Bacterial biofilm-based bioleaching: Sustainable mitigation and potential management of e-waste pollution.

Significant advances in the electrical and electronic industries have increased the use of electrical and electronic equipment and its environmental emissions. The e-waste landfill disposal has deleterious consequences on human health and environmental sustainability, either directly or indirectly. E-waste containing ferrous and non-ferrous materials can harm the surrounding aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Origin, types, and contribution of emerging pollutants to environmental degradation and their remediation by physical and chemical techniques.

The growing presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in aquatic environments, as well as their harmful impacts on the biosphere and humans, has become a global concern. Recent developments and advancements in pharmaceuticals, agricultural practices, industrial activities, and human personal care substances have paved the way for drastic changes in EP concentrations and impacts on the ecosystem. As a result, it is critical to mitigate EP's harmful effects before they jeopardize the ecological equilibrium of the overall ecosystem and the sustainable existence of life on Earth.

Biodiesel production from the Scenedesmus sp. and utilization of pigment from de-oiled biomass as sensitizer in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) for performance enhancement.

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using algal photosynthetic pigments has got rampant attention as it converts sunlight into electricity. Therefore, in this present research, the neutral lipid extracted from the green alga Scenedesmus sp. was used for biodiesel production, and concurrently, pigments extracted from the de-oiled biomass cake were used as a sensitizer in DSSC to evaluate its performance efficacy with and without PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride).

Synthesis and utilization of biomass-derived sulfonated heterogeneous catalyst-BT-SOH for microalgal biodiesel production.

The study investigates the potential of utilizing banana trunk-derived porous activated biochar enriched with SOH- as a catalyst for eco-friendly biodiesel production from the microalga Chlorella vulgaris. An extensive analysis, employing advanced techniques such as XRD, FTIR, TGA, XPS, NH-TPD, BET, SEM-EDX, and TEM, was conducted to elucidate the physicochemical properties of BT-SOH catalysts. The synthesized catalyst demonstrated its efficiency in converting the total lipids of Chlorella vulgaris into biodiesel, with varying concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 7%.

Investigation on thermochemical co-gasification of rice husk and groundnut shell in open core gasifier for the generation of producer gas: An optimization by central composite design.

Several energy-related strategies and scenarios have been suggested to address concerns about rising global temperatures. In addition to using renewable energy, the improvement in energy efficiency of conventional systems is also in focus. Policies are already in place in many countries, including India, to address the energy needs of rural and small-scale enterprises by gasifying locally available, diverse agricultural leftovers.

Appraising the phycoremediation potential of cyanobacterial strains Phormidium and Oscillatoria for nutrient removal from textile wastewater (TWW) and synchronized biodiesel production from TWW-tolerant biomass.

In this study, phycoremediation of textile wastewater (TWW) by freshwater cyanobacterial strains such as sp., Oscillatoria sp. F01 and Oscillatoria sp.

Sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate (SBH) as a lucrative carbon supplement to upgrade the lipid and fatty acid production in Chlorococcum sp. for biodiesel through an optimized binary solvent system.

Cost is the crucial impediment in commercializing microalgal biodiesel. Therefore, cultivating microalgae in cost-effective nutrients reduces the upstream process cost remarkably. Thus, in this study, sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate (SBH) as a lucrative carbon supplement for Chlorococcum sp.

Process optimization of one-step direct transesterification and dual-step extraction-transesterification of the Chlorococcum-Nannochloropsis consortium for biodiesel production.

In the present study, the efficacy of one-step direct transesterification (OSDT) and Dual-step extraction-transesterification (DSET) of Chlorococcum sp., Nannochloropsis sp., and their consortium was evaluated for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon by graphitic carbonitride-nickel (g-CN-Ni) nanocomposite.

The objective of the present study is to synthesize g-C3N4-Ni nanocomposites composed of graphitic carbon nitride and magnetic nickel nanoparticles for benzopyrene degradation, which is one of the most potent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) molecules. The concocted g-CN-Ni nanocomposites contained confined nanospheres with a mean particle dimension of 22 nm. Batch adsorption studies revealed that a rise in adsorbent dosage elevates benzopyrene degradation percentage in both water and soil samples with respect to time.

Process intensification approaches in wastewater and sludge treatment for the removal of pollutants.

Process Intensification (PI) is the modification or integration of conventional or novel processes within a single unit operation in order to improve product quality and reduce waste. PI offers numerous advantages, including a reduction in the initial and operational costs, an improvement in product quality/quantity, the generation of less waste, and an increase in process safety. The synergistic effect of PI in comparison to the conventional procedure ensures maximizing resource efficiency.

Hydrothermal synthesis of spindle structure copper ferrite-graphene oxide nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic dye degradation and in-vitro antibacterial activity.

In this study, a one-step hydrothermal approach was used to make pure magnetic copper ferrite (CuFeO) and copper ferrite-graphene oxide (CuFeO-rGO) nanocomposites (NCs) and spinel structure CuFeO with a single phase of tetragonal CuFeO-rGO-NCs was confirmed by the XRD. Then, characterization of CuFeO-rGO-NCs was done using ng Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, TGA-DTA, EDS, SEM, and TEM. The synthesized NCs was exposed to UV light to evaluate its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) with CuFeO and CuFeO-rGO-NCs, respectively.

Recent innovations and challenges in the eradication of emerging contaminants from aquatic systems.

