Microbial community and their role in bioremediation of polluted e-waste sites

The generation and dumping of electronic (e)-waste are one of the greatest global crises that developing countries are facing. e-waste largely consists of electrical and electronic tools and is considered a source of different types of heavy and precious metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are reported to cause severe health and environmental impacts. Although there exist different policies related to E-waste management, its recycling is done mainly by unorganized sectors which leads to the release of toxic leachates and acid in the soils. Microbial communities thriving in waste-waste contaminated sites have been the center of research interest for a long. These communities thriving in e-waste contaminated sites have developed resistance mechanisms to heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. These microbe-mediated bioremediation techniques may serve as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to the traditional way of treatment. In this present chapter, we have tried to highlight the different types of indigenous microbes thriving in soils of e-waste contaminated lands and have emphasized the role of microbes in the bioremediation of the e-waste. Moreover, the recovery of valuable resource materials and metals from e-waste following environment-friendly processes has also been discussed in detail.