Soil rich in vital nutrients and micronutrients is believed to best support the optimum health of the plant and its growth
[21]. Human-made activities have currently polluted the soil with a variety of persistent organic compounds, viz., polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), HMs (Hg and Pb), agrochemicals (pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers), and also sometimes with excess nutrients
[22]. At the same time, urbanization and industrialization have also added solid wastes, varieties of chemicals, and solvents to the environment and agricultural soil
[23].
Nanobioremediation is a cost-effective technique of utilizing plants and microbes for the breakdown of pollutant compounds, ultimately improving soil quality and reducing pollution. By breaking down contaminants in the soil, the process may be able to eradicate, retain, or reduce the amount of pollutants present
[24][25]. The efficiency of bioremediation has been studied and enhanced in the past using chemical additives or biotechnology
[26] but nanotechnology further improved the process with a newer aspect
[27]. A summary of different NP-mediated removal of pollutants from contaminated media is elaborated in
Table 1.
Nanobioremediation implies both nanotechnology and bioremediation together, where the process is executed at the nanoscale. The target pollutants are adsorbed, degraded, or modified owing to the unique physicochemical properties of the NPs, which also act as catalysts and help to reduce the activation energy required for breaking down the compounds
[35]. The nanobioremediation process has been explored and studied, and the most exploited NPs are carbon- and metal-based
[36][37]. Polymeric NPs in the form of nanocapsules or nanospheres are also exceptional in the elimination of persistent pesticide compounds and long-chain hydrocarbons
[38]. However, in the case of HMs, the challenge is entirely different as they are non-biodegradable, as well as very prone to entering biological systems and food chains
[39].
Biosorption and bioaccumulation using plants and microbes are traditional methods to remove HMs from polluted soils. However, recent pieces of evidence have reported the use of NPs in HM remediation with remarkable outcomes
[40]. Nanoparticles are reported to have been applied in combination simultaneously or sequentially with specific microbes and the results have been convincing
[41]. They could help to speed up the elimination of HMs by acting as nanocarriers of microbes or microbial biosorbents
[42]. A pictorial diagram that represents the process of nanobioremediation, especially for biogenic NPs, is depicted in the
Figure 1.
Integration of NPs with microbes for bioremediation is a two-phasic process that involves overlapping abiotic and biotic processes (
Figure 1)
[43]. In the first phase, after the entry of NPs into the system, pollutants undergo varieties of physicochemical processes and modifications depicting abiotic processes such as absorption, adsorption, dissolution, and chemical catalysis of photocatalytic reactions
[44]. The second phase includes biotic processes such as biocides, bioaccumulation, biostimulation, and biotransformation
[45][46]. These biotic processes play a crucial role in the removal of pollutants from the system.
2.1. Nanobioremediation of Heavy Metals
The existence of HMs in the environment is largely due to increased anthropogenic activities. However, disturbed biogeochemical cycles are also responsible for their release into the environment as pollutants. Elements like As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb have no biological functions to perform in the biological system. Heavy metals comprise major inorganic pollutants as they exhibit substantial toxic impacts on biota even at the lowest concentrations
[47][48]. The toxicity of HMs also rests on their bioavailability and absorption
[49]. Acidic environments instigate the toxicity of HMs, especially if the soil structure is poor and has low nutrients (e.g., mining areas)
[50].
Heavy metals primarily affect the plants and lower soil organisms by inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further results in the damage of macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids
[48]. The existence of HMs in the soil affects crops and vegetation, their nutritional quality, and the ecological aspects associated with them. The effect of HMs on crops varies depending on the crop species, soil physicochemical characteristics, and HM type
[51]. The general mechanism of toxicity exerted by HMs on crop plants includes ROS generation, which affects the cell organelles, macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, and other components of the plant’s structure and function
[51][52]. It has also been reported to affect respiration and photosynthesis, reduce enzyme activities, elevate oxidative stress, reduce biomass, diminish crop yield, and affect the abundance, activity, diversity, and genetic makeups of useful soil microflora
[53][54].
One of the key methods for the elimination of HMs includes site stabilization that immobilizes them at a specific site to decreases mobility and availability in the soil, and stops them from leaching across the sites
[55]. The use of various NPs, including biogenic, has been gaining a lot of attention for the removal of HMs
[56]. Biogenic NPs are those that are synthesized using biological organisms. The commonly known biogenic NPs, such as Ag NPs, are formed by
Morganella psychrotolerans [57][58].
Nanoparticles of FeO coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) have been successfully used for improving the bioremediation of the soil contaminated with Pb and Cd by a Gram-negative bacteria,
Halomonas sp. This approach has significantly removed nearly 100% of Pb after 24 h, and Cd after 48 h, as compared to removal by bacteria or only NPs
[59]. A biosorbent of magnetic Fe
3O
4 NPs treated with
S. aureus, with a surface encapsulated with phthalic acid (as a n-Fe
3O
4-Phth-S complex), was used for the removal of Cu, Ni, and Pb, and the adsorptive removal of 795, 1355, and 985 µmol g
−1 for Cu, Pb, and Ni was achieved, respectively. In terms of percentage, the recovery rates of 83.0–89.5% for Cu
2+, 99.4–100% for Pb
2+, and 92.6–7.5% for Ni
2+ were observed. The comparative study with dried
S. aureus and n-Fe
3O
4-Phth-S for HM removal inferred that the n-Fe
3O
4-Phth-S core of the NPs, as well as the functional groups present on the microbial surface, played a key role in the removal of HMs
[33]. Thus, it revealed that the core of the NPs, as well as functional groups present on the microbial surface, had an important impact on the elimination of the contaminants.
