Cost Effective Production of Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate by Bacillus subtilis NG05 Using Sugar Industry Waste Water

The present study describes the treatment of sugar industry waste water and its use as a potential low cost substrate for production of bioplastic by Bacillus subtilis NG05. The B. subtilis NG05 grow at the rate of 0.14 g h^?1 L^?1 of production media used and accumulate the 50.1 % of poly β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). The phase contrast microscopy revealed the presence of PHB granules in B. subtilis NG05 which was further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance. The polymer was further analysed by differential scanning calorimetry. PHB production yield was achieved up to 4.991 g L^?1 with Sugar industry waste water as sole nutrient source. Thus the process provided dual benefits of conversion of a waste material into value added product, PHB and waste management.     

Developmental strategies for sustainable ecosystem on mine spoil dumps: a case of study

An important goal of ecological rehabilitation is to accelerate natural successional processes to increase biological productivity, soil fertility and biotic control over biogeochemical fluxes within the recovering ecosystems. A new approach called Microbe Assisted Green Technology (MAGT) is an integrated biotechnological approach developed at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) through exhaustive laboratory as well as field studies and serve as a model for land reclamation and development of lush green vegetation on mine overburdens. One year old seedlings of native tree species were planted on 6.3 ha area of manganese mine overburden at Gumgaon under Manganese Ore India Ltd., Maharashtra, India. Continuous efforts resulted in nutrient rich soil with high N, P, K and organic carbon; well developed biodiversity, including bacteria, fungi, higher plants (more than 350 species) and different classes of animals. Planted trees accumulated 698 t ha( - 1) above ground biomass and 143 t ha( - 1) below ground mass. This was achieved in 18 years by MAGT, which otherwise takes hundreds of years.     

In-vitro toxicity of cyclophosphamide and etoposide intermediates/metabolites produced by three white rot fungi

Aim of the present study is to determine the in-vitro cell cytotoxic effect of native and transformed cancer drugs (cyclophosphamide and etoposide) using three different white rot fungi (Ganoderma lucidum, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes versicolor). At 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days, experiments were done on a mouse monocyte macrophage cell line (Raw 264.7). After biodegradation, the altered compounds were found to be harmful to the Raw 264.7 cells. The maximal cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide transformed products (TPs) were determined to be 2.4%, 7.3% and 7% respectively, against G. lucidum, P. chrysosporium and T. versicolor, respectively. With G. lucidum, P. chrysosporium and T. versicolor, the etoposide toxicity was 1.5%, 8% and 2.7% respectively. P. chrysosporium-mediated biodegradation resulted in the maximum toxicity, at 8%, on the 12th day for etoposide and 7.3% on the 3rd day for cyclophosphamide. After biodegradation by fungi, the toxicity of these two anticancer agents was reduced in the form of metabolites, but each fungus showed unique capacity for toxicity removal.     

Selection of poly(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid utilising bacteria by enrichment,optimisation and compatibility testing for consortia development

Bacterial strains with poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) degradation potential were isolated from waste yard soil samples of selected industrial sites in Uttarakhand, India, and two microbial consortia were developed, i.e. Consortium I comprises Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb10, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb11 and Bacillus sp. strain Rb18, and Consortium II is composed of Lysinibacillus sp. strain Rb1, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb13 and Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb19. The current study involved enrichment selection via liquid and semi-solid media, followed by isolation and screening of bacterial strains using PHB pellets and films. Furthermore, the identification and characterisation was done by triphasic approach. The utilisation of PHB by the characterised strains was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration of solubilised PHB was found to be 2.5?mg/mL, which was detected through ‘clear zone assay’. Further, the selection and biocompatibility testing of potential isolates were performed for the formation of bacterial consortia. Thus, the present work would provide direct and standardised protocol for screening and selection of potential microbiomes for biodegradation of polymers by overcoming the negative effect of organic solvents. Moreover, indigenously developed consortia would be evaluated for their in situ biodegradation potential against various bioplastic films.     

Synthesis of highly fluorescent and water soluble graphene quantum dots for detection of heavy metal ions in aqueous media

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are nanomaterials which possess unique properties that show great potential in different applications. In...     

Factors affecting the performance of a solar still and productivity enhancement methods: A review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Good-quality drinking water is an essential requirement for a healthy and sustainable future. In the current scenario, people living in remote areas...     

Hydrogenation properties and kinetic study of MgH2 - x wt% AC nanocomposites prepared by ball milling

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The high de-/hydrogenation temperature of magnesium hydride is still a challenge in solid-state hydrogen storage system for automobiles applications....     

Metal toxicity assessment of mobile phone parts using Milli Q water

Environmentally safe disposal of end-of-life (EoL) or discarded mobile phone is a serious problem on account of their ever increasing number and toxic metals contents. In the present work, metal toxicity of mobile phone plastics, printed wire boards (PWBs) and batteries were assessed through dynamic batch leaching using Milli Q (MQ) water. Phone plastics failed Toxicity Characterization Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and Waste Extraction Test (WET) for Pb as the cumulative amount of Pb leached from plastics (5.33 mg/l) exceeded the regulatory limits (5.0 mg/l) used in characterizing a waste as hazardous. Similarly, the average cumulative amount (21.83 mg/l) of Ni leached from PWBs exceeded the regulatory limit of 20 mg/l and thus PWBs failed WET. Metals leached from batteries in small amounts (Cr: 0.40 mg/l and Ni: 0.15 mg/l). The presence of Fe in the batteries and its precipitation as oxides/hydroxides in the leaching solution hindered the leaching of other metals in MQ water. Both plastics and PWBs should be treated as hazardous waste and should not be disposed in open landfills. Further, MQ water leaching could provide good simulation of metals leaching from the mobile phones disposed at landfill sites.     

Dissolution of steel slags in aqueous media

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Steel slag is a major industrial waste in steel industries, and its dissolution behavior in water needs to be characterized in the larger context of...     

Mitigation potential of important farm and forest trees: a potentiality for clean development mechanism afforestation reforestation (CDM A R) project and reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation,along with conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+)

The effectiveness and integrity of forest-based emissions reduction schemes such as Clean Development Mechanism Afforestation Reforestation (CDM A R) project and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), along with conservation and enhancement of carbon (C) stocks implementation and assessment in developing countries are required not only, the appropriate monitoring and evaluation, rather the precise values of constants being used to estimate the C stocks or C credit in place of default or guess value. Estimates are reported of the C content of wood of four forest species (Shorea robusta, Pinus roxburghii, Tectona grandis and Cinnamomum camphora) and two important farm species (Populus deltoides and Eucalyptus treticornis) in the temperate region of Indian Himalayas, derived using the ash content method. These species were considered keeping in view of their potentiality for the C sequestration and storage projects across the developing countries specifically the South East Asian Countries. The specific gravity, ash content and C proportion is estimated for these six species by selecting random woods pieces. These estimates are designed to improve the calculations of biomass C for use in estimation of C credits in the developing region under CDM A R projects and REDD+ program supported by developed country. Regression analysis of C prediction models revealed that, for all six species, C content may be estimated through specific gravity of the wood by a linear equation without intercept. Indirectly, this results also implies that among the two farm trees, eucalyptus has high potentiality for C capturing and among four forest trees, Shorea robusta has high potentiality, therefore these two should have preference for plantation/regeneration as well as for conservation.