Trends in Biotechnology of Polyextremophiles

This book covers polyextremophiles, the latest biotechnological advances, and developments in the study of extremophilic diversity with a focus on genetics, proteomics and the impact of climate change. It sets out new perspectives on the polyextremophiles’ mechanism of tolerance to extreme conditions, and it also outlines their applications in bioremediation, therapeutics, and astrobiology research.

Expert contributors discuss topics such as genes associated with polyextremophiles, the applications of genome editing in extremophiles, secondary metabolites from extremophiles, and the biocatalytic potential of extemozymes isolated from extremophiles. Readers will find in this book several case studies that collate the diverse applications of polyextremophiles for bioremediation, including the use of extremophilic algae in wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery and animal feed production, the treatment of industrial waste, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and the removal of microplastics, heavy metals and E-waste. Particular attention is given to the use of polyextremophiles for bioremediation of abandoned mining sites. The book also presents bioactive compounds from halophiles and their biomedical applications and discusses the implications of polyextremophiles in astrobiology research.

Given its breadth, this book is a valuable contribution to the biotechnology of polyextremophiles by overviewing research to date and exploring challenges and opportunities for future research. It also benefits a broad readership, from scholars, researchers and students to industry professionals interested in the study and development of biotechnological applications of polyextremophiles.

Maulin P. Shah is the Chief Scientist & Head of the Industrial Waste Water Research Laboratory, Division of Applied and Environmental Microbiology Lab at Enviro Technology Ltd., Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India. His work involves areas ranging from applied microbiology, environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, and industrial liquid waste management to solid-state fermentation. He has been focusing his research on the impact of industrial pollution on the microbial diversity of wastewater and genetically engineering high-impact microbes for the degradation of hazardous materials. He has 380+ research publications in international top-rated journals, and edited 70+ books with several publishers including Springer.

Satarupa Dey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany, Shyampur Siddheswari Mahavidyalaya, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India. She holds an MSc in Botany with a Microbiology specialization from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India, and she did her PhD at the same University, where she focused her research on the bioremediation of toxic metals. She was selected Research Fellow at the Department of Biotechnology, and later worked as visiting scientist in the Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. She is the recipient of the Woman Scientist (WOS A) fellowship of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.