Impact of short-term irrigation of diverse distillery wastewater types on plant attributes and antioxidative enzymes of pea (Pisum sativum L. var. Rachna).

The study was focused on evaluating the short-term irrigation effect of three different types of distillery wastewater, i.e., untreated, primary treated, and secondary treated, on the germination, growth, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzymes of pea (Pisum sativum L. var. Rachna). The findings indicated that exposure to 50% secondary treated distillery wastewater (ST50) resulted in the maximum values for positive germination parameters of pea, including germination percentage, germination value, germination index, peak value, vigor index, speed of germination, and tolerance index. The minimum values were observed at 100% concentration of untreated wastewater (UT100). In contrast, the maximum values for various negative germination parameters, i.e., percent inhibition, seedling mortality, and germination period, were observed at UT100 and minimum at ST50. All the growth parameters studied, i.e., length of shoot, length of root and length of seedlings, fresh weight of shoot, fresh weight of root, dry weight of shoot, and dry weight of root, showed maximum values at ST50 and minimum at UT100. Photosynthetic pigment analysis also followed a similar trend. The antioxidative enzyme characterization of Pisum sativum L. var. Rachna revealed the minimum values of catalase, ascorbic peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and superoxide dismutase at ST25 (25% concentration of secondary treated distillery wastewater) and maximum values were observed at UT100.

Socio-economic and environmental vulnerability of urban slums: a case study of slums at Jammu (India).

Rapid urban population growth, the urbanization of poverty, and the proliferation of slums are being driven to a great extent by this dynamic form of globalization. Consequently, the multifaceted effects of globalization on the poor and low-income populations in the cities need to be better understood in this context, both at the individual level and within the community. Therefore, the present study was conducted to highlight the various determinants affecting the lives and enhancing the vulnerability of the dwellers of four slum settlements present in various areas of Jammu City, India. Emphasis was made to integrate biological, physical, social, and spatial facets of vulnerability to understand the complex dynamics of urban areas in developing countries. A descriptive survey design was used for questions concerning the social and environmental aspects. Social aspects including age, sex, education, religion, caste, profession, and family income that correspond to social stratification acted as baseline information, while both indoor and outdoor environments such as housing conditions, sanitation, personal habits, solid waste disposal, disaster proneness, and air and water pollution problems were taken into consideration to assess the environmental aspect. Results indicated that the slum settlement has a migratory population with permanent or temporary settlements. The status of education and skill level is poor which results in poor economic development and social well-being of the dwellers in slums. The study also identified vulnerability of the population on social and environmental front which could result into severe health issues. The study concluded and recommended policy planning specified for slums for uplifting such unprivileged populations.

Impact of pharmaceutical industry wastewater on stress physiological responses of Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden.

Impact of pharmaceutical wastewater collected from aeration tank on aquatic macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden was studied in the present study. Various plant parameters such as chlorophyll, protein, and proline content of wastewater-exposed plants were examined to determine the toxic impacts of pharmaceutical wastewater. In addition to these parameters, electrolyte leakage (EL) and catalase (CAT) activities in S. polyrhiza were assessed for each day of exposure to the wastewater. S. polyrhiza was exposed to four different wastewater concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) under laboratory conditions for 7 days. The plants experienced severe toxicity as revealed by the reduction in photosynthetic pigments, increase in electrolyte leakage, and enhancement of antioxidant enzyme (CAT) activity in S. polyrhiza with an increase in concentration and time of exposure to pharmaceutical effluent.

Short-term impact of poultry biochar amendments to stimulate antioxidant enzyme activity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. HD-2967) in response to greywater.

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that poultry manure and biochar-amended soil alter the antioxidant enzyme activity of T. aestivum L. HD-2967. For this, a box experiment was conducted using poultry-amended soil (5 g and 10 g) irrigated with greywater (50% and 100%) which was analysed on 7 and 14 days of seed sowing. Antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase ) was elucidated to be varied in response to soil biochar and manure amendments both for shoots and roots so as to counteract the reactive oxygen species generated by plants under stress. Also, it was observed to be decreased on a temporal basis. Moreover, soil-biochar amendments efficiently defend the irrigation stress, increase soil nutrition, and reduce waste quantity through sustainable reuse.

