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 soil. We discussed the problem of prevention of contamination, while dealing with pollution control.

Government of India is also developing a pollution control policy to deal with this problem. Methods are also available for removal and recovery of heavy metals from contaminated soils. It has been demonstrated that selected and engineered microbes as well as transgenic plants can be used for this purpose.

Plasm ids have also been constructed which may enhance the recovery of gold from arsenopyritic 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.