Overcoming challenges due to enhanced biomedical waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic.

Biomedical wastes (BMWs) are potentially infectious to the environment and health. They are co-dependent and accumulative during the ongoing coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19) pandemic. In India the standard treatment processes of BMWs are incineration, autoclaving, shredding, and deep burial; however, incineration and autoclaving are the leading techniques applied by many treatment providers.

Evaluation of molybdenum recovery from sulfur removed spent catalyst using leaching and solvent extraction.

In this article a new spent catalyst sample preparation method was implemented for the purpose of molybdenum leaching in a single step. Further molybdenum and vanadium in the leach liquor were separated and their concentrations were enriched using the solvent extraction and stripping techniques. The impervious sulfur (S) layer of the spent catalyst sample was removed using carbon disulfide (CS).

Geochemical Cycle of Radon and its Bioremediation Opportunity from Water Environment: A Review.

Background: The waterborne or airborne radon causes carcinogenesis in the human bodies due to the continuous decay of α- and β- particles. The health risks related to radioactive radon instigate to develop an advanced technology for its removal from the environment. There are two standard techniques, such as aeration and activated carbon filtration, available for its removal.

Statistical optimization for lipase production from solid waste of vegetable oil industry.

The production of biofuel using thermostable bacterial lipase from hot spring bacteria out of low-cost agricultural residue olive oil cake is reported in the present paper. Using a lipase enzyme from Bacillus licheniformis, a 66.5% yield of methyl esters was obtained.

Bioprospecting hot spring metagenome: lipase for the production of biodiesel.

Screening of metagenomic library from Taptapani Hot Spring (Odisha) yielded a positive lipase clone (pUC-lip479). Sequence analysis showed an ORF (RK-lip479) of 416 amino acid residues which was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Optimum pH and temperature of purified lipase RK-lip479 were 8.

Molecular identification of indigenous manganese solubilising bacterial biodiversity from manganese mining deposits.

Manganese (Mn) ranks twelfth among the most exuberant metal present in the earth's crust and finds its imperative application in the manufacturing steel, chemical, tannery, glass, and battery industries. Solubilisation of Mn can be performed by several bacterial strains which are useful in developing environmental friendly solutions for mining activities. The present investigation aims to isolate and characterize Mn solubilising bacteria from low grade ores from Sanindipur Manganese mine of Sundargh district in Odisha state of India.

Microalga Scenedesmus sp.: A potential low-cost green machine for silver nanoparticle synthesis.

Bionanotechnology has revolutionized nanomaterial synthesis by providing a green synthetic platform using biological systems. Among such biological systems, microalgae have tremendous potential to take up metal ions and produce nanoparticles by a detoxification process. The present study explores the intracellular and extracellular biogenic syntheses of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) using the unicellular green microalga Scenedesmus sp.

Effect of dissimilatory Fe(III) reducers on bio-reduction and nickel-cobalt recovery from Sukinda chromite-overburden.

The effect of an adapted dissimilatory iron reducing bacterial consortium (DIRB) towards bio-reduction of Sukinda chromite overburden (COB) with enhanced recovery of nickel and cobalt is being reported for the first time. The remarkable ability of DIRB to utilize Fe(III) as terminal electron acceptor reducing it to Fe(II) proved beneficial for treatment of COB as compared to previous reports for nickel leaching. XRD studies showed goethite as the major iron-bearing phase in COB.

Application of lipopeptide biosurfactant isolated from a halophile: Bacillus tequilensis CH for inhibition of biofilm.

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic molecules having hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties produced by various microorganisms. These molecules trigger the reduction of surface tension or interfacial tension in liquids. A biosurfactant-producing halophile was isolated from Lake Chilika, a brackish water lake of Odisha, India (19°41'39″N, 85°18'24″E).

Extraction and characterization of biocompatible hydroxyapatite from fresh water fish scales for tissue engineering scaffold.

In bone tissue engineering, porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) is used as filling material for bone defects, augmentation, artificial bone graft and scaffold material. The present paper compares the preparation and characterization of HAp from fish scale (FS) and synthetic body fluid (SBF) solution. Thermo gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size analysis of the samples have been performed.

Inhibition of pathogenic bacterial biofilm by biosurfactant produced by Lysinibacillus fusiformis S9.

A biosurfactant producing microbe isolated from a river bank was identified as Lysinibacillus fusiformis S9. It was identified with help of biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. The biosurfactant S9BS produced was purified and characterized as glycolipid.

Extraction of Copper from Malanjkhand Low-Grade Ore by Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Thermophilic bacteria are actively prevalent in hot water springs. Their potential to grow and sustain at higher temperatures makes them exceptional compare to other microorganism. The present study was initiated to isolate, identify and determine the feasibility of extraction of copper using thermophilic heterotrophic bacterial strain.

Homology modeling and docking studies of FabH (β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III) enzyme involved in type II fatty acid biosynthesis of Chlorella variabilis: a potential algal feedstock for biofuel production.

The concept of using microalgae as an alternative renewable source of biofuel has gained much importance in recent years. However, its commercial feasibility is still an area of concern for researchers. Unraveling the fatty acid metabolic pathway and understanding structural features of various key enzymes regulating the process will provide valuable insights to target microalgae for augmented oil content.

Population coverage analysis of T-Cell epitopes of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B from Iron acquisition proteins for vaccine design.

Although the concept of Reverse Vaccinology was first pioneered for sepsis and meningococcal meningitidis causing bacterium, Neisseria meningitides, no broadly effective vaccine against serogroup B meningococcal disease is yet available. In the present investigation, HLA distribution analysis was undertaken to select three most promiscuous T-cell epitopes out of ten computationally validated epitopes of Iron acquisition proteins from Neisseria MC58 by using the population coverage tool of Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). These epitopes have been determined on the basis of their binding ability with maximum number of HLA alleles along with highest population coverage rate values for all the geographical areas studied.

Micro-Raman analysis and AFM imaging of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans biofilm grown on uranium ore.

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans biofilm grown on uranium ore substrate was analyzed by a micro-Raman spectrometer and an atomic force microscope (AFM). The bacterium employed for this study, A. ferrooxidans BM1, was isolated from a uranium mine (Jaduguda, India).