Waves of change: Electrochemical innovations for environmental management and resource recovery from water - A review.

Environmental electrochemistry and water resource recovery are covered in this review. The study discusses the growing field's scientific basis, methods, and applications, focusing on innovative remediation tactics. Environmental electrochemistry may solve water pollution and extract resources. Electrochemical methods may effectively destroy or convert pollutants. This method targets heavy metals, organic compounds, and emerging water contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and microplastics, making it versatile. Environmental electrochemistry and resource recovery synergize to boost efficiency and sustainability. Innovative electrochemical methods can extract or synthesise metals, nutrients, and energy from wastewater streams, decreasing treatment costs and environmental effect. The study discusses electrocoagulation, electrooxidation, and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes and their mechanics and performance. Additionally, it discusses current electrode materials, reactor designs, and process optimisation tactics to improve efficiency and scalability. Resource recovery in electrochemical remediation methods is also examined for economic and environmental feasibility. Through critical examination of case studies and techno-economic evaluations, it explains the pros and cons of scaling up these integrated techniques. This study covers environmental electrochemistry and resource recovery's fundamental foundations, technology advances, and sustainable water management consequences.

Polyurethane degradation by extracellular urethanase producing bacterial isolate Moraxella catarrhalis strain BMPPS3.

Plastic waste has become a global issue and a threat to the ecosystem. The present study isolated polyurethane (PU) degrading bacterial species from soil dumped with plastic wastes. Four bacterial isolates, RS1, RS6, RS9 and RS13 were obtained and their ability to degrade PU in a synthetic medium with PU as a sole source of carbon was assessed individually. After thirty days of incubation, the highest PU weight loss of 67.36 ± 0.32% was recorded in the medium containing RS13 isolate. The results of FTIR revealed the occurrence of carbonyl peaks. The putative isolate RS13 confirmed with the genus Moraxella according to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the isolate was specified as Moraxella catarrhalis strain BMPPS3. The restriction analysis of Moraxella catarrhalis strain BMPPS3 revealed that the GCAT content to 51% and 49% correspondingly. Moraxella catarrhalis strain BMPPS3 was able to colonize on PU surface and form a biofilm as revealed by SEM investigation. Fatty acids and alkanes were found to be the degradation products by GC-MS analysis. The presence of these metabolites facilitated the growth of strain RS13 and suggested that ester hydrolysis products had been mineralized into CO2 and H2O. Extracellular biosurfactant synthesis has also been found in Moraxella catarrhalis strain BMPPS13 inoculated with synthetic media and mineral salt media containing PU and glucose as carbon sources, respectively with a significant level of cell-surface hydrophobicity (32%). The production and activity of extracellular esterase showed consistent increase from day 1-15 which peaked (1.029 mM/min/mg) on day 24 significantly at P < 0.001. Crude biosurfactants were lipopeptide-based, according to the characteristic investigation. According to this study findings, Moraxella catarrhalis produces biosurfactants of the esterase, urethanase and lipase (lipopeptide) types when carbon source PU is present.

Advanced technologies for the determination of quantitative structure-activity relationships and degradation efficiency of micropollutants and their removal in water - A review.

The growing concentrations of micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems are a global water quality issue. Understanding micropollutants varied chemical composition and potency is essential to solving this complex issue. Micropollutants management requires identifying contaminants to reduce, optimal reduction targets, and the best wastewater recycling locations. Management requires appropriate technological measures. Pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, hormones, and other micropollutants can enter the aquatic environment from point and diffuse sources, with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) distributing them in urban areas. Micropollutants like pharmaceuticals and hormones may not be removed by conventional WWTPs. Micropollutants affect the EU, especially in densely populated areas where surface water is consumed. This review examines several technological options that can be integrated into existing treatment methods to address this issue. In this work, oxidation, activated carbon, and their combinations as potential solutions, considering their efficacy and cost were evaluated. This study illuminates micropollutants origin and physico-chemical properties, which affect distribution, persistence, and environmental impacts. Understanding these factors helps us develop targeted micropollutant mitigation strategies to protect water quality. This review can inform policy and decision-making to reduce micropollutant impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health.

