In recent years, pectinase, a vital enzyme in diverse manufacturing sectors, including: food and beverage industries, bioenergy, textile and paper industries, etc., has inspired the scientific community to delve its: sustainable, eco-friendly, efficient, and sufficient production. Pectinase demand is perpetually rising, requiring effective mass production solutions. This study examines the various sources and improvements made in the recent years at large-scale pectinase production. The article highlighted various fermentation strategies, agro-wastes, and types of bioreactor technology utilized for pectinase production. Further: statistical tools, research designs and optimization approaches, immobilization techniques, and purification and molecular engineering approaches were also explored, accounting pectinase production. The current work aims to provide the valuable insights for: researchers, academicians, industry stakeholders, and regulatory bodies, in advancing sustainable and efficient large-scale production of pectinase, thus, broadening and boosting pectinase production for the targeted applications.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock for sustainable biohydrogen production; however, its application is limited by its low degradability and poor energy conversion efficiency. This study investigated whether integrating Dark Fermentation (DF) with a Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC), combined with effective pretreatment, can enhance biohydrogen recovery from sugarcane bagasse dust (SBD). Alkali and ultrasound pretreatment were employed to improve substrate digestibility, with structural changes confirmed by XRD and FTIR analysis. Pretreated bagasse produced 3.4 L/L (0.00608 mol H2/g of dry substrate) of biohydrogen during DF, which was significantly higher than that produced by untreated substrate. The DF effluent was subsequently utilized in the MEC, where a maximum hydrogen yield of 0.9 L/L was achieved at an applied voltage of + 0.7 V. Enhanced biofilm formation under optimized anodic conditions in MEC was confirmed using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). The integrated DF-MEC system achieved 21% energy recovery, outperforming the single-stage DF (12.4%), thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the combined approach.

This study investigates the influence of catalytic clay material on the pyrolysis of sugarcane leaves using TGA. Pyrolysis was performed from 35 to 800 °C at the rates of 10, 15, and 20 °C/min. Biomass samples were mixed with 10 and 50

Plastic pollution presents a growing threat to marine ecosystems, with significant impacts on biodiversity and trophic interactions. This study investigated the distribution, abundance, and ecological implications of buoyant plastics in the offshore waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago over a 12-month period. A total of 178 ship-based visual surveys were conducted, covering 6898 km. The average annual abundance of buoyant plastics was 78.94 ± 14 items km⁻2, with Flexible Packaging Plastics (FPP) and Miscellaneous Plastics (MP) comprising 43.4

The primary objective of this research was to assess microplastics (MPs) in the sediments of Chilika lake. MPs were extracted from 22 sediment samples using the density separation method combined with vacuum pump filtration. A stereo-zoom microscope and Raman spectroscopy were employed to identify the sediment-associated MPs. The total MPs collected from all 22 sites was 440 ± 3.53 particles kg-1 wet sediments, with sizes ranging between 50 and 500 μm. In terms of morphology, fibers and fragments emerged as the dominant MP types, with counts of 210 ± 1.66 and 175 ± 1.76 particles kg-1 wet sediments, respectively. Raman spectroscopy verified the presence of various MP polymers in the sediments, predominantly HDPE (37 %), followed by PS (20 %), PET (18 %), PA (11 %), PP (7 %), and PC (7 %). A notable color variation was observed in MPs; black being the most prevalent (38.8 %), succeeded by blue (19.5 %), green (11.8 %), white (11.5 %), red (10.6 %), and transparent (7.5 %). ANOVA results indicated significant (p > 0.05) variations in MP abundance across the 22 sampling locations. However, principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression analysis indicated that water quality parameters did not significantly influence MP abundance, yet it was found that MP retention was higher in fine-grained sediments like clay and silt. The leading sources of MPs in Chilika lake were found to be aquafarming, trailed by river and sewage discharges, fishing activities, antifouling coatings and tourism. Additionally, the pollution load index (PLI) was employed to gauge the ecological risks, categorizing the lake under risk category 1, which implies a minimal level of MPs pollution. This research aims to serve as an early warning system for MPs pollution in productive brackish water habitats globally, including Chilika lake, guiding policymakers towards appropriate management strategies and preventive measures.

