Bio-alchemy: a review of bacterial mechanisms for heavy metal sequestration, transformation, and bioremediation

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination has become a growing concern due to rapid industrialization. Contaminants from sources such as wastewater, mining sites, and harmful agricultural chemicals have different transfer mechanisms that directly threaten ecosystems and living organisms. Current management practices employed are limited in terms of long-term sustainability and efficiency. Bacterial bioremediation has therefore emerged as a promising biological strategy for the removal, sequestration, immobilization, and transformation of heavy metals in contaminated environments. This review explores current knowledge of the biosorptive and bioaccumulative capabilities of various bacterial strains, including Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Streptomyces, and Escherichia, and highlights their mechanisms of resistance, sequestration, and metal transformation. Aside from this, it also synthesizes their real-world applications in wastewater treatment, soil rehabilitation, agricultural biofertilization, and environmental monitoring. The review also discusses emerging approaches involving bacterial consortia, omics-based analyses, computational tools, and engineered remediation systems. While bacterial strategies have significant potential for eliminating and remediating heavy metals, there are still challenges related to their sensitivity to physicochemical conditions and the potential for metal re-release. Addressing these limitations will require a better understanding of strain-specific mechanisms, microbial interactions, environmental conditions, and the long-term stability of remediation systems. Overall, bacterial bioremediation offers a versatile and potentially sustainable approach to managing persistent heavy metal contamination.

Keywords

Bacterial bioremediation / Biosorption / Bioaccumulation / Detoxification / Heavy metal contamination

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