Impact of greywater on germination and physiological responses of Triticum aestivum L. HD 2967 in soil amended with poultry biochar.

ABSTRACTChemical fertilizers boost crop production; however, their continued use decreases soil fertility in the long run. Nutrient recycling by the beneficiation of poultry manure into biochar and application as a soil amendment is a long-term solution for plant nutrition. The effect of poultry manure, poultry biochar and crop irrigation with 50% and 100% greywater (GW) was assessed on soil properties and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. HD-2967) on the 7th and 14th day of sowing. This resulted in greater nutrients (OC, OM, C:N have values of 3.51%, 6.58%, and 16.52, respectively) in soil on the 14th day after sowing irrigated with 100% GW for soil and 10 g biochar amendments than manure. The germination and growth were boosted to 100% on day 6 after seed sowing soil and 5 g biochar. The maximum number of leaflets (4), rootlets (7) and shoot length (26.58 cm) was obtained for soil and 10 g biochar amendments with 100% GW on the 14th day of sowing. The significance of the work is that greywater and poultry biochar has been used for the irrigation of wheat as a step towards the management of both solid and liquid waste. Biochar being a potential adsorbent reduces the pollutant load of greywater while increasing the nutritive value of soil substratum and influencing plant growth. The findings could offer crucial knowledge for creating agronomic procedures to repurpose the nutrients in poultry manure and biochar to grow crops by adding value to waste and meeting the goal of bioeconomic sustainability.

Textile wastewater phytoremediation using Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid. assisted by novel bacterial consortium in a two-step remediation system.

The study aims at developing a phyto-microremediation system for textile wastewater treatment using Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid. and a consortium of bacterial strains isolated from textile wastewater-contaminated matrices and rhizosphere of S. polyrhiza. The sequential phyto-microremediation of textile wastewater was carried out utilizing two-stage phyto-microremediation systems I [phytoremediation system (Stage 1) preceded microremediation system (Stage 2)] and II [microremediation system (Stage 1) preceded phytoremediation system (Stage 2)]. Pseudomonas stutzeri, Janibacter anophelis, Bacillus safensis, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus cereus constituted the bacterial consortium that was involved in the microremediation of textile wastewater. Biochemical characterization of Spirodela on exposure to untreated textile wastewater showed cadmium and nickel uptake as 26.03 and 22.99 mg g-1 dw-1. S. polyrhiza exhibited anatomical changes like distortion in the structure of the xylem, phloem, lower epidermis, and increased aerenchyma formation when remediating textile wastewater. The textile wastewater bioremediation in phyto-microremediation system I gives final reduction of COD 77.36%, color 91.70%, calcium 61.65%, iron 69.41%, nickel 89.30%, cadmium 88.37%, nitrate 70.83%, phosphate 73.11%, and sulfate 75.49%. Further, LC-MS analysis of treated wastewater from phyto-microremediation system I have shown biotransformation of metabolites into simpler compounds like 2-{Bis [4-(2-cyanophenoxy)phenyl]methyl}benzoic acid (C34H22N2O4). The FTIR spectrum of bacterial biomass exposed to textile wastewater exhibits substantial shifts of various bands in the IR region for functional groups such as alcohol, alkene, esters, azide, and amine as compared to non-exposed biomass.

Bioelectricity generation from human urine and simultaneous nutrient recovery: Role of Microbial Fuel Cells.

