Bioremediation of industrial waste for environmental safety volume i industrial waste and its management

Gaurav Saxena · Ram Naresh Bharagava
Editors

Bioremediation of
Industrial Waste
for Environmental
Safety
Volume I: Industrial Waste and Its
Management


Bioremediation of Industrial Waste
for Environmental Safety


Gaurav Saxena  •  Ram Naresh Bharagava
Editors

Bioremediation of Industrial
Waste for Environmental
Safety
Volume I: Industrial Waste and Its
Management


Editors
Gaurav Saxena

Ram Naresh Bharagava

Laboratory of Bioremediation and

Metagenomics Research (LBMR)
Department of Microbiology (DM)
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
(A Central University)
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Laboratory of Bioremediation and
Metagenomics Research (LBMR)
Department of Microbiology (DM)
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
(A Central University)
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

ISBN 978-981-13-1890-0    ISBN 978-981-13-1891-7 (eBook)
/>Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966132
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
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This book is truly dedicated to my parents for
their unfailing patience, contagious love,
forgiveness, selflessness, endless support,
and nurturing and educating me to the date.
Without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am
today.
Gaurav Saxena
This book is truly dedicated to my parents for
their unfailing patience, contagious love,
forgiveness, selflessness, and endless
support; my wife for trusting me; and my
kids for always being a hope to move
forward in life.
Ram Naresh Bharagava


Foreword

Environmental pollution is a major problem of the world due to increasing
industrializations. Industries play important roles in the national economy of every
country, but they can also be the main sources for environmental pollution. Industrial
wastes carry a variety of potentially toxic pollutants that can cause severe impacts on
the environment and human health. Bioremediation is a promising eco-friendly and
cost-effective method to tackle environmental pollution. It has many advantages over
the conventional physico-chemical approaches that are expensive and cause secondary
pollution.

Bioremediation is a US Environmental Protection Agency approved waste management technique that treats hazardous wastes using biological agents such as
microbes and plants and, ultimately, restores the contaminated sites, whilst providing adequate protection for human health and safety to the environment. It is an
active field of research; many efforts have been made to commercialize bioremediation technologies for waste treatment to protect the environment and public health.
Currently, a number of commercial plants or microbe-based products are available
in the market to provide low-cost, self-driven and eco-sustainable solutions to clean
up contaminated sites.

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Foreword

Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Industrial Waste
and Its Management (Volume I), edited by Dr. Ram Naresh Bharagava and Mr.
Gaurav Saxena, introduces the readers to the subject of industrial waste/pollutants
bioremediation. This timely book covers different sustainable bioremediation
approaches for a low-cost treatment and management of a number of industrial
wastes. It provides comprehensive information on both established and novel treatment technologies and their value-added potentials. The editors’ keen interest in
environmental awareness and their focus on environmental protection made this
book highly relevant to academia as well as industry. It will be helpful to scientists
and professionals engaging in sustainable bioremediation. All the chapters are written by leading experts making excellent and outstanding contributions to this book.
I congratulate the book editors for bringing out this valuable compilation with up-­
to-­date knowledge in the field of industrial waste bioremediation. I wish a great
success for this book as it will be of great value to the stakeholders, including
researchers, academicians, students, environmentalists and policymakers.
Honorary Secretary, Committee of Heads of
Environmental Sciences, UK
Editor, Environmental Science and Pollution

Research, a Springer Nature Journal
Coordinating Editor, Environmental Geochemistry
and Health, a Springer Nature Journal
Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Biology
Department of Natural Sciences
Faculty of Science and Technology
Middlesex University
The Burroughs, Hendon, London NW4 4BT, England, UK

