Marine Pollution and Microbial Remediation

Marine environment is the largest habitat covering approximately 70% of the total earth surface. Oceans are the main regulatory agent of earth’s climate and harbour a huge diversity of living organisms. Marine environment provide a unique ecological niche to different microbes which play a significant role in nutrient recycling as well as various environmental activities. However with rapid industrialization, urbanisation, ship trafficking and mining activities enormous amounts of waste including heavy metals, hydrocarbons, chemicals, dyes, organic load, agriculture waste, pesticides, antifoulants (e.g. tributyltin) and bacterial pathogens have accumulated in marine/estuarine environments over several decades and pose a serious threat to marine macro and micro biota and humans and therefore require special attention. However some natural marine microbes are known to possess diverse resistance mechanisms and degradation pathways to variety of toxic pollutants and these unique characteristics of marine/estuarine bacteria proved to be an ideal tool in bioremediation of contaminated marine and estuarine environmental sites. Reclamation of marine polluted environments using marine microbes has been found to be effective, affordable and ecofriendly technological solution over conventional physical and chemical methods.

Objective of this book is focus on marine pollution and application of marine microorganisms in cost effective and ecofriendly methods of pollution abatement.

Dr. Milind Mohan Naik is PhD in Microbiology from Goa University. He joined the Department of Microbiology Goa University as Assistant Professor of Marine Microbiology in the year 2013. His research efforts have been focused on understanding the metal resistant mechanism in bacteria from marine and terrestrial environments and their potential applications in bioremediation of polluted environmental sites. He has published over 20 research papers. He is a recipient of SERB-DST Young scientist project award. He has guided 8 postgraduate dissertation projects. He also worked as Scientist ‘C’ on “Malaria Evolution in South Asia” project funded by NIH and University of Washington, USA in National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR). Worked as Scientist in Molbio diagnostics Pvt Ltd. Goa in Research & Development department in 2012. Research interest are environmental Microbiology and nanobiotechnology. Aim is to gain knowledge in the Research field of Marine Microbiology and Biotechnology with the aim of learning new concepts.

Prof. Santosh Kumar Dubey is PhD. in Botany from BHU Uttar pradesh. He joined the Department of Microbiology, Goa University in the year 1996. His research efforts have been focused on understanding the metal resistant mechanism in bacteria from marine and terrestrial environments, Metagenomics, agriculture microbiology and molecular biology. He has published over 40 international research papers and 4 book chapters. He guided 9 Ph.D. students and 30 dissertation students. He has 5 post doc experiences in USA (Clarkson University; University at Buffalo; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA; University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA) and recipient of JSPS fellowship Japan. Programme Coordinator, UGC sponsored Innovative - M.Sc programme in Marine Microbiology in Department of Microbiology, Goa University. Visiting Scientistship from Centre of Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan. National Overseas Scholarship (PDF) awarded by Department of Education M/O Human Resource Development, Govt. of India. Member, Institutional Biosafety committee, Goa University. Completed 2 major projects funded by DBT and DOD Govt. of India.