Abstract: The cyanide contamination of soils and water sources by anthropogenic activities caused severe threaten to lives of human, animals, and plants. So, the treatment of contaminants and remedy of environment are significantly important to environmental protection. Biological degradation may be a potentially efficient, cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to the previous conventional processes. Many microbial organisms can use cyanide as carbon and nitrogen source converting it into ammonia and carbonate which are less or no toxic products. This paper reviewed the research progress on the microbial remediation of cyanide contamination in terms of the major source of cyanide in soil and water, recent advances, affecting factors, the degradation mechanisms and the current applications in the microbial remediation of cyanide contamination.

Key words: Cyanide, Nitrile, Microbial remediation, Contamination