Dr. Diane Purchase
Ph.D., FHEA, FIEnvSci


Preface

Environmental issues have been always at the forefront of sustainable development
and have become a serious matter of concern in the twenty-first century. Environmental
sustainability with rapid industrialization is one of the major challenges of the current scenario worldwide. Industries are the key drivers in the world economy, but
these are also the major polluters due to the discharge of partially treated/untreated
potentially toxic and hazardous wastes containing organic and inorganic pollutants,
which cause environmental (soil and water) pollution and severe toxicity in living
beings. Among the different sources of environmental pollution, industrial waste is
considered as the major source of environmental pollution because industries use
cheap and poorly or non-biodegradable chemicals to obtain the good quality of products within a short time period and in an economic way; however, their toxicity is
usually ignored. Ensuring the safety of chemicals used in many industrial processes
is a major challenge for environmental safety. The governments around the globe are
also strictly advocating for the mitigation of environmental pollution due to industrial wastes to promote the sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. Being a low cost and eco-friendly clean technology, bioremediation
can be an eco-sustainable alternative to conventional technologies for the treatment
and management of industrial wastes to protect the public health and environment.
Bioremediation is a waste management approach that utilizes microorganisms,

plants or their enzymes to degrade/detoxify the organic and inorganic pollutants
such as phenols, chlorophenols, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, organic solvents, azo dyes, pesticides, recalcitrant compounds, and toxic metals from contaminated soils and wastewaters. There has been an increasing concern
regarding the release of various hazardous chemicals along with industrial wastes,
which are considered as highly toxic for the environment and living beings. Some
of these chemicals are listed as “priority pollutants” by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and other environmental pollution control agencies. The biological removal of a wide range of pollutants from contaminated sites requires our increasing understanding of different degradation pathways
and regulatory networks to carbon flux for their degradation and detoxification,
which is utmost important for environmental safety. Therefore, this book provides a
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Preface

comprehensive knowledge of the fundamental, practical and purposeful utilization
of bioremediation technologies for the treatment and management of industrial
wastes. The book describes the microbiological, biochemical and molecular aspects
of biodegradation and bioremediation, including the use of “omics” technologies
for the development of efficient bioremediation technologies for industrial wastes/
pollutants to combat the forthcoming challenges.
This book Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Industrial
Waste and Its Management (Volume I) describes the toxicity of various organic and
inorganic pollutants in industrial wastes, their environmental impact and bioremediation approaches for their treatment and management. For this book, many relevant topics have been contributed by the experts from different universities, research
laboratories and institutes from around the globe in the area of biodegradation and
bioremediation. In this book, extensive focus has been relied on the recent advances
in bioremediation and phytoremediation technologies, including the use of various
group of microbes for environmental remediation; terrestrial/aquatic plants for phytoremediation of toxic metals from contaminated soils/industrial wastewaters; constructed wetlands for degradation and detoxification of industrial wastewaters;
microbial enzymes for degradation/detoxification of environmental pollutants; biosurfactants for remediation of petroleum polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals; biodegradation and bioremediation of azo dyes, organic solvents, pesticides,
persistent organic pollutants and toxic metals from industrial wastes; bioremediation

of industrial acid mine drainage (AMD), distillery wastewater, tannery wastewater,
textile wastewater, oil refinery waste, plastic waste; bioremediation and phytoremediation of potentially toxic metals such as chromium and arsenic from contaminated
matrix; nano-bioremediation technology for the decolourization of dyes in effluents;
phytotechnologies for wastewater treatment and management; application of green
synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) in degradation and detoxification of wastewaters;
etc. Researchers working in the field of bioremediation, phytoremediation, waste
treatment and management and related fields will find this compilation most useful
for further study to learn about the subject matter. Further, to get richer in the knowledge on the subject, readers may please visit the second volume of this book series,
Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Biological Agents and
Methods for Industrial Waste Management (Volume II).
At the end, we hope that the book will be of great value to researchers, environmental chemists and scientists, microbiologists and biotechnologists, eco-­
toxicologists, waste treatment engineers and managers, environmental science
managers, administrators and policymakers, industry persons and students at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level in the relevant field. Thus, in this book, readers
will find the updated information as well as the future direction for research in the
field of bioremediation.
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
May 2018

