Dissolved load of aromatic and halogenated non-methane VOCs in urban sewage during wet and dry seasons.

Concentration of dissolved aromatic and halogenated non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) was estimated in sewage flowing through the open drainage canal network of Kolkata megacity in India in dry (summer) and wet (post-monsoon) seasons at five locations. Seventeen aromatic and halogenated NMVOC species were studied by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) technique followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. Distinct seasonal variations in the concentration of individual NMVOC species were observed, but spatial variation was negligible.

Conductive polymer layered semiconductor for degradation of triclopyr acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid from aqueous stream using coalesce adsorption-photocatalysis technique.

Polyaniline supported titanium dioxide nanoparticles (PTs) were fabricated using chemical oxidative aniline polymerization in the presence of titanium dioxide with ammonium peroxydisulfate as an oxidant. The synthesized PTs were thoroughly characterized for their morphological and functional features. PTs were employed for the photodegradation of acidic herbicides; 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and triclopyr acid (TCP).

Influence of 16S rRNA reference databases in amplicon-based environmental microbiome research.

Purpose: The reference databases play a pivotal role in amplicon microbiome research, however these databases differ in the sequence content and taxonomic information available. Studies on mock community and human health microbiome have revealed the problems associated with the choice of reference database on the outcome. Nonetheless, the influence of reference databases in environmental microbiome studies is not explicitly illustrated.

Possible Association Between Polymorphisms in ESR1, COL1A2, BGLAP, SPARC, VDR, and MMP2 Genes and Dental Fluorosis in a Population from an Endemic Region of West Bengal.

Dental fluorosis (DF) is the most prevalent form of fluorosis in India affecting millions of people all over the country. As estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), collagen type 1 alpha 2 (COL1A2), bone γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein (BGLAP), secreted protein acidic and cysteine-rich (SPARC), vitamin D receptor (VDR), and matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2) genes play critical roles in bone metabolism, bone formation, mineral metabolism, and mineralization, variants in these genes could influence susceptibility to DF. The present study was aimed at evaluating the association between 15 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the six candidate genes (namely, ESR1, COL1A2, BGLAP, SPARC, VDR, and MMP2) and DF among 132 individuals (case = 71 and control = 61) living in a fluoride endemic region of West Bengal, India.

Nitric oxide-mediated alleviation of arsenic stress involving metalloid detoxification and physiological responses in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Rice is a staple crop, and food chain contamination of arsenic in rice grain possesses a serious health risk to billions of population. Arsenic stress negatively affects the rice growth, yield and quality of the grains. Nitric oxide (NO) is a major signaling molecule that may trigger various cellular responses in plants.

A Modified Lysimeter Study for Phyto-Treatment of Moderately Saline Wastewater Using Plant-Derived Filter Bedding Materials.

The present study focuses on determining the phyto-treatment efficiency for treatment of moderately saline wastewater using organic raw materials, such as rice husk, coconut husk, rice straw, and charcoal. The moderately saline wastewater with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration up to 6143.33 ± 5.

Surface-Enhanced Biocompatibility and Adsorption Capacity of a Zirconium Phosphate-Coated Polyaniline Composite.

The present study deals with the synthesis, characterization, and testing of a novel composite, zirconium(IV) phosphate-coated polyaniline (ZrPO@PANI), toward the adsorption- and surface-controlled toxicity applications. Following the synthesis of the ZrPO@PANI composite using the sol-gel route, various characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction were employed to confirm its surface functionality, morphology and agglomeration, and crystallinity and crystal nature, respectively. The composite was found to be effective toward the adsorptive removal of the methylene blue dye (an organic pollutant) as against the changes in the dye concentration, dose, pH, and so forth.

Effect of Different Organic Substrates on Selected Life History Traits and Nutritional Composition of Black Soldier fly (Hermetia illucens).

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L. [Diptera: Stratiomyidae]) has gained huge popularity in different industrial and commercial sectors because of its excellent potential to treat organic waste and high biomass production. As the industrial application of BSF is expanding at accelerated rates, there is a need to optimize its mass scale production where the organic substrates play a very crucial role in optimal growth and development.

