Distinctive toxic repercussions of polystyrene nano plastic towards aquatic non target species Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp and Daphnia magna.

The widespread application of plastics and its eventual degradation to micro-sized or nano-sized plastics has led to several environmental concerns. Moreover, nanoplastics can easily cascade through the food chain accumulating in the aquatic organisms. Thus, our study focussed on investigating the hazardous impact of nano-sized plastics on aquatic species including Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp, and Daphnia magna. Various concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics ranging from 0.01 mg/L to 100 mg/L were tested against Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp, and Daphnia magna. The minimum inhibitory concentration of polystyrene nanoplastics in Nitrobacter vulgaris was found to be 25 mg/L, and in Daphnia magna, the median lethal concentration 50 was observed to be 64.02 mg/L. Exposure of Scenedesmus sp with increasing nanoplastic concentrations showed a significant decrease in total protein (p < 0.001), and chlorophyll content (p < 0.01), whereas the lipid peroxidation increased (p < 0.001) significantly. Similarly, Nitrobacter vulgaris and Daphnia magna showed a significant decrease in catalase activity (p < 0.001) and an increase in lipid peroxidation levels (p < 0.01). Concomitant with lipid peroxidation results, decreased superoxide dismutase levels (p < 0.01) and protein concentrations (p < 0.01) were observed in Daphnia magna. Besides, the increasing concentration of polystyrene nanoplastics displayed an elevated mortality rate in Scenedesmus sp (p < 0.001) and Nitrobacter vulgaris (p < 0.01). Further, scanning electron microscopy analysis substantiated the morphological alterations in Nitrobacter vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp on exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics.

Sustainable production of biofuels from the algae-derived biomass.

The worldwide fossil fuel reserves are rapidly and continually being depleted as a result of the rapid increase in global population and rising energy sector needs. Fossil fuels should not be used carelessly since they produce greenhouse gases, air pollution, and global warming, which leads to ecological imbalance and health risks. The study aims to discuss the alternative renewable energy source that is necessary to meet the needs of the global energy industry in the future. Both microalgae and macroalgae have great potential for several industrial applications. Algae-based biofuels can surmount the inadequacies presented by conventional fuels, thereby reducing the 'food versus fuel' debate. Cultivation of algae can be performed in all three systems; closed, open, and hybrid frameworks from which algal biomass is harvested, treated and converted into the desired biofuels. Among these, closed photobioreactors are considered the most efficient system for the cultivation of algae. Different types of closed systems can be employed for the cultivation of algae such as stirred tank photobioreactor, flat panel photobioreactor, vertical column photobioreactor, bubble column photobioreactor, and horizontal tubular photobioreactor. The type of cultivation system along with various factors, such as light, temperature, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and pH affect the yield of algal biomass and hence the biofuel production. Algae-based biofuels present numerous benefits in terms of economic growth. Developing a biofuel industry based on algal cultivation can provide us with a lot of socio-economic advantages contributing to a publicly maintainable result. This article outlines the third-generation biofuels, how they are cultivated in different systems, different influencing factors, and the technologies for the conversion of biomass. The benefits provided by these new generation biofuels are also discussed. The development of algae-based biofuel would not only change environmental pollution control but also benefit producers' economic and social advancement.

A systematic review on potential microbial carbohydrases: current and future perspectives.

Various studies have shown that the microbial proteins are often more stable than belongs to other sources like plant and animal origin. Hence, the interest in microbial enzymes has gained much attention due to many potential applications like bioenergy, biofuel production, biobleaching, bioconversion and so on. Additionally, recent trends revealed that the interest in isolating novel microbes from harsh environments have been the main focus of many scientists for various applications. Basically, industrially important enzymes can be categorized into mainly three groups: carbohydrases, proteases, and lipases. Among those, the enzymes especially carbohydrases involved in production of sugars. Carbohydrases include amylases, xylanases, pectinases, cellulases, chitinases, mannases, laccases, ligninases, lactase, glucanase, and glucose oxidase. Thus, here, an approach has been made to highlight five enzymes namely amylase, cellulase, laccase, pectinase, and xylanase from different sources with special emphasis on their properties, mechanism, applications, production optimization, purification, molecular approaches for its enhanced and stable production, and also biotechnological perspectives of its future development. Also, green and sustainable catalytic conversion strategies using nanoparticles of these enzymes have also been discussed. This review will provide insight into the carbohydrases importance and their usefulness that will help to the researchers working in this field.