Gaurav Saxena
Ram Naresh Bharagava


Acknowledgments

The edited book Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety:
Industrial Waste and Its Management (Volume I) is the outcome of a long dedicated
effort of many individuals who directly or indirectly supported us during the compilation and upbringing of this valuable edition, many of whom deserve special
mention.
The editors are firstly thankful to all the national and international contributing

authors for their valuable submissions and cooperation and providing most up-to-­
date information on the diverse aspects of the subject regardless of their busy schedules; Dr. Diane Purchase, Middlesex University, London, England (United
Kingdom), for writing a foreword for the book; Dr. G.  D. Saratale, Dongguk
University, Seoul (Republic of Korea), and Dr. Sikandar I. Mulla, Chinese Academy
of Sciences (CAS), Xiamen (People’s Republic of China), for the meaningful
research collaboration, cooperation, and support; Dr. Jay Shankar Singh, Department
of Environmental Microbiology (DEM), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central)
University (BBAU), India, for the better advice and helpful discussion on the subject; and Mr. Surya Pratap Goutam and Mr. Rajkamal Shastri, Doctoral Fellow,
Department of Applied Physics; Roop Kishor, Doctoral Fellow, DEM, BBAU; and
Mr. Akash Mishra, Doctoral Fellow, Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO)–Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER),
Haldwani (India), for helping us in various ways during the book project.
We are extremely thankful to our publishing editors, Ms. Aakanksha Tyagi and
Dr. Mamta Kapila, Springer Nature (India), for the encouragement, support, and
valuable advice and skillful organization and management of entire book project;
Ms. Raman Shukla, for the skillful management of book production; and Mr. John
Ram Kumar for moving the book through the production process in an efficient and
professional manner.
We are also heartily thankful to the Almighty God for helping us through the
entire journey and making the experience enjoyable. Further, we hope that the book

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Acknowledgments

volume will be of great value to researchers in the area of bioremediation of industrial wastes and will go some way to make our planet safe and greener. At the end,
we seek to learn more on the subject through the valuable comments, reviews, and

suggestions from the readers, which can be directly sent to our e-mails: (GS) and (RNB).


Contents

1Introduction to Industrial Wastes Containing Organic
and Inorganic Pollutants and Bioremediation Approaches
for Environmental Management������������������������������������������������������������    1
Ram Naresh Bharagava, Gaurav Saxena, and Sikandar I. Mulla
2Bioremediation: An Eco-friendly Sustainable Technology
for Environmental Management������������������������������������������������������������   19
Christopher Chibueze Azubuike, Chioma Blaise Chikere,
and Gideon Chijioke Okpokwasili
3Application of Microbial Enzymes in Degradation
and Detoxification of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants����������������������   41
Gaurav Saxena, Roop Kishor, and Ram Naresh Bharagava
4Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Environmental Risks,
Toxicological Effects, and Bioremediation for Environmental
Safety and Challenges for Future Research������������������������������������������   53
Ningombam Linthoingambi Devi
5Bioremediation of Distillery Effluent: Present Status
and Future Prospects ������������������������������������������������������������������������������   77
Sushil Kumar Shukla, Vinod Kumar Tripathi,
and Pradeep Kumar Mishra
6Plastic Waste: Environmental Hazards, Its Biodegradation,
and Challenges ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   99
Kadapakkam Nandabalan Yogalakshmi and Sukhman Singh
7Textile Industry Wastewaters as Major Sources
of Environmental Contamination: Bioremediation Approaches
for Its Degradation and Detoxification��������������������������������������������������  135

Rijuta Ganesh Saratale, J. Rajesh Banu, Han-Seung Shin,
Ram Naresh Bharagava, and Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale

