The pollution of the environment with toxic metals is a result of many human activities, such as mining & metallurgy, & the effects of these metals on ecosystems are of large economic & public-health significance. This paper presents the features & advantages of the unconventional removal method of heavy metals - biosorption - as part of bioremediation. Bioremediation consists a group of applications, which involve the detoxification of hazardous substances instead of transferring them from one medium to another, by means of microbes & plants. This process is characterised as less disruptive & can often be carried out on site, eliminating the need to transport the toxic materials to treatment sites. The biosorption offers an alternative to the remediation of industrial effluents as well as the recovery of metals contained in other media.