Algae bioprocess to deal with cosmetic chemical pollutants in natural ecosystems: A comprehensive review.

Elevated demand and extensive exploitation of cosmetics in day-to-day life have hiked up its industrial productions worldwide. Organic and inorganic chemicals like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and so forth are being applied as constituents towards the formulations, which tend to be the mainspring ecological complication due to their enduring nature and accumulation properties in various sections of the ecosystem. These cosmetic chemicals get accrued into the terrestrial and aquatic systems on account of various anthropogenic activities involving agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and domestic effluents. Recently, the use of microbes for remediating persistent cosmetic chemicals has gained immense interest. Among different forms of the microbial community being applied as an environmental beneficiary, algae play a vital role in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by their biologically beneficial metabolites and molecules, resulting in the biobenign and efficacious consequences. The use of various bacterial, fungal, and higher plant species has been studied intensely for their bioremediation elements. The bioremediating property of the algal cells through biosorption, bioassimilation, biotransformation, and biodegradation has made it favorable for the removal of persistent and toxic pollutants from the environment. However, the research investigation concerned with the bioremediation potential of the algal kingdom is limited. This review summarizes and provides updated and comprehensive insights into the potential remediation capabilities of algal species against ecologically hazardous pollutants concerning cosmetic chemicals.

A comprehensive review on the influence of light on signaling cross-talk and molecular communication against phyto-microbiome interactions.

Generally, plant growth, development, and their productivity are mainly affected by their growth rate and also depend on environmental factors such as temperature, pH, humidity, and light. The interaction between plants and pathogens are highly specific. Such specificity is well characterized by plants and pathogenic microbes in the form of a molecular signature such as pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) and microbes-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), which in turn trigger systemic acquired immunity in plants. A number of Arabidopsis mutant collections are available to investigate molecular and physiological changes in plants under the presence of different light conditions. Over the past decade(s), several studies have been performed by selecting Arabidopsis thaliana under the influence of red, green, blue, far/far-red, and white light. However, only few phenotypic and molecular based studies represent the modulatory effects in plants under the influence of green and blue lights. Apart from this, red light (RL) actively participates in defense mechanisms against several pathogenic infections. This evolutionary pattern of light sensitizes the pathologist to analyze a series of events in plants during various stress conditions of the natural and/or the artificial environment. This review scrutinizes the literature where red, blue, white, and green light (GL) act as sensory systems that affects physiological parameters in plants. Generally, white and RL are responsible for regulating various defense mechanisms, but, GL also participates in this process with a robust impact! In addition to this, we also focus on the activation of signaling pathways (salicylic acid and jasmonic acid) and their influence on plant immune systems against phytopathogen(s).

Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Sites: Eco-environmental Concerns, Field Studies, Sustainability Issues, and Future Prospects.

Environmental contamination due to heavy metals (HMs) is of serious ecotoxicological concern worldwide because of their increasing use at industries. Due to non-biodegradable and persistent nature, HMs cause serious soil/water pollution and severe health hazards in living beings upon exposure. HMs can be genotoxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic in nature even at low concentration. They may also act as endocrine disruptors and induce developmental as well as neurological disorders, and thus, their removal from our natural environment is crucial for the rehabilitation of contaminated sites. To cope with HM pollution, phytoremediation has emerged as a low-cost and eco-sustainable solution to conventional physicochemical cleanup methods that require high capital investment and labor alter soil properties and disturb soil microflora. Phytoremediation is a green technology wherein plants and associated microbes are used to remediate HM-contaminated sites to safeguard the environment and protect public health. Hence, in view of the above, the present paper aims to examine the feasibility of phytoremediation as a sustainable remediation technology for the management of metal-contaminated sites. Therefore, this paper provides an in-depth review on both the conventional and novel phytoremediation approaches; evaluates their efficacy to remove toxic metals from our natural environment; explores current scientific progresses, field experiences, and sustainability issues; and revises world over trends in phytoremediation research for its wider recognition and public acceptance as a sustainable remediation technology for the management of contaminated sites in the twenty-first century.