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Contents

8Management of Petroleum Industry Waste Through
Biosurfactant-Producing Bacteria: A Step Toward
Sustainable Environment������������������������������������������������������������������������  169
Amar Jyoti Das, Shweta Ambust, and Rajesh Kumar
9Environmental Contamination, Toxicity Profile,
and Bioremediation Approaches for Detoxification
of Paper Mill Wastewater������������������������������������������������������������������������  181
Shiv Shankar, Shikha, Arpna Ratnakar, Shailja Singh,
and Shalu Rawat
10Recent Advances in Phytoremediation of Soil Contaminated
by Industrial Waste: A Road Map to a Safer Environment����������������  207
Cassiano A. R. Bernardino, Claudio F. Mahler, Paula Alvarenga,
Paula M. L. Castro, Eduardo Ferreira da Silva,
and Luís A. B. Novo
11Toxicity of Hexavalent Chromium in Environment,
Health Threats, and Its Bioremediation and Detoxification
from Tannery Wastewater for Environmental Safety��������������������������  223
Vidya Laxmi and Garima Kaushik
12Arsenic Contamination in Environment, Ecotoxicological
and Health Effects, and Bioremediation Strategies

for Its Detoxification��������������������������������������������������������������������������������  245
Manoj Kumar, Anoop Yadav, and A. L. Ramanathan
13Organophosphate Pesticides: Impact on Environment,
Toxicity, and Their Degradation������������������������������������������������������������  265
Sikandar I. Mulla, Fuad Ameen, Manjunatha P. Talwar,
Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah Eqani, Ram Naresh Bharagava,
Gaurav Saxena, Preeti N. Tallur, and Harichandra Z. Ninnekar
14Constructed Wetlands: An Eco-sustainable Phytotechnology
for Degradation and Detoxification
of Industrial Wastewaters ����������������������������������������������������������������������  291
Mathews Simon Mthembu, Christine Akinyi Odinga, Faizal Bux,
and Feroz Mahomed Swalaha
15Nano-bioremediation: A New Age Technology
for the Treatment of Dyes in Textile Effluents��������������������������������������  313
Kadapakkam Nandabalan Yogalakshmi, Anamika Das,
Gini Rani, Vijay Jaswal, and Jatinder Singh Randhawa


Contents

xv

16Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles and Their Applications
in Water and Wastewater Treatment ����������������������������������������������������  349
Surya Pratap Goutam, Gaurav Saxena, Diptarka Roy,
Anil Kumar Yadav, and Ram Naresh Bharagava
17Environmental Hazards and Toxicity Profile of Organic
and Inorganic Pollutants of Tannery Wastewater
and Bioremediation Approaches������������������������������������������������������������  381
Gaurav Saxena, Diane Purchase, and Ram Naresh Bharagava

18Bioremediation: An Eco-friendly Cleanup Strategy
for Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons from Petroleum
Industry Waste ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  399
M. S. Dhanya and Arun Kalia


About the Editors and Contributors

Editors
Gaurav Saxena is a Senior Doctoral Student, actively
engaged in research at the Laboratory for Bioremediation
and Metagenomics Research (LBMR), Department of
Environmental Microbiology (DEM), Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow (UP)
2260 025, India.

Ram Naresh Bharagava is presently working as
Assistant Professor in Department of Environmental
Microbiology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University, Raebareli, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

xvii


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About the Editors and Contributors

Contributors
Paula Alvarenga  LEAF, Department of Sciences and Engineering of Biosystems,

School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
GeoBioTec Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro,
Aveiro, Portugal
Shweta Ambust  Rhizospheric Biology Laboratory, Department of Environmental
Microbiology, School for Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Fuad Ameen  Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, King
Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Christopher  Chibueze  Azubuike  Department of Microbiology, Faculty of
Science, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers States, Nigeria
Cassiano  A.  R.  Bernardino  Department of Civil Engineering, COPPE, Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Ram  Naresh  Bharagava  Laboratory of Bioremediation and Metagenomics
Research (LBMR), Department of Microbiology (DM), Babasaheb Bhimrao
Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Faizal  Bux  Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Department of
Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban,
South Africa
Paula  M.  L.  Castro  Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry – Associated
Laboratory, Faculty of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal, Porto,
Portugal
Chioma  Blaise  Chikere  Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science,
University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers States, Nigeria
Eduardo  Ferreira  da Silva  GeoBioTec Research Center, Department of
Geosciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Anamika  Das  Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, School of
Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Amar Jyoti Das  Rhizospheric Biology Laboratory, Department of Environmental
Microbiology, School for Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar

University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Ningombam Linthoingambi Devi  Centre for Environmental Science, School of
Earth, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Central University of South Bihar,
Patna, Bihar, India


About the Editors and Contributors

xix

M. S. Dhanya  Department of Environmental Sciences and Technology, School of
Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Syed  Ali  Musstjab  Akber  Shah  Eqani  CAS Key Laboratory of Urban
Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China
Surya Pratap Goutam  Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Department of
Applied Physics (DAP), School for Physical Sciences (SPS), Babasaheb Bhimrao
Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Vijay  Jaswal  Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, School of
Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Arun  Kalia  Department of Environmental Sciences and Technology, School of
Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Garima  Kaushik  Department of Environmental Science, Central University of
Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Roop Kishor  Laboratory of Bioremediation and Metagenomics Research (LBMR),
Department of Microbiology (DM), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
(A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Manoj  Kumar  Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth,
Environment and Space Studies, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh,
Haryana, India
School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Rajesh Kumar  Rhizospheric Biology Laboratory, Department of Environmental
Microbiology, School for Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Vidya  Laxmi  Department of Environmental Science, Central University of
Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Claudio F. Mahler  Department of Civil Engineering, COPPE, Federal University
of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Pradeep Kumar Mishra  Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Mathews  Simon  Mthembu  Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology,
Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Zululand, Richards Bay, South
Africa


xx

About the Editors and Contributors

Sikandar I. Mulla  Department of Biochemistry, Karnatak University, Dharwad,
Karnataka, India
CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban
Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China
Harichandra  Z.  Ninnekar  Department of Biochemistry, Karnatak University,
Dharwad, Karnataka, India
Luís  A.  B.  Novo  Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry  – Associated
Laboratory, Faculty of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal, Porto,

Portugal
GeoBioTec Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro,
Aveiro, Portugal
Christine  Akinyi  Odinga  Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology,
Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of
Technology, Durban, South Africa
Gideon Chijioke Okpokwasili  Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science,
University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers States, Nigeria
Diane  Purchase  Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and
Technology, Middlesex University, London, UK
J.  Rajesh  Banu  Department of Civil Engineering, Regional Center of Anna
University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India
A.  L.  Ramanathan  School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi, India
Jatinder  Singh  Randhawa  Centre for Environmental Science and Technology,
School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda,
Punjab, India
Gini  Rani  Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, School of
Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Arpna Ratnakar  Department of Environmental Science, School for Environmental
Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University),
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shalu  Rawat  Department of Environmental Science, School for Environmental
Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University),
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Diptarka Roy  Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Applied
Physics (DAP), School for Physical Sciences (SPS), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

About the Editors and Contributors

xxi

Rijuta  Ganesh  Saratale  Research Institute of Biotechnology and Medical
Converged Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic
of Korea
Ganesh  Dattatraya  Saratale  Research Institute of Biotechnology and Medical
Converged Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic
of Korea
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Dongguk University-Seoul,
Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Gaurav  Saxena  Laboratory of Bioremediation and Metagenomics Research
(LBMR), Department of Microbiology (DM), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shiv Shankar  Department of Environmental Science, School for Environmental
Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University),
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shikha  Department of Environmental Science, School for Environmental Sciences,
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh, India
Han-Seung  Shin  Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Dongguk
University-Seoul, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Sushil Kumar Shukla  Centre for Environmental Sciences, Central University of
Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Shailja  Singh  Department of Environmental Science, School for Environmental
Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University),
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sukhman  Singh  Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, School of

Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab,
India
Feroz  Mahomed  Swalaha  Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology,
Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of
Technology, Durban, South Africa
Preeti N. Tallur  Government Arts and Science College, Karwar, Uttara Kannada,
Karnataka, India
Manjunatha  P.  Talwar  Department of Biochemistry, Karnatak University,
Dharwad, Karnataka, India
Vinod Kumar Tripathi  Department of Farm Engineering, Institute of Agricultural
Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India


xxii

About the Editors and Contributors

Anoop Yadav  Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth, Environment
and Space Studies, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, Haryana, India
Anil  Kumar  Yadav  Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Department of
Applied Physics (DAP), School for Physical Sciences (SPS), Babasaheb Bhimrao
Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Kadapakkam Nandabalan Yogalakshmi  Centre for Environmental Science and
Technology, School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of
Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab, India


