Hansda, ArtiKisku, Prem ChandKumar, VipinAnshumali2024-01-212024-08-142024-01-212024-08-142022-08-059780128234433978012823530010.1016/B978-0-12-823443-3.00004-1http://10.2.3.109/handle/32116/3995Urge of development through industrialization has led to disturbance/misbalance of the ecosystem by the release of various contaminants (heavy metals, metalloids, organic pollutants, dyes, etc.). Unlike organic contaminants, heavy metals and metalloids pose a serious threat to the flora and fauna of the surroundings due to their immutable nature. The high cost and nonecofriendly nature of physicochemical methods used for heavy metal removal lead to the innovation of the biological technique �bioremediation.� Phytoremediation is one of the bioremediation methods which use accumulator/hyperaccumulator plants for heavy metal removal from soil, sediments, or water. The phytoremediation process by using plants only is time-consuming and may result in reduced metal uptake in high levels of pollutants. High pollutant concentration may result in toxicity to the plants used for remediation purposes. This situation may be overcome by the plant-microbe association, which will result in improved plant growth and heavy metal sequestration. Various rhizospheric processes are responsible for heavy metal removal by secretion of root exudates (siderophores, carboxylic acid ions) and phytohormones, which affect the mobile and bioavailable form of heavy metals. The plant-microbe association may help in enhancing or reducing the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metal, as well as result in improved plant growth, which could result in a significant speedup of the phytoremediation process. This review enlightens the role of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in the acceleration of phytoremediation. The metal uptake mechanisms are also discussed. � 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.en-USBioremediationHeavy metalPhytoremediationPlant growth-promoting bacteriaPlant-microbe associationBook chapterhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780128234433000041