Novel pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives inhibit human cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by ROS generation.

The paucity of effective anticancer drugs for successful treatment is a major concern, indicating the strong need for novel therapeutic compounds. In the quest of new molecules, the present study aimed to explore the potential of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as antiproliferative agents. In vitro anticancer screening of selected compounds was done by the National Cancer Institute's Developmental Therapeutics Programme against a panel of 60 cancer cell lines. The lead compound PP-31d considerably inhibited the growth of cancer cells, such as NCI-H460 (non-small-cell lung cancer), OVCAR-4 (ovarian cancer), 786-0 (renal cancer), A549 (non-small-cell lung cancer), and ACHN (renal cancer), showing strong anticancer potential, among other derivatives. Kinetic studies of PP-31d on NCI-H460 cells revealed a dose-dependent effect with an IC50 of 2 µM. The observed inhibition by PP-31d is attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species and the subsequent induction of cellular apoptosis, as evidenced by the increase in the hypodiploid (subG1) population, the early apoptotic cell population, and caspase-3/7 activity, the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and the degradation of nuclear DNA. Collectively, our results demonstrated that pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives inhibit cancer cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis and, thus, have the potential to be further explored for anticancer properties.

Deterministic and stochastic processes driving the shift in the prokaryotic community composition in wastewater treatment plants of a coastal Chinese city.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) rely mainly on the microbial assemblages to contribute significantly for the removal of organic pollutants and nutrients. However, limited information is available on the ecological driving forces underlying the turnover of prokaryotic communities across wastewater treatment processes (i.e., from influents (IFs) and effluents (EFs)) within WWTPs. Here, we used a combination of the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and a quantitative ecological null model analysis to explore the ecological processes governing the turnover of the prokaryotic communities and the dominant taxonomic taxa across wastewater treatment processes of five full-scale WWTPs in China. Our results indicated that a significant variation in the composition of prokaryotic communities and the dominant taxa between IFs and EFs. The analysis of the environmental sources of indicator OTUs showed that a relatively lower abundance of the sludge/sewage and human guts associated OTUs in EFs than in IFs. Ecological null models revealed that among the ecological processes, deterministic processes were dominant in controlling the turnover of the overall communities from IFs to EFs, whereas the relative importance of deterministic processes varied among the dominant taxa (i.e., Bacteroidetes > Proteobacteria > Gammaproteobacteria > Firmicutes > Betaproteobacteria). However, the assembly of IF and EF communities was influenced mainly by the deterministic and stochastic processes, respectively. In addition, our results indicated that EF communities have a higher phylogenetic diversity than those of the IF communities, but the abundance of prokaryotic 16S rRNA genes was lower in EFs than in IFs. Overall, our study provides a novel insight of the assembly mechanisms underlying the turnover of prokaryotic communities during wastewater treatment processes.

VOCs-mediated hormonal signaling and crosstalk with plant growth promoting microbes.

In the natural environment, plants communicate with various microorganisms (pathogenic or beneficial) and exhibit differential responses. In recent years, research on microbial volatile compounds (MVCs) has revealed them to be simple, effective and efficient groups of compounds that modulate plant growth and developmental processes. They also interfere with the signaling process. Different MVCs have been shown to promote plant growth via improved photosynthesis rates, increased plant resistance to pathogens, activated phytohormone signaling pathways, or, in some cases, inhibit plant growth, leading to death. Regardless of these exhibited roles, the molecules responsible, the underlying mechanisms, and induced specific metabolic/molecular changes are not fully understood. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of MVCs on plants, with particular emphasis on their modulation of the salicylic acid, jasmonic acid/ethylene, and auxin signaling pathways. Additionally, opportunities for further research and potential practical applications presented.

