Theintroduction ofcontaminants, due torapid urbanisation and anthropogenic activities, intotheenvironment causes unsteadiness, distress tothephysico-chemical systems including living organisms, which possibly is threatening thedynamics ofnature as well as thesoil biology byproducing certain xenobiotics. Hence, there is an immediate global demand forthediminution ofsuch contaminants and xenobiotics which can otherwise adversely affect theliving organisms. Some toxic xenobiotics include synthetic organochlorides such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and some fractions ofcrude oil and coal.

Theadvancements in microbiology and biotechnology has lead tothelaunch ofmicrobial biotechnology as a separate area ofresearch and contributed dramatically tothedevelopment oftheareas likeagriculture, environment, biopharmaceutics, fermented foods, etc. Theevolution ofnew metabolic pathways fromnatural metabolic cycles has enabled themicroorganisms todegrade almost all different complex and resistant xenobiotics found onEarth. Hence, microbes stand an imperative, efficient, green and economical alternative toconventional treatment technologies.

This book comprises chapters dealing withvarious bioremediation strategies withthehelp ofdifferent groups ofmicroorganisms along withdetailed graphical/ diagrammatical representations. It also focuses ontheuse ofmicrobial biotechnology and highlights therecent developments in microbial biotechnology in thearea ofagriculture and environment. Furthermore, it contains a detailed comprehensive account forthemicrobial treatment technologies fromunsustainable tosustainable which includes chapters prepared byprofessionals, several researchers, scientists, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows across theworld withexpertise in environmental microbiology, biotechnology, bioremediation, and environmental engineering. Theresearch presented also highlights some ofthesignificantly important microbial species involved in remediation, thephysiology, biochemistry and themechanisms ofremediation byvarious microbes, and suggestions forfuture improvement ofbioremediation technology.

This book would serve as a quick reference book forgraduate and postgraduate students pursuing their study in any branch oflife sciences, microbiology, health sciences and environmental biotechnology as well as researchers and scientists working in laboratories and industries involved in research related tomicrobiology, environmental biotechnology and allied researches.