Heavy Metal Contamination in the Aquatic Ecosystem: Toxicity and Its Remediation Using Eco-Friendly Approaches

• Published in: Toxics (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 147
• Main Authors: Singh, Veer, Singh, Nidhi, Rai, Sachchida Nand, Kumar, Ashish, Singh, Anurag Kumar, Singh, Mohan P, Sahoo, Ansuman, Shekhar, Shashank, Vamanu, Emanuel, Mishra, Vishal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 03.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Air pollution; Algae; Aquatic ecosystems; Bacteria; Bioaccumulation; Biomass; Bioremediation; Cadmium; Chromium; Chromium plating; Coal mining; Contaminants; Contamination; Decontamination; Drinking water; eco-friendly; Electroplating; Environmental aspects; Environmental remediation; Food contamination & poisoning; Fungi; heavy metal removal; Heavy metals; Hexavalent chromium; Identification and classification; Iron and steel industry; Kidneys; Metal industry wastewaters; Metal ions; Methods; Nanoparticles; Nervous system; Operating costs; Oxidation; Plating; Pollutant removal; Pollutants; Review; Sludge; Soil contamination; Soil water; source of heavy metal ions; Steel industry; Steel production; Tanning; Toxicity; Urbanization; Wastewater; India; toxicity; heavy metal removal; eco-friendly; source of heavy metal ions; heavy metals
• ISSN: 2305-6304; 2305-6304
• DOI: 10.3390/toxics11020147

Urbanization and industrialization are responsible for environmental contamination in the air, water, and soil. These activities also generate large amounts of heavy metal ions in the environment, and these contaminants cause various types of health issues in humans and other animals. Hexavalent chromium, lead, and cadmium are toxic heavy metal ions that come into the environment through several industrial processes, such as tanning, electroplating, coal mining, agricultural activities, the steel industry, and chrome plating. Several physical and chemical methods are generally used for the heavy metal decontamination of wastewater. These methods have some disadvantages, including the generation of secondary toxic sludge and high operational costs. Hence, there is a need to develop a cost-effective and eco-friendly method for the removal of heavy metal ions from polluted areas. Biological methods are generally considered eco-friendly and cost-effective. This review focuses on heavy metal contamination, its toxicity, and eco-friendly approaches for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated sites.