Lignin extraction from lignocellulosic biomass and its valorization to therapeutic phenolic compounds.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a sustainable alternative to finite petroleum resources, with lignin emerging as a major component of biomass for producing circular economy products. Maximizing extraction and valorization of lignin to platform chemicals, biofuels, and bioactive compounds is crucial. Unlocking lignin's full potential lies in exploring the therapeutic properties of lignin-derived phenolics, which can definitely boost the economic viability of integrated biorefineries.

Enhanced production of lactic acid from pretreated rice straw using co-cultivation of and .

Lactic acid (LA) production from sugar mixture derived from lignocellulosic rice straw employing co- culture system of thermotolerant and inhibitor tolerant DGB and DGS15 was carried out. In minimal media, both the strains of DGB and DGS15 worked together by efficiently utilising glucose and xylose respectively. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used for optimisation of pretreatment of rice straw to achieve maximum yield of 50.

Bioprospecting Microalgae from Sewage Water: Assessment of Biochemicals for Biomass Utilization.

Microalgal species from sewage treatment plant were identified by 18S rRNA sequencing and were explored for total lipids, carbohydrate, and protein contents, to serve as a potential candidate for biorefinery. Seven unicellular microalgae were identified as Chlorella sorokiniana, Dictyosphaerium sp., Graesiella emersonii belonging to Chlorellaceae and Scenedesmus sp.

Ecotoxicity of as-synthesised copper nanoparticles on soil bacteria.

Release of metallic nanoparticles in soil poses a serious threat to the ecosystem as they can affect the soil properties and impose toxicity on soil microbes that are involved in the biogeochemical cycling. In this work, in vitro ecotoxicity of as-synthesised copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on Bacillus subtilis (MTCC No. 441) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (MTCC No.

Fabrication of chitosan-alginate nanospheres for controlled release of cartap hydrochloride.

Insecticide cartap hydrochloride (C) was fabricated as nanospheres by a two-step method of ionic gelification and polyelectrolyte complexation of alginate (ALG) and chitosan (CS) to undermine its adverse effects on environment. Nanospheres were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectra and x-ray diffraction. The size of cartap hydrochloride entrapped chitosan alginate nanospheres (C-CS-ALG nps) was in range of 107.

Cartap hydrochloride induced stress response in Anabaena variabilis ARM 441.

Cartap hydrochloride is a moderately hazardous nereistoxin analogue insecticide that is predominantly applied in paddy fields of India, at a recommended dose of 10 μg ml to kill chewing and sucking insect pests of rice crop. Toxicity of cartap hydrochloride was studied on non-target free-living nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ARM 441 commonly used as algal biofertilizer in rice cultivation. Anabaena sp.

Oxidative Stress Induced Cytotoxicity of Colloidal Copper Nanoparticles on RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cell Line.

Copper is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in various physiological processes of human body and also possesses excellent antimicrobial properties, however its high dose results in the formation of free-radicals, which can induce cytotoxicity through chromosomal and DNA damage. Therefore, cytotoxicity of colloidal copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) was studied to understand the correlation between the cytotoxicity and the nanoparticle yield.

Chitosan/PVA silver nanocomposite for butachlor removal: Fabrication, characterization, adsorption mechanism and isotherms.

Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) incorporated chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol (Ch/PVA) hydrogel nanocomposite was fabricated by repeated freeze-thaw treatment using glutaraldehyde as crosslinker for removal of herbicide butachlor from aqueous solution. Ch/PVA hydrogel provided a matrix for in-situ immobilization of AgNPs and were characterized by various physicochemical techniques. AgNPs of size 5-20 nm possessed crystalline structure, led to increase in thermal stability and surface area after incorporation into Ch/PVA hydrogel.

Algae-based metallic nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and applications.

Nanomaterials (NMs) tailored via conventional physicochemical routes play havoc with the environment that has led to the evolution of competent green routes for the actualization of a circular economy on an industrial-scale. Algae belonging to the class Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae have been harnessed as nano-machineries through intracellular and extracellular synthesis of gold (Au), silver (Ag) and several other metallic nanoparticles. Algae are an appealing platform for the production of diverse NMs, primarily due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as pigments and antioxidants in their cell extracts that act as biocompatible reductants.

Potential pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of an endophytic Penicillium species.

Pancreatic lipase (PL) is considered as one of the safest target for diet-induced anti-obesity drug development. Orlistat is the only PL inhibitor approved for anti-obesity treatment till date. In the process of exploration of new PL inhibitors, we have screened culture filtrates of 70 endophytic fungi of medicinal plants using qualitative as well as quantitative in-vitro PL assays.

Characterization of pyrene utilizing Bacillus spp. from crude oil contaminated soil.

Pyrene, a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is a priority pollutant present in soil contaminated with crude oil, coal-tar and complex PAHs. Bacterial consortium CON-3 developed from crude oil contaminated soil of Patiala, Punjab (India) cometabolized 50 μg ml(-1) pyrene in the presence of glucose (0.5 %; w/v) at 30 °C, as determined by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Bioethanol production involving recombinant C. thermocellum hydrolytic hemicellulase and fermentative microbes.

