Water and soil contaminated by arsenic: the use of microorganisms and plants in bioremediation

Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet (1) , Philippe Bertin , Simona Crognale , Frédéric Plewniak , Simona Rossetti , Michel Mench

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)

Abstract Owing to their roles in the arsenic (As) biogeochemical cycle, microorganisms and plants offer significant potential for developing innovative biotechnological applications able to remediate As pollutions. This possible use in bioremediation processes and phytomanagement is based on their ability to catalyse various biotransformation reactions leading to, e.g. the precipitation, dissolution, and sequestration of As, stabilisation in the root zone and shoot As removal. On the one hand, genomic studies of microorganisms and their communities are useful in understanding their metabolic activities and their interaction with As. On the other hand, our knowledge of molecular mechanisms and fate of As in plants has been improved by laboratory and field experiments. Such studies pave new avenues for developing environmentally friendly bioprocessing options targeting As, which worldwide represents a major risk to many ecosystems and human health.

Keywords: Arsenic; Bioremediation; Phytoremediation; Microbial genomics; Metabolism; Phytomanagement

Domains: Computer Science [cs]; Biotechnology

Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet, Philippe Bertin, Simona Crognale, Frédéric Plewniak, Simona Rossetti, et al.. Water and soil contaminated by arsenic: the use of microorganisms and plants in bioremediation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021, ⟨10.1007/s11356-021-17817-4⟩. ⟨hal-03517857⟩