Advanced biofuel production, policy and technological implementation of nano-additives for sustainable environmental management - A critical review.

This review article critically evaluates the significance of adopting advanced biofuel production techniques that employ lignocellulosic materials, waste biomass, and cutting-edge technology, to achieve sustainable environmental stewardship. Through the analysis of conducted research and development initiatives, the study highlights the potential of these techniques in addressing the challenges of feedstock supply and environmental impact and implementation policies that have historically plagued the conventional biofuel industry. The integration of state-of-the-art technologies, such as nanotechnology, pre-treatments and enzymatic processes, has shown considerable promise in enhancing the productivity, quality, and environmental performance of biofuel production. These developments have improved conversion methods, feedstock efficiency, and reduced environmental impacts. They aid in creating a greener and sustainable future by encouraging the adoption of sustainable feedstocks, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and accelerating the shift to cleaner energy sources. To realize the full potential of these techniques, continued collaboration between academia, industry representatives, and policymakers remains essential.

Effect of metal doping and non-metal loading on light energy driven degradation of organic dye using ZnO nanocatalysts.

Photocatalytic degradation of azo dyes is seen as a viable technique for addressing environmental and energy concerns simultaneously. Therefore, the primary requirement is the creation of a better catalyst with adequate product selectivity for removal efficiency under solar light. Herein, pure ZnO and Cu (0.10 M) doped cotton stalk activated carbons with ZnO (Cu-doped ZnO/CSAC) were produced, and these are labelled as CZ1, CZ2, CZ3, and CZ3/CSAC, respectively. The optoelectronic and photodegradation efficiencies were examined regarding the impact of doping and loading samples. The XRD patterns confirmed that the CZ3/CSAC sample exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The XPS survey confirmed that Cu ions were incorporated into the ZnO lattice in a Cu2+ oxidation state. The band gap value (CZ3/CSAC) was reduced (2.38 eV) compared to pure ZnO and CZ3. Moreover, PL and EIS analysis proved more efficient at separating photoinduced charged carriers for CZ3/CSAC than all other samples. The CZ3/CSAC sample showed improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency (93.09%) compared to the pure ZnO and CZ3 samples using brilliant green (BG) dye under sunlight irradiation.

Multi-faceted CRISPR-Cas9 strategy to reduce plant based food loss and waste for sustainable bio-economy - A review.

Currently, international development requires innovative solutions to address imminent challenges like climate change, unsustainable food system, food waste, energy crisis, and environmental degradation. All the same, addressing these concerns with conventional technologies is time-consuming, causes harmful environmental impacts, and is not cost-effective. Thus, biotechnological tools become imperative for enhancing food and energy resilience through eco-friendly bio-based products by valorisation of plant and food waste to meet the goals of circular bioeconomy in conjunction with Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs). Genome editing can be accomplished using a revolutionary DNA modification tool, CRISPR-Cas9, through its uncomplicated guided mechanism, with great efficiency in various organisms targeting different traits. This review's main objective is to examine how the CRISPR-Cas system, which has positive features, could improve the bioeconomy by reducing food loss and waste with all-inclusive food supply chain both at on-farm and off-farm level; utilising food loss and waste by genome edited microorganisms through food valorisation; efficient microbial conversion of low-cost substrates as biofuel; valorisation of agro-industrial wastes; mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through forestry plantation crops; and protecting the ecosystem and environment. Finally, the ethical implications and regulatory issues that are related to CRISPR-Cas edited products in the international markets have also been taken into consideration.

Origin, transport and ecological risk assessment of illicit drugs in the environment - A review.

Illicit drugs are a novel group of emerging pollutants. A growing global environmental load and ecological risk is created by the ongoing release of these toxins into the environment. Conventional water processing plants fail to completely remove drugs of abuse from both surface water and wastewater. The origin, environmental fate and ecological repercussions of illicit drugs, despite their detection in surface waterways around the world, are not well understood. In this review, illicit drug detections in potable water, surface water and wastewater globally have been studied during the past 15 years in order to establish a baseline for future years. The most common drugs with abuse potential detected in different sources of potable and surface water were methadone (0.12-22.7 ng/L), cocaine (0.05-506.6 ng/L), benzoylecgonine (0.07-1019 ng/L), amphetamine (1.4-342.6 ng/L), and codeine (0.002-42 ng/L). The bulk of research only looked at a small number of drugs of abuse, indicating that despite widespread use, a large spectrum of these intoxicants has yet to be detected. This review focuses on the origin of illicit drug contaminants in water bodies, air, and soil, their persistence in the environment, and the typical concentrations at which they occur in the environment. The impact of these drugs on aquatic organisms like Elliptio complanata mussels, crayfish and zebrafish has also been reviewed.