The enhancement of the biomass productivity of Escherichia coli cells harbouring the truncated 903 bp gene designated as glycoside hydrolase family 43 (GH43) from Clostridium thermocellum showing hemicellulase activity along with its further use in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process is described. (Phosphoric acid) H(3)PO(4)-acetone treatment and ammonia fibre expansion (AFEX) were the pretreatment strategies employed on the leafy biomass of mango, poplar, neem and asoka among various substrates owing to their high hemicellulose content. GH43 showed optimal activity at a temperature of 50 °C, pH 5.

Bioconversion of Agricultural Waste to Ethanol by SSF Using Recombinant Cellulase from Clostridium thermocellum.

The effect of different pretreatment methods, temperature, and enzyme concentration on ethanol production from 8 lignocellulosic agrowaste by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using recombinant cellulase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied. Recombinant cellulase was isolated from E. coli BL21 cells transformed with CtLic26A-Cel5-CBM11 full-length gene from Clostridium thermocellum and produced in both batch and fed-batch processes.

Enhancement of Cellulase Activity from a New Strain of Bacillus subtilis by Medium Optimization and Analysis with Various Cellulosic Substrates.

The cellulase activity of Bacillus subtilis AS3 was enhanced by optimizing the medium composition by statistical methods. The enzyme activity with unoptimised medium with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was 0.07 U/mL and that was significantly enhanced by CMC, peptone, and yeast extract using Placket-Burman design.

Waste water treatment and metal (Pb(2+), Zn(2+)) removal by microalgal based stabilization pond system.

A case study was undertaken for the treatment of domestic wastewater generated at village of Sanghol, Distt. Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab (India), using a schematic designed algal and duckweed based stabilization pond system, which is discussed here for winter months only (November to March) as there was no growth of duckweeds and only algae dominated the whole system. A proficient increase in pH and dissolved oxygen was observed after the treatment with reduction in chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand by 93% and 79% respectively.

Biosorption of Pb and Zn by Non-Living Biomass of Spirulina sp.

Removal of heavy metals (Pb(2+), Zn(2+)) from aqueous solution by dried biomass of Spirulina sp. was investigated. Spirulina rapidly adsorbed appreciable amount of lead and zinc from the aqueous solutions within 15 min of initial contact with the metal solution and exhibited high sequestration of lead and zinc at low equilibrium concentrations.

Comparative biosorption of Pb2+ by live algal consortium and immobilized dead biomass from aqueous solution.

The percent removal and uptake of Pb2+ by algal-consortium (CP1) developed from wastewater of biological oxidation pond (Wazirabad, New Delhi, India) was studied under batch conditions with live biomass compared with continuous system using dried biomass immobilized on silica under laboratory conditions. In batch study, algal consortium (CP1) consisting of a mixed culture of Chlorella > Chlamydomonas > Lyngbya sp. was found to remove 17% of Pb2+ after 15 days of incubation from culture media containing 10 mg/L Pb2+, which decreased by increasing metal concentration from 20-50 mg/L.

Decolorization of Direct Red 28 by mixed bacterial culture in an up-flow immobilized bioreactor.

Aerobic mixed bacterial culture comprised of five isolates (Bacillus vallismortis, B. pumilus, B. cereus, B.

Evidence for lesion bypass by yeast replicative DNA polymerases during DNA damage.

The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase, responsible for the synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides (dNTP), is upregulated in response to DNA damage in all organisms. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, dNTP concentration increases approximately 6- to 8-fold in response to DNA damage. This concentration increase is associated with improved tolerance of DNA damage, suggesting that translesion DNA synthesis is more efficient at elevated dNTP concentration.

Fly ash as a soil ameliorant for improving crop production--a review.

Fly ash, a resultant of combustion of coal at high temperature, has been regarded as a problematic solid waste all over the world. Many possible beneficial applications of fly ash are being evaluated to minimize waste, decrease cost of disposal and provide value-added products. The conventional disposal methods for fly ash lead to degradation of arable land and contamination of the ground water.

Microbial and plant derived biomass for removal of heavy metals from wastewater.

Discharge of heavy metals from metal processing industries is known to have adverse effects on the environment. Conventional treatment technologies for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution are not economical and generate huge quantity of toxic chemical sludge. Biosorption of heavy metals by metabolically inactive non-living biomass of microbial or plant origin is an innovative and alternative technology for removal of these pollutants from aqueous solution.

Sodium citrate cross-linked chitosan films: optimization as substitute for human/rat/rabbit epidermal sheets.

Unlabelled: PURPOSE. To prepare chitosan films that shall be capable of simulating in vitro permeation of polar (5-FU) and non polar (indomethacin) drugs across rat/rabbit/human epidermis.

Method: Statistical designs were utilized to identify the formulation and process variables that significantly influenced permeation of both drugs across chitosan films cross-linked with sodium citrate (Nacit).

Optimization of chitosan film as a substitute for animal and human epidermal sheets for in vitro permeation of polar and non polar drugs.

The present investigation is aimed at preparing chitosan films capable of simulating the flux of modal drugs, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and indomethacin (INDO), across rat, rabbit and human cadaver epidermal sheets. Application of statistical design revealed that the concentration of chitosan, crosslinking time and concentration of crosslinking agent significantly influenced the in vitro flux of 5-FU and INDO across chitosan films. Multiple linear regression revealed a linear influence of all these active variables on 5-FU and INDO flux.