Degradation and decolourization potential of an ligninolytic enzyme producing Aeromonas hydrophila for crystal violet dye and its phytotoxicity evaluation.

This study deals the biodegradation of crystal violet dye by a ligninolytic enzyme producing bacterium isolated from textile wastewater that was characterized and identified as Aeromonas hydrophila based on the 16 S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The degradation of crystal violet dye was studied under different environmental and nutritional conditions, and results showed that the isolated bacterium was effective to decolourize 99% crystal violet dye at pH 7 and temperature 35 °C in presence of sucrose and yeast extract as C and N source, respectively. This bacterium also produced lignin peroxidase and laccase enzyme, which were characterized by the SDS-PAGE analysis and found to have the molecular weight of ~ 40 and ~ 60 kDa, respectively. Further, the GC-MS analysis showed that CV dye was biotransformed into phenol, 2, 6-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl), 2',6'-dihydroxyacetophenone and benzene by the isolated bacterium and the toxicity of CV dye was reduced upto a significant level as it showed 60%, 56.67% and 46.67% inhibition in seed germination. But, after the bacterial degradation/decolourization, it showed only 43.33%, 36.67% and 16.67% inhibition in seed germination after 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. Thus, this study concluded that the isolated bacterium has high potential for the degradation/decolourization of CV dye as well to reduce its toxicity upto a significant level.

Characterization and Identification of Recalcitrant Organic Pollutants (ROPs) in Tannery Wastewater and Its Phytotoxicity Evaluation for Environmental Safety.

Tannery wastewater (TWW) is of serious environmental concern to pollution control authorities, because it contains highly toxic, recalcitrant organic and inorganic pollutants. The nature and characteristics of recalcitrant organic pollutants (ROPs) are not fully explored to date. Hence, the purpose of this study was to characterize and identify the ROPs present in the treated TWW. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data analysis showed the presence of a variety of ROPs in the treated TWW. Results unfolded that benzyl chloride, butyl octyl phthalate, 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid 3TMS, dibutyl phthalate, benzyl alcohol, benzyl butyl phthalate, 4-chloro-3-methyl phenol, phthalic acid, 2'6'-dihydroxyacetophenone, diisobutyl phthalate, 4-biphenyltrimethylsiloxane, di-(-2ethy hexyl)phthalate, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dibenzyl phthalate, and nonylphenol were present in the treated TWW. Due to endocrine disrupting nature and aquatic toxicity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classified many of these as "priority pollutants" and restricted their use in leather industries. In addition, the physicochemical analysis of the treated TWW also showed very high BOD, COD, and TDS values along with high Cr and Pb content beyond the permissible limits for industrial discharge. Furthermore, phytotoxicity assessment unfolds the inhibitory effects of TWW on the seed germination, seedling growth parameters, and α-amylase activity in Phaseolus aureus L. This indicates that the TWW discharged even after secondary treatment into the environment has very high pollution parameters and may cause a variety of serious health threats in living beings upon exposure. Overall, the results reported in this study will be helpful for the proper treatment and management of TWW to combat the environmental threats.

Biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole in bacteria from three different origins.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a common medicine prescribed to treat infections. Due to vast use, SMX has been detected in different parts of the world. Hence, it has become a high risk because of its long term persistence with high biological activity in the ecosystem. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of SMX degradation in different genus of bacteria, which is presently unclear. In the present study, degradation of 5 mg L-1 SMX was studied in three isolated pure bacterial cultures, Ochrobactrum sp. SMX-PM1-SA1, Labrys sp. SMX-W1-SC11 and Gordonia sp. SMX-W2-SCD14 and results showed up to 45.2%, 62.2% and 51.4% degradation, respectively within 288 h. Additionally, strain SA1 and strain SCD14 showed up to 66.2% and 69.2% of 4-aminophenol degradation at an initial concentration of 5 mg L-1 within 216 h whereas Labrys sp. SMX-W1-SC11 completely degraded 4-aminophenol at the same concentration within 120 h. Moreover, all three pure bacteria also completely degraded 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole at initial concentration of 4 mg L-1 within 120 h. Furthermore, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis results revealed that 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole, 4-aminophenol and hydroquinone were the three main by-products of SMX catabolism. In addition, cell free extracts of both Labrys sp. SMX-W1-SC11 and Gordonia sp. SMX-W2-SCD14 showed hydroquinone dioxygenase activity. Besides, all three bacterial strains showed resistance to different heavy metals. Moreover, all three pure bacterial cultures also showed positive chemotactic response toward 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole and hydroquinone based on the drop plate assay. The results of this study recommend these microorganisms for bioremediation of SMX contaminated sites.