Carbon-based nanomaterial intervention and efficient removal of various contaminants from effluents - A review.

Water treatment is a worldwide issue. This review aims to present current problems and future challenges in water treatments with the existing methodologies. Carbon nanotube production, characterization, and prospective uses have been the subject of considerable and rigorous research around the world. They have a large number of technical uses because of their distinct physical characteristics. Various catalyst materials are used to make carbon nanotubes. This review's primary focus is on integrated and single-treatment technologies for all kinds of drinking water resources, including ground and surface water. Inorganic non-metallic matter, heavy metals, natural organic matter, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, disinfection by-products and microbiological pollutants are among the contaminants that these treatment systems can remediate in polluted drinking water resources. Significant advances in the antibacterial and adsorption capabilities of carbon-based nanomaterials have opened up new options for excluding organic/inorganic and biological contaminants from drinking water in recent years. The advancements in multifunctional nanocomposites synthesis pave the possibility for their use in enhanced wastewater purification system design. The adsorptive and antibacterial characteristics of six main kinds of carbon nanomaterials are single-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, fullerene and single-walled carbon nanohorns. This review potentially addressed the essential metallic and polymeric nanocomposites, are described and compared. Barriers to use these nanoparticles in long-term water treatment are also discussed.

Bioprospecting of novel peroxidase from Streptomyces coelicolor strain SPR7 for carcinogenic azo dyes decolorization.

Peroxidase (POX) is a heme-containing oxidoreductase, its voluminous immuno-diagnostic and bioremediatory intuitions have incited optimization and large scale-generation from novel microbial repertoires. Azo dyes are the most detrimental classes of synthetic dyes and they are the common ecotoxic industrial pollutants in wastewater. In addition, azo dyes are refractory to degradation owing to their chemical nature, comprising of azoic linkages, amino moieties with recalcitrant traits. Moreover, they are major carcinogenic and mutagenic on humans and animals, whereby emphasizing the need for decolorization. In the present study, a novel POX from Streptomyces coelicolor strain SPR7 was investigated for the deterioration of ecotoxic dyestuffs. The initial medium component screening for POX production was achieved using, One Factor at a Time and Placket-Burman methodologies with starch, casein and temperature as essential parameters. In auxiliary, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was recruited and followed by model validation using Back propagation algorithm (BPA). RSM-BPA composite approach prophesied that combination of starch, casein, and temperature at optimal values 2.5%, 0.035% and 35 °C respectively, has resulted in 7 folds enhancement of POX outturn (2.52 U/mL) compared to the unoptimized media (0.36 U/mL). The concentrated enzyme decolorized 75.4% and 90% of the two azo dyes with lignin (10 mM), respectively. Hence, this investigation confirms the potentiality of mangrove actinomycete derived POX for elimination of noxious azo dyes to overcome their carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects on humans and aquatic organisms.

Recent advances in biogas production using Agro-Industrial Waste: A comprehensive review outlook of Techno-Economic analysis.

Agrowaste sources can be utilized to produce biogas by anaerobic digestion reaction. Fossil fuels have damaged the environment, while the biogas rectifies the issues related to the environment and climate change problems. Techno-economic analysis of biogas production is followed by nutrient recycling, reducing the greenhouse gas level, biorefinery purpose, and global warming effect. In addition, biogas production is mediated by different metabolic reactions, the usage of different microorganisms, purification process, upgrading process and removal of CO2 from the gas mixture techniques. This review focuses on pre-treatment, usage of waste, production methods and application besides summarizing recent advancements in biogas production. Economical, technical, environmental properties and factors affecting biogas production as well as the future perspective of bioenergy are highlighted in the review. Among all agro-industrial wastes, sugarcane straw produced 94% of the biogas. In the future, to overcome all the problems related to biogas production and modify the production process.

