MARINE BACTERIAL EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES AN EMERGING NOVEL BIOPOLYMER: PURIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND MERCURY BIOSORPTION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Marine terrain represents an unfamiliar diversity of microbial population which has adapted extreme condition of that ecosystem. Bacteria is well known group of organisms which are important and dominant occupant of such harsh environments. Marine bacteria are talk of town nowadays due to their immense production and secretion of some industrial important products such as extremozymes, biopolymers, pigments and biosurfactants. This chapter focuses on exopolysaccharide production from marine bacteria and its classification, biosynthesis, characterization along with EPS mediated heavy metal removal strategies through Biosorption.