Utilization of organic wastewater for hydrogen production has dual advantages of clean energy generation and bioremediation which is sustainable for a longer period. To maximize the energy recovery from starch rich wastewater, a two stage system comprising of thermophilic dark fermentation coupled with microbial fuel cell was employed. A single parameter optimization strategy was implemented for the operation of the batch system. The maximum cumulative hydrogen production obtained was 2.56 L L −1 with a 48 % reduction in COD under the optimal conditions of 35 g L −1 initial substrate concentration (COD), temperature 60 o C, and pH 6.5. The H 2 yield and H 2 production rate were 6.8 mol H 2 /kg COD reduced and 731.3 mL L −1 h −1 respectively. The effect of the organic loading rate (OLR) on H 2 production rate was studied in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). A maximum hydrogen production rate of 913 mL L −1 h −1 was observed at an OLR of 5.6 g L − 1 h −1 . Effluent recycle played an important role in the improvement of H 2 production. A maximum H 2 production rate of 1224 mL L −1 h −1 was observed at a recycle ratio of 0.6. Power density of 4.2 W m −3 was observed with MFC using the dark fermentative spent media neutralized with carbonate buffer at an optimal pH of 7. A total COD reduction of 86% was observed.

The present study focused on the surface modification of conventional polypropylene (PP) biocarrier via chemical oxidation and calcium coating for the azo dye degradation. The chemical treatment resulted in the hydrophobic PP (contact angle of 94.) into a hydrophilic material (contact angle of 70.), which ultimately enhanced the bacterial adhesion. In addition, the batch study revealed that the quantity of fixed biomass and the extracellular polymeric substance secretion was increased by 1.51 and 2.13 times, respectively, in the case of the modified biocarrier (i.e., KMNO4-Ca-PP). The performance of the biocarriers for Acid blue 113 dye removal was studied in moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) systems by optimizing process parameters, namely dye concentration and hydraulic retention time. The modified biocarriers filled MBBR showed maximum dye removal efficiency of 83.75 % at optimized conditions. Moreover, the modified Stover-Kincannon and Monod models were well fitted with the experimental values.

Citrus species exhibit many important natural bioactive compounds, such as ascorbic acid, essential oils, and antioxidant substances. Citrus essential oils are a complex mixture of volatile and non-volatile compounds obtained from the citrus fruit peel, which are discarded as waste. These citrus peels are a rich source of essential oils having medicinal benefits such as antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. An experiment was carried out on two Citrus species (Citrus reticulata cv. (kinnow) and Citrus X sinensis (orange)) peel powder to study the essential oil composition. The kinnow and orange peels were dried using the sun and tray drying method and were compared. The peel powder obtained by sun and tray drying was tested for antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, TPC activity, and ascorbic acid activity). The essential oil was extracted from peel powder using a sustainable hydro-distillation technique. The results revealed that the highest yield was obtained in tray-dried orange peel powder (9.98%), followed by tray-dried kinnow peel powder (9.70%). The bioactive composition of the extracted essential oils was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The kinnow and orange peel essential oil composition was predominated with d-limonene, terpenoids, and sesquiterpenes, enhancing its medicinal value. Thus, this study developed a green, sustainable, and eco-friendly hydro-distillation technique for citrus essential oil extraction.

Litchi tree is planted in several countries of the world for its juicy fruit. For the estimated total annual global litchi production of 2.7 million tons, around 0.54 million tons of seeds as well as a sizeable amount of skin are generated as waste. This renewable waste biomass can be effectively used as the feedstock for recovering energy and obtaining several value-added products. In the present work, the fuel and thermochemical characteristics and thermal degradation behavior of acid- and alkali-treated litchi seed biomass were systematically investigated and compared for the first time. The average and maximum rate of mass losses, peak temperature and pyrolysis factor had been evaluated to assess the reactivity of the treated biomass. It had been observed that acid and alkali treatments improved the higher heating value and changed the thermal degradation behavior. The thermogravimetric (TG)/differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) data obtained at the heating rates of 20, 25 and 30 °C min−1 were used to evaluate the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters using iso-conversional models of Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, Tang and Starink. The Criado method had been used to elucidate the prevailing thermal degradation reaction mechanisms at different fractional conversions. The average activation energy of the acid-treated biomass increased, and that of the alkali-treated biomass decreased compared to that of the untreated biomass.

Thermochemical parameters of A4-sized printing paper (AP), filter paper (FP), newspaper (NP), writing paper (WP), and reed pith (RP) samples were estimated using standard protocol to identify its fuel characteristics, and thermal degradation of the same was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) techniques in the temperature range of 30–800 °C at the heating rates of 10, 15, and 20 °C/min under nitrogen atmosphere. The curves of TGA and DTG exhibited four significant stages. Maximum weight loss was found to be in the second stage. Kinetic analysis was carried out in the conversion range of 0.1 to 0.7 using iso-conversational models of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Vyazovkin, and Vyazovkin AIC (V.AIC). The average activation energies were found to be 139.90, 115.93, 212.52, 257.41, and 241.63 kJ/mol using FWO; 129.73, 103.06, 202.46, 248.38, and 231.55 kJ/mol using KAS; 145.57, 134.00, 195.29, 256, and 241.63 kJ/mol using Vyazovkin; and 140.71, 133.86, 193.14, 247.57, and 190.14 kJ/mol using Vyazovkin AIC model. Thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy change (ΔH), Gibbs free energy change (ΔG), and entropy change (ΔS)) using these models have been evaluated.