Presence of emerging pollutants (EPs), aka Micropollutants (MPs) in the freshwater environments is a severe threat to the environment and human beings. They include pharmaceuticals, insecticides, industrial chemicals, natural hormones, and personal care items and the pollutants are mostly present in wastewater generated from urbanization and increased industrial growth. Even concentrations as low as ngL or mgL have proven ecologically lethal to aquatic biota.

Multifarious extraction methodologies for ameliorating lipid recovery from algae.

Amongst the current alternatives, algae were proven to be a promising source of biofuel, which is renewable and capable of meeting world demand for transportation fuels. However, a suitable lipid extraction method that efficiently releases the lipids from different algal strains remains a bottleneck. The multifarious pretreatment methods are prevalent in this field of lipid extraction, and therefore, this article has critically reviewed the various lipid extraction methods for ameliorating the lipid yield from algae, irrespective of the strains/species.

Design and fabrication of box-type passive solar dryer (BTPSD) with thermal insulation material for valorizing biomass and neutral lipids of marine Chlorella vulgaris for biodiesel application.

The staggering rate of population growth has augmented the reliance on fossil fuel utilization, and it kindled the society to explore alternative and sustainable sources of energy. In this regard, biodiesel from microalgae came to the limelight; but crucial energy-consuming and expensive processes like cultivation, harvesting, and drying make the microalgal biodiesel unsustainable and economically unfeasible. To surpass these impediments, in this research work, a low-cost box-type passive solar dryer (BTPSD) is designed and fabricated with zero energy consumption mode and compared with conventional hot air oven for drying the biomass, neutral lipids of the marine microalga Chlorella vulgaris for biodiesel application.

An assessment of agricultural waste cellulosic biofuel for improved combustion and emission characteristics.

The need for an alternative fuel has been growing swiftly owing to the extravagant use of fossil fuels as a sole energy source for all purposes. This paper investigates the performance, emission and noise characteristics of cellulosic biofuel. A series of tests were conducted in a single cylinder, four stroke DI engine to determine the performance measuring factors such as brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake power (BP), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and emission factors such as CO emission, NO emission, CO emission and smoke and then, the HC emission rates were also measured.

Combined effect of CO concentration and low-cost urea repletion/starvation in Chlorella vulgaris for ameliorating growth metrics, total and non-polar lipid accumulation and fatty acid composition.

Different CO concentration such as 0.03, 5, 10 and 15% and low-cost urea repletion/starvation in Chlorella vulgaris on growth, total and non-polar lipid content and fatty acid composition was studied. Chlorella vulgaris grown at 0.

Strategic evaluation of limiting factors affecting algal growth - An approach to waste mitigation and carbon dioxide sequestration.

This work outlines major critical physico-chemical parameters that play a key role in increasing the fixation of CO from coal-fired flue gas CO into green microalgae biomass. Nitrogen concentration, gas flow rate, initial medium pH, and incident light intensity were determined to be the most important process variables with significant impact on CO fixation. Therefore, NaNO (500-3000 mg L), pH (6.

Relative abundance of lipid types among Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. and ameliorating homogeneous acid catalytic conditions using central composite design (CCD) for maximizing fatty acid methyl ester yield.

The present study has tested the biodiesel potential of two hyper lipid producing strains Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. in terms of biomass yield, quantity and quality of lipid and fatty acid composition.

Recent advances in thermochemical methods for the conversion of algal biomass to energy.

Thermochemical techniques are being operated for the complete conversion of diverse biomasses to biofuels. Among the feedstocks used for thermochemical processes, algae are the promising biomass sources owing to their advantages over other feedstocks such as biomass productivity, renewability and sustainability. Due to several advantages, algal biomass is considered as a source for third generation biofuel.

A comprehensive review on the factors affecting thermochemical conversion efficiency of algal biomass to energy.

Algae are one of the most viable feedstock options that can be converted into different bioenergies viz., bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel, biomethane, biohydrogen, etc. owing to their renewable, sustainable and economic credibility features.

Production and functionality of exopolysaccharides in bacteria exposed to a toxic metal environment.

In this study, the production and compositional analysis of exopolysaccharides produced by Bacillus cereus KMS3-1 grown in metal amended conditions were investigated. In addition, the metal adsorption efficacy of exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by KMS3-1 strain was evaluated in a batch mode. Increased production of exopolysaccharides by KMS3-1 strain was observed while growing under metal amended conditions (100 mg/L) and also, the yield was in the order of Pb(II)>Cu(II)>Cd(II)>Control.

Biological approaches practised using genetically engineered microbes for a sustainable environment: A review.

Conventional methods used to remediate toxic substances from the environment have failed drastically, and thereby, advancement in newer remediation techniques can be one of the ways to improve the quality of bioremediation. The increased environmental pollution led to the exploration of microorganisms and construction of genetically engineered microbes (GEMs) for pollution abatement through bioremediation. The present review deals with the successful bioremediation techniques and approaches practised using genetically modified or engineered microbes.

Green synthesis of cobalt-oxide nanoparticle using jumbo Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia): Characterization and photo-catalytic activity of acid Blue-74.

In the recent years, plant and microbial extract based nanoparticles (NPs) have become a sophisticated technology serving as an alternative strategy for the purpose of developing materials functionalized by structural diversity and enhanced energy efficiencies. Cobalt oxide nanoparticles (GCoO-NPs) have wide applications in several sectors due to their high resistance to corrosion as well as oxidation, ecofriendly nature, cost effectiveness and nontoxic potential. Plant based particles are credible alternatives as they reduce the burden of complicated and laborious protocols of physiochemical reliance.