Potential of microbial extremophiles for biotechnological applications: An overview

Extremophilic microorganisms have the ability to survive under seemingly extreme environments such as extreme pH, temperature, pressure, oxygen levels, desiccation, salinity, radiation, and redox potential. Under such harsh conditions, other normal microbes would be destroyed. However, extremophiles are classified based on the environment in which they can survive. These extremophilic microorganisms have the ability to produce a variety of extremozymes and extremolytes under different harsh conditions. Thus, they are considered as potential candidates for their several biotechnological and commercial applications. This chapter provides an overview of the ecology of extremophiles and their biotechnological applications, including the production of extremophiles, extremozymes, and extremolytes as valuable resources for the future development of a bio-based economy.