Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria accelerate phytoremediation of heavy metals and metalloids in coal sludge soil.. Coal Sludge

Soils are a primary sink for heavy metals and metalloids such as Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb, due to emissions from fast urbanisation and industrialization, mining-mine refuse, tailings, smelting, wastewater irrigation, pesticides, petrochemical wastes, chemical fertilisers, e-waste, batteries, sewage sludge, and fly ash-coal combustion products. Changes in agricultural practises combined with technological advancement have led to heavy metal toxicity, resulting in nutrient-deficient soil, unstable soil structures, and slow yield rates of vegetation. Metals or metalloid levels in soil are rapidly increasing, endangering plant growth, food safety, and soil microflora. Efforts have been made, however, to develop various green recycling methods in order to address existing concerns. Bioremediation has emerged as a promising solution for cleaning up the polluted environment caused by metal contamination. Our ongoing study deals with a culture-independent metagenomics approach where we collected coal sludge soil and agricultural soil samples using standard protocols and 16S rRNA gene V3V4 region amplicon sequencing was performed. To understand the taxonomy, diversity, and functional roles of microbes present in the soil.