bioleaching for nanoparticle production as a solution for environmental pollution

Environmental pollution of heavy metals and plastics has been a great challenge of the last century. ewastes increase heavy metals and plastics concentration in the environment. these toxic substances are a threat to organisms. so their removal from the environment seems necessary. there are different disposal methods like landfilling and incineration, which cause a great deal of damage to the environment. on the other hand, the need for precious metals recovery like gold and silver from ewaste makes recycling necessary. nevertheless, these methods are generally expensive. so applying a new alternative is required. the purpose of this paper is to introduce bioleaching as an alternative to conventional disposal and recycling methods. this method is used to remove the heavy and toxic metals in order to produce metallic nanoparticles. then the application of nanoparticles in wastewater treatment and microplastics degradation is mentioned. the conversion of insoluble metals to soluble ones by microorganisms is called bioleaching. bacteria like chromobacterium violaceum, pseudomonas species, sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans, and acidiphilium acidophilum bioleach gold, silver, nickel, and copper of electronic wastes. there are different fungi like aspergillus niger, penicillium simplicissimum, aspergillus fumigatus, and aspergillus flavus that generate organic acid to leach out copper, lead, nickel, and aluminum. morganella produces copper nanoparticles from wastes. factors like microorganisms, particle sizes, temperature, and ph affect the bioleaching process. bioleaching is a substitution for recycling methods of electronic wastes. wastewater treatment and photocatalytic degradation of microplastics are two critical applications of produced nanoparticles.

Bioleaching for Nanoparticle Production as a Solution for Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution of heavy metals and plastics has been a great challenge of the last century. Ewastes increase heavy metals and plastics concentration in the environment. These toxic substances are a threat to organisms. So their removal from the environment seems necessary. There are different disposal methods like landfilling and incineration, which cause a great deal of damage to the environment. On the other hand, the need for precious metals recovery like gold and silver from ewaste makes recycling necessary. Nevertheless, these methods are generally expensive. So applying a new alternative is required. The purpose of this paper is to introduce bioleaching as an alternative to conventional disposal and recycling methods. This method is used to remove the heavy and toxic metals in order to produce metallic nanoparticles. Then the application of nanoparticles in wastewater treatment and microplastics degradation is mentioned. The conversion of insoluble metals to soluble ones by microorganisms is called bioleaching. Bacteria like Chromobacterium violaceum, Pseudomonas species, Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans, and Acidiphilium acidophilum bioleach gold, silver, nickel, and copper of electronic wastes. There are different fungi like Aspergillus niger, Penicillium simplicissimum, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus flavus that generate organic acid to leach out copper, lead, nickel, and aluminum. Morganella produces copper nanoparticles from wastes. Factors like microorganisms, particle sizes, temperature, and pH affect the bioleaching process. Bioleaching is a substitution for recycling methods of electronic wastes. Wastewater treatment and photocatalytic degradation of microplastics are two critical applications of produced nanoparticles.