Strong impact of anthropogenic contamination on the co-occurrence patterns of a riverine microbial community.

Although the health of rivers is threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors with increasing frequency, it remains an open question how riverine microbial communities respond to emerging micropollutants. Here, by using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing of 60 water samples collected during different hydrological seasons, we investigated the spatio-temporal variation and the co-occurrence patterns of microbial communities in the anthropogenically impacted Jiulong River in China. The results indicated that the riverine microbial co-occurrence network had a nonrandom, modular structure, which was mainly shaped by the taxonomic relatedness of co-occurring species. Fecal indicator bacteria may survive for prolonged periods of time in river water, but they formed an independent module which had fewer interactions with typical freshwater bacteria. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that nutrients and micropollutants [i.e., pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)] exerted combined effects in shaping α- and ß-diversity of riverine microbial communities. Remarkably, we showed that a hitherto unrecognized disruptive effect of PPCPs on the abundance variations of central species and module communities was stronger than the influence of physicochemical factors, suggesting the key role played by micropollutants for the microbial co-occurrence relationships in lotic ecosystems. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into community assembly in aquatic environments experiencing anthropogenic stresses.

Ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in the receiving environment of pharmaceutical wastewater in Pakistan.

The pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan is growing with an annual growth rate of 10%. Besides this growth, this industry is not complying with environmental standards, and discharging its effluent into domestic wastewater network. Only limited information is available about the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) in the environmental matrices of Pakistan that has motivated us to aim at the occurrence and ecological risk assessment of 11 PCs of different therapeutic classes in the wastewater of pharmaceutical industry and in its receiving environmental matrices such as sludge, solid waste and soil samples near the pharmaceutical formulation units along Shiekhupura road, Lahore, Pakistan. Target PCs (paracetamol, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, amlodipine, rosuvastatin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, sparfloxacin and gemifloxacin) were quantified using in-house developed HPLC-UV. Ibuprofen (1673µg/L, 6046µg/kg, 1229µg/kg and 610µg/kg), diclofenac (836µg/L, 4968µg/kg, 6632µg/kg and 257µg/kg) and naproxen (464µg/L, 7273µg/kg, 4819µg/kg and 199µg/kg) showed the highest concentrations among 11 target PCs in wastewater, sludge, solid waste and soil samples, respectively. Ecological risk assessment, in terms of risk quotient (RQ), was also carried out based on the maximum measured concentration of PCs in wastewater. The maximum RQ values obtained were with paracetamol (64 against daphnia), naproxen (177 against fish), diclofenac (12,600 against Oncorhynchus mykiss), ibuprofen (167,300 against Oryzias latipes), ofloxacin (81,000 against Pseudomonas putida) and ciprofloxacin (440 against Microcystis aeruginosa). These results show a high level of ecological risk due to the discharge of untreated wastewater from pharmaceutical units. This risk may further lead to food web contamination and drug resistance in pathogens. Thus, further studies are needed to detect the PCs in crops as well as the government should strictly enforce environmental legislation on these pharmaceutical units.

Phytochemical analysis, GC-MS profile and determination of antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities of peel and seeds extracts (chloroform and ethyl acetate) of Tamarindus indica L.

