Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India

Heavy metal pollutants are metallic elements with high atomic weights that can be toxic to living organisms at specific concentrations. These metals have properties that make them persistent and potentially harmful to both the environs and human health. These heavy metals can contaminate water bodies, soil, and air through natural processes as well as industrial and human activities. They can adversely affect ecosystems; disrupt aquatic food chains, and causing long-term environmental damage. In addition to their environmental impact, heavy metals can pretense severe health risks to humans, especially when they enter the food chain. The impacts of heavy metal pollutants are influenced by factors such as the type of heavy metal, its concentration, and the properties of the soil and water. To mitigate the impacts of heavy metal pollutants, non-biological and biological approaches are used. In contrast, microalgal cultivation has shown promise as a sustainable remediation approach for heavy metal contamination in ecosystems. This approach involves using specially selected microalgae to uptake, sequester, and potentially detoxify heavy metals from aquatic environs. This review deliberates the toxic effect of various heavy metal contaminants on the soil and water along with its remediation technique.