Environmental Biotechnology And Bioremediation




The research focus of laboratory is to develop bioremediation strategies for cleanup of contaminated environments. Bioremediation is defined as use of biological processes to degrade, break down, transform, and/or essentially remove contaminants or impairments of quality from soil and water. Bioremediation is a natural process which relies on bacteria, fungi, and plants to alter contaminants as these organisms carry out their normal life functions. Metabolic processes of these organisms are capable of using chemical contaminants as an energy source, rendering the contaminants harmless or less toxic products in most cases. The laboratory will work on the identification of local species of plants and microbes which are metal tolerant and hyperaccumulators. The organic pollutant degraders will also be identified using modern molecular techniques. Few species can survive naturally in these toxic conditions. Molecular mechanisms involved in these functions of plants and microbes will be studied. Later on these mechanisms can be transferred to sensitive/non-tolerant population which can grow in these adverse conditions. In this way we can use these organisms to clean up the polluted areas.