Tamarindus indica L., is widely used tree in ayurvedic medicine. Here, we aimed to understand the presence of important constituents in seeds and peel of Tamarind fruits and their biological activities. Hence, seeds and peel of Tamarind fruits are used for further extraction process by soxhlet method (chloroform and ethyl acetate solvents). Results suggest that the ethyl acetate extract (seeds) consists of terpenoids (72.29 ± 0.513 mg/g), phenolic content (68.67 ± 2.11 mg/g) and flavonoids (26.36 ± 2.03 mg/g) whereas chloroform extract (seeds) has terpenoids (42.29 ± 0.98 mg/g). Similarly, chloroform extract (peel) has terpenoids (25.96 ± 3.20 mg/g) and flavonoids (46.36 ± 2.03 mg/g) whereas ethyl acetate extract (peel) has terpenoids (62.93 ± 0.987 mg/g). Furthermore, anti-inflammation activity results revealed that the chloroform extract of peel was found to be more effective with IC50 of 226.14 µg/ml by protein denaturation analysis and with IC50 of 245.5 µg/ml on lipoxygenase inhibition activity. Chloroform extract (peel and seeds) shown better antioxidant activity using DPPH than ethyl acetate extract (peel and seeds). Ethyl acetate extract of seeds showed impressive potency by inhibiting the growth of fungus, Candida albicans. Additionally, ethyl acetate extract of seeds showed impressive potency inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli than Bacillus cereus. GC-MS analysis shown the existence of diverse set of phytochemicals in each extract. Overall, comparative studies highlight the effectiveness of seeds extracts than peel extracts. Moreover, GC-MS results suggest that the seeds and peel extracts (chloroform and ethyl acetate) contains a wide range of compounds (including flavonoids, isovanillic acid, fatty acids and phenolic compounds) which can be utilized for therapeutic purpose.

Micro and nanoplastics pollution: Sources, distribution, uptake in plants, toxicological effects, and innovative remediation strategies for environmental sustainability.

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs), are minute particles resulting from plastic fragmentation, have raised concerns due to their widespread presence in the environment. This study investigates sources and distribution of MNPs and their impact on plants, elucidating the intricate mechanisms of toxicity. Through a comprehensive analysis, it reveals that these tiny plastic particles infiltrate plant tissues, disrupting vital physiological processes. Micro and nanoplastics impair root development, hinder water and nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and induce oxidative stress and cyto-genotoxicity leading to stunted growth and diminished crop yields. Moreover, they interfere with plant-microbe interactions essential for nutrient cycling and soil health. The research also explores the translocation of these particles within plants, raising concerns about their potential entry into the food chain and subsequent human health risks. The study underscores the urgency of understanding MNPs toxicity on plants, emphasizing the need for innovative remediation strategies such as bioremediation by algae, fungi, bacteria, and plants and eco-friendly plastic alternatives. Addressing this issue is pivotal not only for environmental conservation but also for ensuring sustainable agriculture and global food security in the face of escalating plastic pollution.

Eco-toxicity of nano-plastics and its implication on human metabolism: Current and future perspective.

In the current scenario, plastic pollution has become one of the serious environmental hazard problems due to its improper handling and insufficiency in degradation. Nanoplastics (NPs) are formed when plastic fragments are subjected to ultraviolet radiation, natural weathering, and biodegradation. This review paper focuses on the source of origin, bioaccumulation, potential nanoplastics toxicity impact towards environment and human system and management strategies towards plastic pollution. Moreover, this study demonstrates that nanoplastics interfere with metabolic pathways and cause organ dysfunction. A wide range of studies have documented the alteration of organism physiology and behavior, caused by NPs exposure. A major source of NPs exposure is via ingestion because these plastics are found in foods or food packaging, however, they can also enter the human body via inhalation but in a less well-defined form. In recent literature, the studies demonstrate the mechanisms for NP uptake, affecting factors that have been discussed followed by cytotoxic mechanisms of NPs. However, study on challenges regarding NPs toxicity for the risk assessment of human health is limited. It is important to perform and focus more on the possible impacts of NPs on human health to identify the key challenges and explore the potential impacts of their environmental accumulation and its toxicity impacts.

New insights into the bioremediation of petroleum contaminants: A systematic review.