Chapter 1

Introduction to Industrial Wastes

Containing Organic and Inorganic
Pollutants and Bioremediation Approaches
for Environmental Management
Ram Naresh Bharagava, Gaurav Saxena, and Sikandar I. Mulla

Contents
1.1 
1.2 
1.3 
1.4 

Introduction
Industrial Wastes: Types and Characteristics
Pollutants in Industrial Wastes and Their Toxicity in Environment
Bioremediation Approaches for Industrial Wastes/Pollutants
1.4.1  Bioremediation
1.4.2  Phytoremediation
1.4.3  Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation
1.4.4  Enzymatic Remediation
1.4.5  Emerging Bioremediation Technologies
1.5  Challenges in Bioremediation
1.6  Concluding Remarks
References

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 14
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Abstract  Industrial wastes are one of the sources of environmental pollution.
Industrial waste contains a variety of highly toxic organic and inorganic pollutants
and thus may cause serious toxicity in the living organisms. Therefore, the
­adequate treatment and management of such hazardous wastes to protect the environment and public health. Bioremediation can be a suitable alternative to the
physicochemical approaches, which are environmentally destructive and costly
and may cause secondary pollution. It has been approved by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) as an eco-friendly waste management technique that
R. N. Bharagava (*) · G. Saxena
Laboratory of Bioremediation and Metagenomics Research (LBMR),
Department of Microbiology (DM), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
(A Central University), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
S. I. Mulla
Department of Biochemistry, Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India
CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
G. Saxena, R. N. Bharagava (eds.), Bioremediation of Industrial Waste
for Environmental Safety, />
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R. N. Bharagava et al.

revitalizes the contaminated environment and promotes sustainable development.
Therefore,  this chapter introduces the toxicity profile of different industrial
wastes containing various organic and inorganic pollutants and bioremediation
technologies such as microbial bioremediation, phytoremediation, enzymatic
­
remediation, electro-­bioremediation, nano-bioremediation, etc. with limitations
and challenges.
Keywords  Industrial waste · Organic pollutants · Inorganic pollutants · Pollution ·
Toxicity · Bioremediation

1.1  Introduction
Industries are the key players in the national economies of many developing countries; however, unfortunately they are also the major polluters of the environment.
Among the different sources of environmental pollution, industrial wastewater discharged from different industries is considered as the major source of environmental
pollution (soil and water) (Goutam et  al. 2018; Gautam et  al. 2017; Saxena and
Bharagava 2017; Saxena et  al. 2015). Industrial wastewaters contain a variety of
organic and inorganic pollutants that may cause serious environmental pollution
and health hazards (Arora et al. 2014, 2018; Bharagava et al. 2017a; Maszenan et al.
2011; Megharaj et al. 2011).
The organic pollutants include phenols, chlorinated phenols, endocrine-­
disrupting chemicals, azo dyes, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, etc. However, inorganic pollutants include a variety of toxic heavy
metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and mercury
(Hg). The high concentration and poor biodegradability of recalcitrant organic pollutants and nonbiodegradable nature of inorganic metal pollutants in industrial
wastewaters pose a major challenge for environmental safety and human health
protection; thus, it is required to adequately treat industrial wastewater before its
final disposal in the environment.
Bioremediation (the use of biological agents in environmental remediation) is
considered as the suitable alternative to physicochemical treatment methods, which
are environmentally destructive and create secondary pollution while environmental

cleanup. It has been recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as an
eco-friendly waste management technique. Bioremediation uses an array of microorganisms having diverse metabolic pathways to degrade/detoxify the organic and
inorganic pollutants in contaminated matrix and, hence, is regarded as environmentally friendly, cost-effective method for wastewater treatment and management with
simple structural setup, wider application, operational ease, and less sludge production (Bharagava et  al. 2017b; Saxena and Bharagava 2016; Singh et  al. 2011;
Mendez-Paz et al. 2005; Pandey et al. 2007). Therefore, this chapter provides an
overview on the various bioremediation techniques, which can be used for the treatment and management of industrial wastewaters to protect the environment and


1  Introduction to Industrial Wastes Containing Organic and Inorganic Pollutants…

3

human health. In this chapter, merits and demerits are also discussed with future
research prospects.