Gridded distribution of total suspended particulate matter (TSP) and their chemical characterization over Delhi during winter.

In the present study, total suspended particulate matter (TSP) samples were collected at 47 different sites (47 grids of 5 × 5 km area) of Delhi during winter (January-February 2019) in campaign mode. To understand the spatial variation of sources, TSP samples were analyzed for chemical compositions including carbonaceous species [organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC)], water-soluble total nitrogen (WSTN), water-soluble inorganic nitrogen (WSIN), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs), water-soluble inorganic species (WSIS) (F, Cl, SO, NO, NO, PO, NH, Ca, Mg, Na, and K), and major and minor trace elements (B, Na, Mg, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Zn, Cr, Mn, Cu, As, Pd, F, and Ag). During the campaign, the maximum concentration of several components of TSP (996 μg/m) was recorded at the Rana Pratap Bagh area, representing a pollution hotspot of Delhi.

Adsorption, Equilibrium Isotherm, and Thermodynamic Studies towards the Removal of Reactive Orange 16 Dye Using Cu(I)-Polyaninile Composite.

To overcome some of the limitations of activated carbon like efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reusability, the present work deals with Cu(I)-based polyaniline (PANI) composite for the removal of reactive orange 16 (RO16) dye. Following the synthesis and characterization of formed Cu(I)-PANI composite, the batch experiments performed for the removal of RO16 dye indicated that the composite has the capacity to reduce the coloring from RO16. The experiments were conducted for the study of effects against changes in pH, time, and dose at room temperature, where we observed for a pH impact on the dye adsorption capacity in the range of 2-12.

A comprehensive evaluation of single-end sequencing data analyses for environmental microbiome research.

Illumina sequencing platforms have been widely used for amplicon-based environmental microbiome research. Analyses of amplicon data of environmental samples, generated from Illumina MiSeq platform illustrate the reverse (R2) reads in the PE datasets to have low quality towards the 3' end of the reads which affect the sequencing depth of samples and ultimately impact the sample size which may possibly lead to an altered outcome. This study evaluates the usefulness of single-end (SE) sequencing data in microbiome research when the Illumina MiSeq PE dataset shows significantly high number of low-quality reverse reads.

Exploring short term spatio-temporal pattern of PM and PM and their relationship with meteorological parameters during COVID-19 in Delhi.

Present study aims to examine the impact of lockdown on spatio-temporal concentration of PM and PM categorized and recorded based on its levels during pre-lockdown, lockdown and unlock phases while noting the relationship of these levels with meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, rainfall, pressure, sun hour and cloud cover) in Delhi. To aid the study, a comparison was made with the last two years (2018 to 2019), covering the same periods of pre-lockdown, lockdown and unlock phases of 2020. Correlation analysis, linear regression (LR) was used to examine the impact of meteorological parameters on particulate matter (PM) concentrations in Delhi, India.

Performance evaluation of air pollution control device at traffic intersections in Delhi.

Unlabelled: Urban air pollution and exposure-related health impacts are being noticed and discussed very intensely in India. On the other hand, source-specific control is the primary focus for policymakers; however, diverse and complex sources make it difficult to immediately see the action and consequent impacts on better air quality. Many cities across the world have witnessed high air pollution levels at traffic junctions, more so in all Indian cities.

Current available treatment technologies for saline wastewater and land-based treatment as an emerging environment-friendly technology: A review.

Different industrial activities such as agro-food processing and manufacturing, leather manufacturing, and paper and pulp production generate highly saline wastewater. Direct discharge of saline wastewater has resulted in pollution of waterbodies by very high magnitudes. Consequently, an enormous number of pollutants such as heavy metals, salts, and organic matter are also released into the environment threatening the survival of human and biota.

Identification of air pollution hotspots in urban areas - An innovative approach using monitored concentrations data.