The objective of this work was to develop a low-cost and efficient biocarrier for biodegradation of azo dye (i.e., Congo red (CR) dye). The potential bacterial species, i.e., Lysinibacillus fusiformis KLM1 and Lysinibacillus macrolides KLM2, were isolated from the dye-contaminated site. These bacterial species were immobilized onto the polypropylene-polyurethane foam (PP-PUF) and employed in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for the treatment of CR dye. The effectiveness of the MBBR was investigated by operating the bioreactor in a continuous mode at various initial CR dye concentrations (50–250 mg/L) for 113 days. The removal efficiency was found in the range of 88.4–64.6% when the initial dye concentration was varied from 50 to 250 mg/L. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 213.18 mg/L.d was found at 250 mg/L of CR dye concentration. In addition, the CR dye utilization rate in the MBBR was studied by using two kinetics, namely, first-order and second-order (Grau) models. The high regression coefficients (R2 > 0.97) and the satisfactory root mean square (RMSE) values (0.00096–0.02610) indicated the reasonable prediction of CR dye degradation rate by the Grau model.

Effect of pre-treatment of tender coconut fruit bio-mass powder with hot water on physico-chemical properties and thermal degradation behavior were investigated. The physico-chemical parameters were evaluated using ASTM standard protocols. The thermal degradation behavior was studied at heating rates of 10, 15 and 20oC/min under inert (N2) atmospheric conditions using TG/DTG techniques. The activation energies at each heating rate were determined using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Starink, and Tang models. The pre-treatment with hot water improved the proximate and ultimate analyses parameters and calorific value. The higher heating values (HHV) for untreated and treated tender coconut fruit biomass were 18.57 and 21.26 kJ/kg, respectively. The values of activation energy (Eα) for the un-treated biomass powder were estimated to be 389.25, 397.81 and 398.77 and 397.97kJ/mol for FWO, KAS, Tang, and Starink models, respectively and for the treated biomass these were 125.43, 118.61, 118.99 and 118.94kJ/mol, respectively. On an average the Eα of the treated coconut biomass was nearly three times lower than that for the untreated biomass. The results indicated that pre-treatment with hot water improved the fuel characteristics and thermal degradation behavior of the tender coconut shell biomass. The water extract exhibited high COD and BOD values and might be used as the feed-stock for biogas generation.

4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) is a persistent organic pollutant commonly found in petrochemical effluents. It causes toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on human beings and aquatic lives. Therefore, an environmentally benign and cost-effective approach is needed against such pollutants. In this direction, the chlorophenol degrading bacterial consortium consisting of Bacillus flexus GS1 IIT (BHU) and Bacillus cereus GS2 IIT (BHU) was isolated from a refinery site. A composite biocarrier namely polypropylene-polyurethane foam (PP-PUF) was developed for bacterial cells immobilization purpose. A lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) packed with Bacillus sp. immobilized PP-PUF biocarrier was employed to analyse the effect of peptone on biodegradation of 4-CP. The statistical tool, i.e. response surface methodology (RSM), was used to optimize the process variables (4-CP concentration, peptone concentration and hydraulic retention time). The higher values of peptone concentration and hydraulic retention time were found to be favourable for maximum removal of 4-CP. At the optimized process conditions, the maximum removals of 4-CP and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were obtained to be 91.07 and 75.29%, respectively. In addition, three kinetic models, i.e. second-order, Monod and modified Stover-Kincannon models, were employed to investigate the behaviour of MBBR during 4-CP biodegradation. The high regression coefficients obtained by the second-order and modified Stover-Kincannon models showed better accuracy for estimating substrate degradation kinetics. The phytotoxicity study supported that the Vigna radiata seeds germinated in treated wastewater showed higher growth (i.e. radicle and plumule) than the untreated wastewater.

The finite nature, regional availability, and environmental problems associated with the use of fossil fuels have forced all countries of the world to look for renewable eco-friendly alternatives. Agricultural waste biomasses, generated through the cultivation of cereal and noncereal crops, are being considered renewable and viable alternatives to fossil fuels. In view of this, there has been a global spurt in research efforts for using abundantly available agricultural wastes as feedstocks for obtaining energy and value-added products through biochemical and thermal conversion routes. In the present work, the thermochemical characteristics and thermal degradation behavior of sugarcane leaves (SCL) and tops were studied. The batch pyrolysis was carried out in a fixed-bed tubular reactor to obtain biochar, bio-oil, and pyrolytic gas. Effects of bed height (4-16 cm), particle size (0.180-0.710 mm), heating rate (15-30 degrees C/min), and temperature (350-650 degrees C) were investigated. The maximum yields of bio-oil (44.7%), biogas (36.67%), and biochar (36.82%) were obtained at 550, 650, and 350 degrees C, respectively, for a 16 cm deep bed of particles of size 0.18-0.30 mm at the heating rate of 25 degrees C/min. The composition of bio-oil was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Several aliphatic, aromatic, phenolic, ketonic, and other acidic compounds were found in the bio-oil. The biochar had a highly porous structure and several micronutrients, making it useful as a soil conditioner. In the middle temperature ranges, biogas had more methane and CO and less hydrogen, but at higher temperatures, hydrogen was predominant.

