Waste-derived carbon nanostructures (WD-CNs): An innovative step toward waste to treasury.

With the growing population, the accumulation of waste materials (WMs) (industrial/household waste) in the environment incessantly increases, affecting human health. Additionally, it affects the climate and ecosystem of terrestrial and water habitats, thereby needing effective management technology to control environmental pollution. In this aspect, managing these WMs to develop products that mitigate the associated issues is necessary. Researchers continue to focus on WMs management by adopting a circular economy. These WMs convert into useful/value-added products such as polymers and nanomaterials (NMs), especially carbon nanomaterials (CNs). The conversion/transformation of waste material into useful products is one of the best solutions for managing waste. Waste-derived CNs (WD-CNs) have established boundless promises for numerous applications like environmental remediation, energy, catalysts, sensors, and biomedical applications. This review paper discusses the several sources of waste material (agricultural, plastic, industrial, biomass, and other) transforming into WD-CNs, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), biochar, graphene, carbon nanofibers (CNFs), carbon dots, etc., are extensively elaborated and their application. The impact of metal doping within the WD-CNs is briefly discussed, along with their applicability to end applications.

Draft genome sequence data of a 4-nitrophenol- degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas alloputida strain PNP.

A 4-nitrophenol-degrading bacterial strain PNP was isolated from pesticide-contaminated soil collected from Lucknow. Strain PNP utilized 0.5 mM 4-nitrophenol as its carbon source and degraded it completely within 24 h with stoichiometric release of nitrite ions. Strain PNP was associated with the genus Pseudomonas in a phylogentic tree and exhibited highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Pseudomonas juntendi BML3 (99.79%) and Pseudomonas inefficax JV551A3 (99.79%). Based on values of average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization among strain PNP and its closely related type strains, it concluded that strain PNP belongs to Pseudomonas alloputida. The Illumina HiSeq platform was used to sequence the PNP genome. The draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas alloputida PNP was presented here. The total size of the draft assembly was 6,087,340 bp, distributed into 87 contigs with N50 value of 139502. The genome has an average GC content of 61.7% and contains 5461 coding sequences and 77 putative RNA genes. This Whole Genome Shotgun project has been submitted at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession JAGKJH000000000.

Development of ESAT-6 Based Immunosensor for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Early secreted antigenic target of 6 kDa (ESAT-6) has recently been identified as a biomarker for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis. We propose a stable and reusable immunosensor for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis based on the detection and quantification of ESAT-6 via cyclic voltammetry (CV). The immunosensor was synthesized by polymerizing aniline dispersed with the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and Ni nanoparticles, followed by surface modification of the electroconductive polyaniline (PANI) film with anti-ESAT-6 antibody. Physicochemical characterization of the prepared materials was performed by several analytical techniques, including FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, FT-IR, Raman, TGA, TPR, and BET surface area analysis. The antibody-modified Ni-rGO-PANI electrode exhibited an approximately linear response (R2 = 0.988) towards ESAT-6 during CV measurements over the potential range of -1 to +1 V. The lower detection limit for ESAT-6 was approximately 1.0 ng mL-1. The novelty of this study includes the development of the reusable Ni-rGO-PANI-based electrochemical immunosensor for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis. Furthermore, this study successfully demonstrates that electro-conductive PANI may be used as a polymeric substrate for Ni nanoparticles and rGO.

A nickel oxide-decorated in situ grown 3-D graphitic forest engrained carbon foam electrode for microbial fuel cells.

A facile and single-step nickel oxide-dispersed in situ grown 3-D graphitic forest engrained carbon foam (NiO-CNF-CF)-based electrode was fabricated for high-performance microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The metal oxide, graphitic contents, biocompatibility, stability and large surface area available in the material for biofilm formation rendered the prepared electrode competent for wastewater treatment and bioenergy (0.79 V and 1.955 W m-2) generation with a coulombic efficiency of 85.66%.

Draft genome sequence data of a chromium reducing bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis strain KNP.

A chromium-reducing bacterium designated as strain KNP was isolated from a sample collected from a tannery effluent of Kanpur, India. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain KNP belonged to the Bacillus genus and showed 100% similarity with Bacillus licheniformis. Furthermore, average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization between strain KNP and its closely related strains confirmed its affiliation with Bacillus licheniformis species. Whole-genome sequencing of Bacillus licheniformis KNP was performed using the Illumina Hiseq platform. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Bacillus licheniformis KNP. The total size of the draft assembly was 4,280,093 bp, distributed into 21 contigs with an N50 value of 4,186,229. The genome has 45.9% G + C content, 4255 coding sequences and 86 putative RNA genes. This Whole Genome Shotgun project has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession JACDXS000000000. The version described in this paper is version JACDXS010000000.

Efficient electro-oxidation of diclofenac persistent organic pollutant in wastewater using carbon film-supported Cu-rGO electrode.

Gradually increasing concentrations of diclofenac (DCF), a widely used anti-inflammatory drug, in water bodies is an emerging concern because of the persistent characteristics and harmful environmental impact of the drug molecule. In this study, electro-oxidation using a novel copper (Cu) - reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrode is indicated to be an efficient technology for treating DFC-laden wastewater. The Cu-rGO dispersed carbon film (∼1 mm thickness) is synthesized by carbonization and H2-reduction of a phenolic polymeric film in situ dispersed with a Cu salt and GO. The synthesized self-standing carbon film electrode is used for electro-oxidation of aqueous DCF. Analytical microscopic techniques are used to study the physicochemical properties of the material. Cyclic voltammetry analysis shows the prepared electrode generating a high oxidative current response. Approximately 100% DCF degradation is measured within 1 h at 1 V constant biased potential. Dual roles of Cu-rGO are presented as rGO facilitating direct oxidation via enhanced electron mobility at the electrode surface and Cu nanoparticles (NPs) participating in indirect oxidation by generating OH radicals in aqueous phase. The Cu NPs show an over-potential of -0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl (100 mM KCl) for oxygen evolution, indicating indirect oxidation of DCF. The high non-faradic current density of 4 mA cm-2 generated at the positive potential (1 V) indicates direct oxidation of DCF. This study clearly indicates electro-oxidation using the Cu-rGO-dispersed carbon film electrode to be an efficient technique for remediation of pharmaceutical pollutants-contaminated wastewater.