Petroleum product is an essential resource for energy, that has been exploited by wide range of industries and regular life. A carbonaceous contamination of marine and terrestrial environments caused by errant runoffs of consequential petroleum-derived contaminants. Additionally, petroleum hydrocarbons can have adverse effects on human health and global ecosystems and also have negative demographic consequences in petroleum industries. Key contaminants of petroleum products, primarily includes aliphatic hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), resins, and asphaltenes. On environmental interaction, these pollutants result in ecotoxicity as well as human toxicity. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, DNA mutations, and protein dysfunction are a few key causative mechanisms behind the toxic impacts. Henceforth, it becomes very evident to have certain remedial strategies which could help on eliminating these xenobiotics from the environment. This brings the efficacious application of bioremediation to remove or degrade pollutants from the ecosystems. In the recent scenario, extensive research and experimentation have been implemented towards bio-benign remediation of these petroleum-based pollutants, aiming to reduce the load of these toxic molecules in the environment. This review gives a detailed overview of petroleum pollutants, and their toxicity. Methods used for degrading them in the environment using microbes, periphytes, phyto-microbial interactions, genetically modified organisms, and nano-microbial remediation. All of these methods could have a significant impact on environmental management.

Microalgae: A green eco-friendly agents for bioremediation of tannery wastewater with simultaneous production of value-added products.

Tannery wastewater (TWW) has high BOD, COD, TS and variety of pollutants like chromium, formaldehydes, biocides, oils, chlorophenols, detergents and phthalates etc. Besides these pollutants, TWW also rich source of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and sulphur etc. that can be utilized by microalgae during their growth. Direct disposal of TWW into the environment may lead severe environmental and health threats, therefore it needs to be treated adequately. Microalgae are considered as an efficient microorganisms (fast growing, adaptability and strain robustness, high surface to volume ratio, energy saving) for remediation of wastewaters with simultaneous biomass recovery and generation of value-added products (VAPs) such as biofuels, biohydrogen, biopolymer, biofertilizer, pigments, bioethanol, bioactive compounds, nutraceutical etc. Most microalgae are photosynthetic and use CO2 and light energy to synthesise carbohydrate and reduces the emission of greenhouse gasses. Microalgae are also reported to remove heavy metals and antibiotics from wastewaters by bioaccumulation, biodegradation and biosorption. Microalgal treatment can be an alternative of conventional processes with generation of VAPs. The use of biotechnology in wastewater remediation with simultaneous generation of VAPs is trending. The validation of economic viability and environmental sustainability, life cycle assessment studies and techno-economic analysis is undergoing. Thus, in this review, the characteristics of TWW and microalgae are summarized, which manifest microalgae as potential candidates for wastewater remediation with simultaneous production of VAPs. Further, the treatment mechanisms, various factors (physical, chemical, mechanical and biological etc.) affecting treatment efficiency as well as challenges associated with microalgal remediation are also discussed.

Development of a simple biogas analyzer module (BAM) for real-time biogas production monitoring.

ABSTRACTAnaerobic digestion (AD) relies on the cooperation of specific microbial communities, making it susceptible to process disruptions that could impact biogas production. In this regard, this study presents a technological solution based on the Arduino platform, in the form of a simple online monitoring system that can track the produced biogas profile, named as biogas analyzer module (BAM). The applicability of the BAM focused on monitoring the biogas produced from sugarcane vinasse inoculated with sewage sludge biodigestion processed in mesophilic conditions (38 oC), in a pH range of 6.5-7.5, and following a three-stage operational model: (i) an adaptation (168 h), (ii) complete mixing (168 h), and (iii) bio-stimulation with glycerol (192 h). Then, the lab-made BAM was used to trace the produced biogas profile, which registered a total biogas volume of 8,719.86 cm3 and biomethane concentration of 95.79% (vol.), removing 90.8% (vol) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 65.2% (vol) of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). In conclusion, the results ensured good accuracy and efficiency to the device created by comparisons with established standards (chromatographic and colorimetric methods), as well as the cost reduction. The developed device would likely be six times cheaper than what is available in the market.