HARNESSING MICROBIAL POWER: INNOVATIONS IN BIODEGRADATION FOR POLLUTION CONTROL REVIEW

Nandana C. and A. Rohini

ABSTRACT

The growing amount of pollutants in the environment, especially dangerous substances like pesticides, heavy
metals, plastics, and hydrocarbons, endangers both human health and ecosystems. These pollutants are difficult to
remove using convention al procedures because they are persistent and mostly originate from industrial,
agricultural, and urban activities. By using the natural metabolic processes of bacteria, fungi, and algae to degrade
and purify these pollutants, microbial biodegradation prov ides an effective and environmentally beneficial
substitute. The mechanisms by which microorganisms break down different contaminants are reviewed in this
article, with an emphasis on enzymatic reactions like hydrolases, reductases, and oxygenases that hel p break down
complicated hazardous chemicals into less dangerous forms. Fungi like Aspergillus and bacterial species like
Pseudomonas and Bacillus are essential to the degradation process. Furthermore, the application of microbial
consortia synergistic com munities of microorganisms has demonstrated improved capacities for biodegradation,
especially when it comes to combined contaminants. Recent developments in biotechnology, such as omics
technologies, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering, have increa sed the scalability and efficiency of microbial
biodegradation processes.

Keywords: Microbial Biodegradation, Bioremediation, pseudomonas, Bacillus, Bioaccumulation, Enzymatic degradation