Critical assessment of spatio-temporal variations in pollution levels is a crucial step for identifying and prioritizing air pollution hotspots (APH) in urban areas. There is no universally accepted methodology for defining and delineating air pollution hotspot which can be source-specific, pollutant-specific and time-specific. The present research article is an attempt to develop a protocol for identifying APH for any pollutant within a city where-in three criteria-based innovative methodology has been derived.

Salivary Microbiome Diversity in Kuwaiti Adolescents with Varied Body Mass Index-A Pilot Study.

The potential role of the salivary microbiome in human diseases has increasingly been explored. The salivary microbiome has been characterized in several global populations, except the Arabian Gulf region. Hence, in this pilot study, we profiled the salivary microbiome of Kuwaiti adolescents with varied body mass indexes (BMI).

Determining the Black Soldier fly larvae performance for plant-based food waste reduction and the effect on Biomass yield.

Management of Municipal solid waste in low-income countries with high population densities such as India has always been a strenuous task. With perpetual advancements, there are many available technologies dealing with waste management such as incineration, pyrolysis and landfill operations. But such technologies are often accompanied with some limitations (operational and maintenance problems) and have negative environmental impacts.

Effect of Amplicon Sequencing Depth in Environmental Microbiome Research.

Amplicon sequencing approach is commonly employed in microbiome studies and sequencing depth is considered as a major factor influencing the outcome of data analyses. As of now, the effect of amplicon sequencing depth in environmental microbiome analyses is not explicitly illustrated. In this study, microbiome data of nine aquatic samples from Sundarbans mangrove region, obtained from SRA, were analyzed to explain the influence of sequencing depth variation in environmental microbiome data analyses.

Forecasting of municipal solid waste generation using non-linear autoregressive (NAR) neural models.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is a multi-variable dependent process and hence its quantification is relatively not easy. The estimations for monthly MSW generation are required to provide theoretical guidelines for understanding and designing the disposal system. These estimations help in budgetary planning for the handling of future waste with optimized waste management system.

Molecular and taxonomic characterization of arsenic (As) transforming Bacillus sp. strain IIIJ3-1 isolated from As-contaminated groundwater of Brahmaputra river basin, India.

Background: Microbe-mediated redox transformation of arsenic (As) leading to its mobilization has become a serious environmental concern in various subsurface ecosystems especially within the alluvial aquifers. However, detailed taxonomic and eco-physiological attributes of indigenous bacteria from As impacted aquifer of Brahmaputra river basin has remained under-studied.

Results: A newly isolated As-resistant and -transforming facultative anaerobic bacterium IIIJ3-1 from As-contaminated groundwater of Jorhat, Assam was characterized.

Microcosm based analysis of arsenic release potential of Bacillus sp. strain IIIJ3-1 under varying redox conditions.

The role of indigenous bacteria in mobilization of sediment bound arsenic (As) into groundwater is investigated using subsurface sediment from Brahmaputra River Basin (BRB) and the Bacillus sp. strain IIIJ3-1, an indigenous species to BRB. Anaerobic sediment microcosms with varying organic carbon sources and terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) are used to illustrate the role of the test bacterium in As mobilization.

Metagenomic Insights in Activated Biomass Treating Industrial Wastewater at Different DO Levels.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an imperative parameter of the activated sludge process (ASP) for wastewater bioremediation. The effect of DO on microbial communities and corresponding metabolic functions in wastewater bioremediation was investigated using next-generation analysis techniques in this study. Illumina-based whole genome sequencing was applied to analyze the composition of the microbial community along with their functional diversity in activated sludge systems operating at three different DO levels.

Microbial degradation, spectral analysis and toxicological assessment of malachite green by Streptomyces chrestomyceticus S20.

Malachite green (MG), a triphenylmethane dye is extensively used for coloring silk, aquaculture and textile industries, it has also has been reported toxic to life forms. This study aimed to investigate the biodegradation potential of MG by actinobacteria. The potent actinobacterial strain S20 used in this study was isolated from forest soil (Sabarimala, Kerala, India) and identified as Streptomyces chrestomyceticus based on phenotype and molecular features.