Bioremediation of Pesticides: An Overview

Environmental contamination is increasing day by day because of increase in population, industrialization and urbanization. It is a potential threat to human health. The risk of adverse health or environmental effects caused by contamination has led to international efforts to tackle the contaminants. The ideal solution for pollution abatement is bioremediation. It is the most effective innovative technology that makes use of living microorganisms to degrade environmental pollutants or to prevent pollution. It is a multidisciplinary approach but its central thrust depends upon Microbiology. This technology includes a number of techniques like biostimulation, bioaugmentation, bioaccumulation, biosorption, phytoremediation and rhizoremediation. The aim of the present review is to describe limitations and challenges associated with some generally accepted bioremediation strategies and subsequently evaluate the potential applications of these remedial strategies to remove pesticides from the environment.