Removal of nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A review.

Nanoplastics are drawing a significant attention as a result of their propensity to spread across the environment and pose a threat to all organisms. The presence of nanoplastics in water is given attention nowadays as the transit of nanoplastics occurs through the aquatic ecosphere besides terrestrial mobility. The principal removal procedures for macro-and micro-plastic particles are effective, but nanoparticles escape from the treatment, increasing in the water and significantly influencing the society. This critical review is aimed to bestow the removal technologies of nanoplastics from aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on the treatment of freshwater, drinking water, and wastewater, as well as the importance of transit and its impact on health concerns. Still, there exists a gap in providing a collective knowledge on the methods available for nanoplastics removal. Hence, this review offered various nanoplastic removal technologies (microorganism-based degradation, membrane separation with a reactor, and photocatalysis) that could be the practical/effective measures along with the traditional procedures (filtration, coagulation, centrifugation, flocculation, and gravity settling). From the analyses of different treatment systems, the effectiveness of nanoplastics removal depends on various factors, source, size, and type of nanoplastics apart from the treatment method adopted. Combined removal methods, filtration with coagulation offer great scope for the removal of nanoplastics from drinking water with >99 % efficiency. The collected data could serve as base-line information for future research and development in water nanoplastics cleanup.

Advances in bioremediation of emerging contaminants from industrial wastewater by oxidoreductase enzymes.

The bioremediation of emerging recalcitrant pollutants in wastewater via enzyme biotechnology has been evolving as cost-effective with an input of low-energy technological approach. However, the enzyme based bioremediation technology is still not fully developed at a commercial level. The oxidoreductases being the domineering biocatalysts are promising candidates for wastewater treatments. Henceforth, comprehending their global market and biotransformation efficacy is mandatory for establishing these techno-economic bio-enzymes in commercial scale. The biocatalytic strategy can be established as a combinatorial approach with existing treatment technology to achieve towering bioremediation and effective removal of emerging pollutants from wastewater. This review provides a novel insight on the toxicological xenobiotics released from industries such as paper and pulps, soap and detergents, pharmaceuticals, textiles, pesticides, explosives and aptitude of peroxidases, nitroreductase and cellobiose dehydrogenase in their bio-based treatment. Moreover, the review comprehensively covers environmental relevance of wastewater pollution and the critical challenges based on remediation achieved through biocatalysts for future prospectives.

Graphene oxide-based nanomaterials for the treatment of pollutants in the aquatic environment: Recent trends and perspectives - A review.

Graphene oxide can be used to store energy, as electrodes and purify industrial and domestic wastewater as photocatalysts and adsorbents because of its remarkable thermal, electrical, and chemical capabilities. Toward understanding graphene oxide (GO) based nanomaterials considering the background factors, the present review study investigated their characteristics, preparation methods, and characterization processes. The removal of contaminants from wastewater has recently been a focus of attention for materials based on GO. Progress in GO synthesis and surface modification has shown that they can be used to immobilize enzymes. It is possible to immobilize enzymes with varying characteristics on graphene-oxide-based substrates without sacrificing their functioning, thus developing a new environmental remediation platform utilizing nano biocatalysts. GO doping and co-doping with a variety of heterogeneous semiconductor-based metal oxides were included in a brief strategy for boosting GO efficiency. A high band-gap material was also explored as a possibility for immobilization, which shifts the absorption threshold to the visible range and increases photoactivity. For water treatment applications, graphene-based nanomaterials were used in Fenton reactions, photocatalysis, ozonation, photo electrocatalysis, photo-Fenton, and a combination of photon-Fenton and photocatalysis. Nanoparticles made from GO improved the efficiency of composite materials when used for their intended applications. As a result of the analysis, prospects and improvements are clear, especially when it comes to scaling up GO-based wastewater treatment technologies.

Enhanced biogas production from food waste and activated sludge using advanced techniques - A review.

