the modulation of microbial activity in the context of bioremediation of various environmental pollutants.