Principles and methods of bio detoxification of cyanide contaminants

Cyanide is a known toxic chemical compound that has an adverse effect on living organisms. Nonetheless, it is one of the active reagents in industries such as mining, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food processing companies worldwide. The beneficiation of gold and other precious metals from ore generates great amount of cyanide-bearing contaminants, which is released into the environment. The abundance of cyanide contaminants from these industries have created public health concern since the inception of metal extraction from ore. There are strict regulations on the production, transportation, utilization, and disposal of cyanide-bearing contaminants worldwide. The conventional treatment of cyanide waste is either chemical or physical process. The use of these treatment processes has certain pitfalls like operational challenges, an increase in capital cost, and generation of secondary waste. A number of microorganisms have the potential to utilize cyanide as nitrogen and carbon source and transform it into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Biodetoxification might be efficiently, economically and environmentally safe to detoxify cyanide in contaminants and attractive alternative to conventional detoxification method like chemical or physical. This paper reviews the principles and methods of biodetoxification of cyanide contaminants found in the ecosystem.