Biogas generation using food waste anaerobic co-digestion with activated sludge provides a cleaner addressable system, an excellent solution to global challenges, the increasing energy demands, fuel charges, pollution and wastewater treatment. Regardless of the anaerobic digestate end product values, the technology lacks efficiency and process instability due to substrate irregularities. Process parameters and substrate composition, play a vital role in the efficiency and outcome of the system. Intrinsic biochar properties such as pore size, specific surface properties and cation exchange capacity make it an ideal additive that enriches microbial functions and enhances anaerobic digestion. The pretreatment and co-digestion of food waste and activated sludge are found to be significant for efficient biogas generation. The advantages, drawbacks, limitations, and technical improvements are covered extensively in the present review besides the recent advancement in the anaerobic digestion system.

Extraction of microplastics from commonly used sea salts in India and their toxicological evaluation.

Microplastics (MPs) are one of the marine debris, accumulated in the ocean as a result of the successive breakdown of a large piece of plastics over several years. MPs are about less than 5 mM, have a detrimental impact on marine organisms/products (seafood/sea salts) and therefore they are considered as a global environmental pollutant. The occurrence and impact of MPs in commercial sea salts that are consumed by humans are not well studied so far. In the present study, we attempted to characterize and evaluate the in vitro toxicity of isolated MPs. Here, we have used ten brands of commercial sea salts of different origins for the identification and characterization of MPs. The average abundance of MPs in all commercial brands is < 700 MP/kg and the particle size range between 5.2 mM and 3.8 µM. The most common types of MPs were identified as fragments, fibers, and pellets. By Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), it was found that the MPs in abundance were made of cellophane (CP), polystyrene (PR), polyamide (PA) and polyarylether (PAR). Further, in vitro toxicity assessment revealed that HEK-293 cells get detached upon treatment with MPs (MIC-75 µg mL-1) Consequently, the AO/EB dual staining confirmed that the induction and rate of apoptosis were comparatively higher in microplastic treated HEK-293 cells. Taken together, the MPs identified are the origin of anthropogenic derivatives and they exert a lethal effect on human cells, which might be associated with health risk complications in human beings.

Synthesis of bioactive compounds from vermicast isolated actinomycetes species and its antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of bioactive compounds synthesized from vermicast isolated actinomycetes species. Specifically, the synthesized bioactive compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against selected Gram + ve and Gram - ve human pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Interestingly, a total of five different actinomycetes species were recovered from vermicasts. More interestingly, among these potential actinomycetes species, the bioactive compounds synthesized by isolate AS9 showed a significant antibacterial activity and its mean zone of inhibition was found at 11.3 ±â€¯1.6 mm, 9.5 ±â€¯0.91 mm, and 9.9 ±â€¯1.71mm against S. aureus, B. subtilis, and B. circulans, respectively. Furthermore, according to antibacterial activity and spectrum broadness, three of the actinomycetes strains were selected and characterized by conventional methods. Subsequently, the bioactive compound profiling of these isolated actinomycetes strains performed through GC-MS analysis indicating the presence of the bioactive compounds including 3, octadecene (E), behnic alcohol phenol, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethyl ethyl) 1-nonadecene, 1-heneicosanol, milbemycin 3-eicosene (E), and 1-docosanol.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) vermicomposting with an epigeic earthworm, Perionyx ceylanensis Mich.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) was vermicomposted in combination with cowdung (CD) using Perionyx ceylanensis for 50 days. The decomposition rate of 55-78% was observed in different vermibed substrates, the highest being CD followed by 10:1 ratio of CD+MSW. The C/N ratio was reduced from 41.8 to 17.6 and 38.8 to 15.4 in MSW+CD (10:1) and CD, respectively. The difference in the final C/N ratio between MSW+CD (10:1) and CD vermicompost was not significant (p<0.05). The important nutrients, NPK showed significantly (p<0.05) higher contents in vermicomposts than worm-unworked composts. The degradation rate of cellulose and lignin was 37% and 12%, respectively, in 10:1 vermibed mix with P. ceylanensis. The bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes population in vermicompost was significantly higher than in the compost. The biomass, number and cocoons of P. ceylanensis collected after 50 days showed increase with the increase of CD incorporation in MSW.