The production of a vast array of chemicals, especially petroleum compounds during the last century, has caused a serious deterioration in environmental quality. In this context, a major threat is posed by the continually expanding areas of contaminated soils and sediments. Biotechnological methods based on the biodegradation of environmental pollutants or phytoremediation of persistent organic contaminants and metals are being developed. Bioremediation has been used successfully to remediate many petroleum-contaminated sites. However, there are as yet no commercial technologies commonly used to remediate the most recalcitrant contaminants, such as explosives, pesticides and metallic pollutants. Nevertheless, bioremediation is a rapidly advancing field and new bio-based remedial technologies are continuing to emerge. For this volume, a number of experts from universities, government laboratories and industry, have contributed chapters on innovative methods in bioremediation and phytoremediation.
Soil Bioremediation and Phytoremediation - An Overview, O. Ward and A. Singh; Biodegradation and Bioremediation of Petroleum Pollutants in Soil, M.H. Huesmann; Bioremediation of Pesticide-Contaminated Soils, R.C. Kuhad, A.K. Johri, A. Singh, O.P. Ward; Biodegradation and Bioremediation of Explosives, J.-S. Zhao, D. Fournier, S. Thiboutot, G. Ampleman, J. Hawari; Biological Treatment of Metallic Pollutants, B.D. Faison; Phytoremediation of Persistent Organic Contaminants in the Environment, S. Saleh, X.-D. Huang, B.M. Greenberg, B.R. Glick; Phytoremediation of Metals and Inorganic Pollutants, T. Macek, D. Pavlikova, M. Mackova; Remediation of Organic Pollutants Through Natural Attenuation, S. Delisle and C.W. Greer; Evaluation of Current Soil Bioremediation Technologies, O.P. Ward and A. Singh; Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Polluted Soils in Extreme Temperature Environments, R. Margesin; Innovative Methods for the Bioremediation of Air Contaminants, Z. Shareefdeen; Risk-Based Remediation of Contaminated Soil, T. Husain.
From the reviews: "The broad subject dealt with in this volume, the first in the 'Soil biology' series ! prepared by 23 experts in various disciplines ! . contributions include illustrations, tables and schemes, while the text is concluded by a generous reference list to aid further study of the subject. This book should prove to be useful to under- and post-graduate students of biotechnology, microbiology, and soil and environmental science and engineering. Teachers, scientists and engineers ! will find the content, including practical aspects, helpful." (P.L. Pisani, Advances in Horticultural Science, Issue 3, 2005) "This book ! presents a good review of the literature on bioremediation and phytoremediation. ! There are references to field experiments and projects, and each chapter has a good set of references to important literature. An especially useful book for those professionals working to address remediation needs at field sites. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels." (L.E. Erickson, CHOICE, Vol. 42 (5), January, 2005) "In this book, volume 1 of the 'Soil Biology' series, experts from universities, government laboratories and industry from several countries have all contributed chapters on innovative methods in bioremediation and phytoremediation. The volume addresses a wide range of issues related to applied aspects of microbial and plant-based technologies ! . Aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students of biotechnology, microbiology, and soil and environmental science and engineering, this volume should also prove useful to teachers, scientists and engineers in academia, industry or government." (LabPlus International, Vol. 18 (4), September, 2004) "This book ! deals with the rapidly advancing field of soil remediation by means of micro-organisms and plants. ! Overall, the book is of high quality. ! the editors have done a good job for which they are to be applauded. I warmly recommend this compact and appealing book to scientists, practitioners and students ! . The many references to the literature given in most chapters add to its usefulness and value as a way of finding further information." (R. Schulin, European Journal of Soil Science, Vol. 57, 2006)