The biotechnology for the removal of specific pollutants

In the last century, thanks to the development of molecular trials such as those involving genetic modification, biotechnologies have asserted themselves in diversified sectors and their evolution has been rapid, resulting in an enormous impact on the productive sector, on the quality of life, and on the consequences that their employment can have for man and, above all, for the environment. In particular, the application of biotechnologies in the sector concerned with the management and disposal of dangerous and non dangerous wastes, as well as in the sector concerned with the remediation of grounds contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants, has led to the development of systems and processes that represent a valid and consolidated methodology for environmental improvement. This paper reviews the various different ways in which biotechnologies have been employed in the above sectors, citing the conditions necessary for their successful application, and stressing the great potential that these methodologies have, if optimised by means of further research, for solving environmental problems.