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Restoration of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals - Industrial and domestic effluents, containing variable amounts of heavy metals, are being increasingly used for irrigation and lead to soil contamination.

Biotechnology has been used to deal with this problem, both for prevention of contamination and restoration of contaminated soils.

Methods are also available for removal and recovery of heavy metals from contaminated soils. It has been demonstrated that selected and engineered microbes can be used for this purpose.

Plasmids have also been constructed which may enhance the recovery of gold from arsenopyritic - pyritic ores, by Thiobacillus ferroxidans.

A wood rotting macrofungus, Ganoderma lucidum has also been identified as a highly potential biosorbent material for heavy metal pollution control.