1.2  Industrial Wastes: Types and Characteristics
Industrial waste is of two types, i.e., solid and liquid, and often produced due to
industrial activity and includes any material that is rendered useless during a product manufacturing process in industries. Liquid waste (i.e., wastewaters released
from different industries) is considered as highly hazardous to living organisms and
the environment as it carries a variety of potentially toxic pollutants. However, the
nature and characteristics of industrial wastewater depend on the type of industry,
production processes applied, and product quality. Industries often discharge high-­
strength wastewaters, which are characterized by high biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDSs) and TSSs,
and a variety of organic and inorganic pollutants (Saxena and Bharagava 2017). The
nature and characteristics of different industrial wastewaters are presented in
Table 1.1.

1.3  P
 ollutants in Industrial Wastes and Their Toxicity

in Environment
The wastewaters discharged from different industries are considered the major
sources of environmental pollution and toxicity in the living beings. A variety of
highly toxic and recalcitrant pollutants are being discharged along with industrial
wastewaters in the environment due to different industrial activities. Environmental
pollutants are of two types: organic and inorganic. Organic pollutants mainly
include phenols, nonylphenols, chlorinated phenols, azo dyes, phthalic esters,
petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), etc.
However, inorganic pollutants comprise a variety of highly toxic nonbiodegradable heavy metals such as arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb),
mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd). A variety of organic and inorganic pollutants
have been reported to cause serious soil and water pollution and severe toxic
effects in living organisms (Chandra et al. 2008, 2011, 2015; Maszenan et al. 2011;
Megharaj et al. 2011; Saxena and Bharagava 2015; Saxena et al. 2016). Hence, due
to highly toxic nature, many of them have been regarded as priority pollutants by
various environmental protection agencies such as the US Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
and World Health Organization (WHO). Table  1.2 represents the environmental
hazards and toxic effects caused by various organic and inorganic pollutants in
­living organisms.


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R. N. Bharagava et al.

Table 1.1  Nature and characteristics of various types of industrial wastewater
Type of industrial
wastewater
Oil refinery
wastewater

Nature and characteristics
Poorly biodegradable and contains oil, various aromatic hydrocarbons
(highly toxic to natural environment) such as BTEX, persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins (highly toxic in nature), metals/
metalloids, phenolics, salts, and surfactants
Pulp and paper mill Highly intense dark brown color, BOD, SS and contains recalcitrant
wastewater
dioxins, furans, lignins, AOX, phenolic and chlorophenolic compounds
especially pentachlorophenol (highly toxic to living beings and hazardous
to environment)
Textile wastewater Alkaline in nature and highly colored and often contains harmful residual
dyes such as acidic, basic, reactive, disperse, azo, diazo, anthraquinone-­
based, and metal complex dyes (some carcinogenic in nature)
Tannery wastewater Contains high organic loadings (BOD, COD, and TSS), salts (sodium,
chloride, and sulfide), phenolic compounds, endocrine-disrupting
chemicals such as nonylphenols and phthalates and other toxic metals
especially chromium (highly toxic proven carcinogen)
High organic loading (BOD, COD, and TDS) and contains phenolics and
Distillery
dark black color recalcitrant melanoidins (stop penetration of sunlight into
wastewater (spent
water bodies and hence reduce photosynthesis)
wash)
Winery wastewater Acidic in nature, variable flows and loadings, contains high content of
organic matter, COD and TSS and organic fraction consist of sugars,
alcohols, acids, and high molecular weight recalcitrant compounds such as
polyphenols, tannins, and lignins
Pharmaceutical
Acidic in nature, has high COD and TDS, and contains many organic

