Recent Trends in Biosorption of Heavy Metals by Actinobacteria

Recently, biosorption processes have received considerable attention for the removal of heavy metals from the aqueous environment. Thus, the selection of biomass for biosorption is a major challenge for developing cheaper and more effective technology. Actinobacteria are directly involved in plant growth promotion, by stimulating hormones and improving nutrient acquisition in plants. Also, Actinobacteria are reported to alleviate biotic/abiotic stress in plants. The biomass of Actinobacteria has been considered as efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective potential candidate for biosorption of heavy metals as they have the potency to produce secondary metabolites and enzymes, the main factors essential for environmental stress tolerance. They are reported to possess metal detoxification capabilities such as soil acidification and production of metal mobilizing/immobilizing substances, and are hence considered as a bio-tool for phytoremediation. The principles and methodologies used in management of heavy metals by using the Actinobacteria system are summarized in this book chapter. Adsorption capacities, mechanisms, isotherms, equilibrium models, and kinetics are described in this chapter