Wound healing is a natural process. The integrity of the skin and injured tissue restoration include many cellular and biochemical phenomena. There are different kinds of conventional dosage forms that are utilised for the wound healing process. Apart from various conventional dosage forms, herbal therapies are gaining more importance nowadays. The herbal therapies are known for their non-habitual nature and have very less side effects as compared to conventional dosage forms. Recently, asiaticoside, an important chemical constituent of gotu kola that is extracted by different methods, is being utilised in wound healing. Asiaticoside has excellent wound healing capability. There are many studies on asiaticoside which reveal that it is a gold herbal compound that is used in the management of wound. Apart from its wound healing activity it also shows antidepressant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic action. This review article gives a comprehensive detail of asiaticoside and its various pharmacological actions and pharmacognostic features.

Thermal degradation kinetics of peanut shell (PS) biomass has been investigated at the heating rates of 10, 15, and 20 degrees C/min using thermo-gravimetric (TG) and differential thermo-gravimetric (DTG) analyses techniques in the temperature range of ambient to 800 degrees C. The iso-conversional methods of Flynn-Ozawa-Wall (FOW), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Starink, Tang, Vyazovkin, and Vyazovkin AIC have yielded activation energy E alpha,varying from 186 to 226.97 kJ/mol. Effects of heating rate, temperature and nitrogen gas flow rate on the biochar and bio-oil yields have been investigated using a fixed bed batch pyrolyser. The Box-Behenken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to optimize the process parameters. The average values of bio-oil and bio-char yields at the optimum conditions have been found to be 43.24 and 28.25 %, respectively. The product bio-oil is highly acidic and has the higher heating value (HHV) of 26.49 MJ/kg and the bio-char is rich in micronutrients.

Pyrolysis of dry kitchen waste (KW) has been investigated using TGA/DTG, DSC, and lab-scale fixed-bed pyrolyser. Thermal characterization of the dry kitchen waste (KW) was carried out using standard protocols. The pyrolysis has been carried out at three different heating rates of 15, 20, and 40 °C/min from room temperature to 1000 °C. Kinetic analysis of the pyrolysis process using TGA data has been carried using iso-conversional model-free methods of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Tang, and Starink methods as well as model fitting method of Coats–Redfern. The pyrolysis for liquid yield (bio-oil) of pelletized KW was also performed at 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C at a single heating rate of 15 °C/min in an inert atmosphere using a lab-scale fixed-bed pyrolyser. The maximum bio-oil yield (29.52

Photocatalysis is an effective way to control industrial pollution and it is extensively used for the removal of various pollutants from wastewater. A metal-free conjugated polymer graphitic carbon nitride (g – C3N4) with its unique structure is becoming a new research hotspot in photocatalysis. Thermal heating of carbon-rich polymer, template-based method, and sol-gel method are the synthesis techniques discussed for g – C3N4 photocatalyst. Modification techniques like chemical functionalization and doping focused on enhancing the photocatalytic activity. Also, g – C3N4-based photocatalyst composites are discussed in this chapter. The effects of different parameters were discussed, such as initial pH, catalyst loading, light intensity, irradiation time, and scavengers. The modified g – C3N4 composites have better photocatalytic activity for dye degradation.

In this study, stems of Argemone maxicana (AM) were used to produce biochar for Zn(II) ion adsorption from aqueous solution in a batch experiment mode. The AM biochar was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-Energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in order to use as an adsorbent. The effect of parameters such as adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH of the solution, initial concentration of Zn(II) ion in aqueous solution, and temperature on the removal efficiency of Zn(II) ion was investigated. The results of batch experiments showed that the percentage removal of Zn(II) ion increases as pH increases from 2.10 to 6.12. The results of contact time experiments revealed that removal efficiency increases and reached equilibrium at 110 min after which no more adsorption takes place. Percentage removal increases with adsorbent dosage. Initially the concentration of Zn(II) ion was varied from 10 to 50 mg/L, and the highest percentage removal was obtained at 10 mg/L. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms have been used to examine the experimental results. Kinetic analysis was carried using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The thermodynamic study indicated that the process is spontaneous and exothermic.