wastewater
solvents, formulations, disinfectants, and many generic drugs such as
antibiotics, analgesic, etc.
Abattoir (slaughter Contains high levels of organic (COD is mainly in colloidal form) and
house) wastewater coarse suspended matter and heavy metals, nutrients, pathogenic and
nonpathogenic microorganisms, and detergents and disinfectants and
sometimes pharmaceutical agents used for veterinary purpose
Agricultural
Alkaline in nature and contains high content of nitrogen, phosphorous,
wastewater
pesticides, and various toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, etc.
Landfill leachate
Composition varies from landfill to landfill, generally colored, anoxic and
has high TDS, COD, BOD and contains ammonia, phenols, benzene,
toluene, chloride, iron, manganese, and other toxic metals such as lead,
cadmium, zinc, arsenic, or chromium but little or no phosphorus
Acid mine drainage Acidic in nature, contains high concentrations of iron, sulfate, copper,
nickel, and toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, etc. (cause environmental
damage)
Adapted from Saxena and Bharagava (2017)


1  Introduction to Industrial Wastes Containing Organic and Inorganic Pollutants…

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Table 1.2  Toxicity of various organic and inorganic pollutants of industrial wastewater
Type of
pollutants
Environmental pollution and toxicity profile

Organic pollutants
Phenols
Most common pollutants of industrial wastewaters and associated with
distilleries, pulp and paper mills, coal mines, oil refineries, wood preservation
plants, pharmaceuticals, coke-oven batteries, herbicides, and pesticides as well
as their wastewaters. It is also used in preparation of several chemicals such as
alkylphenols, cresols, xylenols, phenolic resins, aniline, pesticides, explosives,
dyes, and other compounds. Its acute exposure causes dryness of the throat and
mouth, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, while chronic exposure causes
methemoglobinemia, hemolytic anemia, profuse sweating, hypotension,
arrhythmia, pulmonary edema, tachycardia, and dark-colored urine excreted
due to lipid peroxidation and central nervous system disorders leading to
collapse and coma and sometimes muscular convulsions with reduction in body
temperature (hypothermia). Inhalation and dermal contact cause cardiovascular
diseases and skin blisters, respectively, while ingestion can cause serious
gastrointestinal damage, and oral administration may result in muscle tremors
and death
These are widely used as plasticizers in industries, in the manufacturing of
Endocrine-­
plastic resins such as polyvinyl resins and cellulosic and polyurethane
disrupting
polymers. These disturb the delicate hormonal balance (endocrine system) and
chemicals
compromise the reproductive fitness of living beings and ultimately may lead to
carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. Examples include dibutyl phthalate (DBP),
benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and
nonylphenol (NP), 4-aminobiphenyl, hexachlorobenzene, and benzidine. These
also cause irritation of the skin, conjunctiva, mucous membranes of oral and
nasal cavities, testicular lesions, hypospadia, cryptorchidism in males and in
females cause obesity, prolongation of the estrous cycle, and anovulation due to

a decrease in the serum estradiol level
Chlorinated
Chlorophenols are considered as the major environmental pollutants discharged
phenols
along with wastewaters from pulp and paper mills, tanneries, distilleries, dye
and paint manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries, e.g.,
pentachlorophenol (PCP). It is widely applied as herbicides and fungicides and
in wood protection, tanneries, distilleries, paint manufacturing, and pulp and
paper mills. It is highly carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic in nature and
causes toxicity to living beings by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation,
inactivating respiratory enzymes, and damaging mitochondrial structure.
However, its high concentration can also cause obstruction in the circulatory
system of the lungs, heart failure, and damage to the central nervous system
Azo dyes
Textile, leather, paint, acrylic, cosmetics, plastics, pharmaceutical, etc.,
industries use different dyes to color products. Azo dyes cause severe health
hazards, such as skin irritation, digestive tract irritation, nausea, vomiting, liver
and kidney damage, etc., in humans and animals
(continued)