A recent study on the removal of Cu, Cd, Cr, and Pb using HM-resistant bacteria such as
B. cereus (PMBL-3) and
L. macroides (PMBL-7) evidently confirmed that ZnO NPs at 5 mg L
−1 synergistically removes the Cr by 60%, the Cu by 70%, and the Pb by 85%, as compared to
B. cereus (80 and 60%) and
L. macroides (55 and 50%) at neutral pH, respectively
[30]. At neutral pH the surface of ZnO NPs exhibit negative charges that promote electrostatic interactions with metal cations; however, at lower pH, the HMs get precipitated as hydroxides and then hydrogen ions compete for binding with adsorbents
[60]. The strain XMCr-6 of
B. cereus has also been reported to reduce the Cr
6+ through an enzyme-mediated process. The reduced Cr
3+ was observed to have a binding affinity to cells using coordination bonds with the functional group present on the surface of the bacterial cell wall. The formation of Cr
2O
3 NPs was found on the cell surface as a by-product
[61].
The use of probiotic bacteria (
L. casei and
L. fermentum) to absorb Cd from water in association with Se
5+ and Se NPs was also investigated. The higher absorption of Cd by
L. casei with Se
4+ ions (65%), compared to Se NPs (55.90%), was discovered in this study, and it was correlated to the higher solubility of Se
5+ compared to Se NPs. When comparing
L. fermentum and
L. casei, the efficiency of Cd absorption was significantly higher in
L. fermentum (50.87%) than
L. casei (43.78%). The percentage of Cd adsorption by
L. casei when used in conjunction with Se NPs shows no significant change. However, with increased Se NPs ratio percentages, Cd absorption was slightly increased from 5.49 to 16.54 in the presence of
L. casei with Se NPs, compared to
L. casei [62].
A threefold approach is now gaining popularity as the HM pollutants can be used by selective microbes to synthesize biogenic NPs (resource recovery), thereby removing them from the environment (remediation) and yielding value for the waste (effective waste utilization). A study using
Enterococcus faecalis for biorecovery of Pd as Pd NPs reported the synthesis of intra- and extra-cellular (membrane-bound). The range of Pd NPs was observed as 10 nm by transmission electron microscopy; however, the size of the Pd NPs was dependent on environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, and biomass. The obtained Pd NPs have great use as a bionanocatalyst that shows good catalytic efficiency (6.3 mg Pd NPs completely reduced 5.0 µmol Cr
6+ in 12 h) and the application is potentially useful to treat industrial effluents
[28].
A similar study produced Te NPs from anaerobic sludge based upon supplementation with riboflavin
[63]. It formed insoluble elemental tellurium (Te
0 NPs) using pollutant tellurite Te
4+ oxyanions present in the wastewater. It has been reported that 2-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone promotes the reduction of Te
4+ and the quantity of Te
0NPs synthesis
[64]. The process is supported by
Rhodobacter capsulatus, where malate is the electron-donating substrate
[65], and riboflavin speeds up the rate of Te
4+ reduction by anaerobic methanogenic granular sludge
[66].
2.2. Degradation of Persistent Organic Pollutants
The pollution posed by POPs has been shown to have a negative influence on both the environment and human health, as certain POPs have been found to bioaccumulate in adipose tissue and to have the potential to act as carcinogens. Therefore, their remediation is a major challenge and is obligatory. A Gram-negative bacterial strain (NM05 of
Sphingomonas) was earlier reported to degrade the pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)
[67] upon treatment with Pd/Fe0 bimetallic NPs (CMC-Pd/nFe0), showing the synergistic effect on the degradation of HCH that was enhanced by nearly 1.7–2.1-fold compared to the controls that had the
Sphingomonas sp. strain NM05 or CMC-Pd/nFe0 alone
[60]. The degradation process was found to be affected by experimental conditions (pH, temperature, HCH concentrations, etc.)
[68].
The perovskite (LaFeO3) NPs and biochar from water caltrop (Trapa natans) shells studied on marine sediment reported enhanced degradation of PAHs. The study used lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced biodegradable composites (LFBC) at 0.75 g L−1 and pH 6.0 to activate the peroxymonosulfate (3 × 10−4 M) that helped in the oxidation of oxidizing PAHs in the sediments.
Up to 90% of total degradation was achieved; however, individually 2-ring PAHs 52%, 3-ring PAHs 61%, 4-ring PAHs 66%, 5-ring PAHs 56%, and 6-ring PAHs 29% were observed
[69]. The process also reported improved microbial diversity of sediment and the major phylum
Proteobacteria was observed initially, but after the process,
Hyphomonas was predominantly observed
[70]. In a continuous-flow experiments system for the degradation of naphthalene in the groundwater, 400 mg L
−1 of synthesized CaO
2 NPs degraded the naphthalene of optimum concentration 20 mg L
−1. This study highlights complete remediation of naphthalene in the presence of CaO
2 NPs and microbes (an abundance of
Coccobacilli) from column effluent within 50 days
[71].
In the case of soil, improving the microbial community by application of NPs is another way to reduce/remove the toxic pollutant loads from it. Si NPs have been reported to improve microbial colonization and biomass, including the rhizospheric microbes that are helpful for improving soil health
[72][73]. However, prolonged exposure and accumulation of these NPs in soil may affect the nutrient and organic matter content.