Urine is a 'valuable waste' that can be exploited to generate bioelectricity and recover key nutrients for producing NPK-rich biofertilizers. In recent times, improved and innovative waste management technologies have emerged to manage the rapidly increasing environmental pollution and to accomplish the goal of sustainable development. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted the attention of environmentalists worldwide to treat human urine and produce power through bioelectrochemical reactions in presence of electroactive bacteria growing on the anode. The bacteria break down the complex organic matter present in urine into simpler compounds and release the electrons which flow through an external circuit generating current at the cathode. Many other useful products are harvested at the end of the process. So, in this review, an attempt has been made to synthesize the information on MFCs fuelled with urine to generate bioelectricity and recover value-added resources (nutrients), and their modifications to enhance productivity. Moreover, configuration and mode of system operation, and factors enhancing the performance of MFCs have been also presented.

Constructed wetlands for textile wastewater remediation: A review on concept, pollutant removal mechanisms, and integrated technologies for efficiency enhancement.

Textile industries are among the ecologically unsustainable industries that release voluminous wastewater threatening ecosystem health. The constructed wetlands (CWs) are low-cost eco-technological interventions for the management of industrial wastewaters. The CWs are self-sustaining remediation systems that do not require an external source of energy and encompass simple operational mechanisms including biological (bioremediation and phytoremediation), chemical, and physical processes for pollutant removal. This review idiosyncratically scrutinizes the recent advances and developments in CWs, and their types employed for textile wastewater treatment. The major focus is on mechanisms involved during the removal of contaminants from textile wastewater in CWs and factors affecting the performance of the system. The article also discusses the State-of-the-Art integrated technologies e.g., CW-MFCs/algal ponds/sponge iron coupled systems, for the performance and sustainability enhancement of CWs. All the important aspects together with the technology amalgamation are critically synthesized for establishing suitable strategies for CW-based textile wastewater treatment systems.

Recent advances in microalgae-based remediation of industrial and non-industrial wastewaters with simultaneous recovery of value-added products.

The ability of microalgae to grow in a broad spectrum of wastewaters manifests great potentials for removing contaminants from effluents of industries and urban areas. Since the post-treatment microalgae biomass is also a significant source of high-value products, microalgae-based wastewater treatment is an economical and sustainable solution to wastewater management. Adding more value, the integration of microalgae with living/non-living materials looks more promising. Microalgae-based treatment technology has certain limitations like high operational costs, problematic harvesting, large land requirements, and hindrance in photosynthesis due to turbid wastewater. These challenges need to be essentially addressed to achieve enhanced wastewater remediation. This review has highlighted the potential applications of microalgae in contaminant removal from wastewaters, simultaneous resource recovery, efficient microalgae-based hybrid systems along with bottlenecks and prospects. This state-of-the-art article will edify the role of microalgae in wastewater remediation, biomass valorization for bio-based products, and present numerous possibilities in strengthening the circular bioeconomy.

Comprehensive and critical appraisal of plant-based defluoridation from environmental matrices.

Fluoride is recognized as one of the global environmental threats because of its non-biodegradable nature and long-term persistence in the environment. This has created the dire need to explore various defluoridation techniques (membrane process, adsorption, precipitation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrocoagulation). Owing to their cost ineffectiveness and high operational costs, these technologies failed to find any practical utility in fluoride remediation. Comparatively, defluoridation techniques involving the use of low-cost plant-derived adsorbents and fluoride phytoremediators are considered better alternatives. Through this review, an attempt has been made to critically synthesize information about various plant-based bioadsorbents and hyperaccumulators from existing literature. Moreover, mechanisms underlying the fluoride adsorption and accumulation by plants have been thoroughly discussed that will invigorate the researchers to develop novel ideas about process/product modifications to further enhance the removal potential of the adsorbents and plants. Literature survey unravels that various low-cost plant-derived adsorbents have shown their efficacy in defluoridation, yet there is an urgent need to explore their pragmatic application on a commercial scale.

Application of floating treatment wetlands for stormwater runoff: A critical review of the recent developments with emphasis on heavy metals and nutrient removal.

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are increasingly gaining popularity due to a set of valuable features like wastewater remediation under varied conditions, ecosystem quality preservation, landscape conservation, and aesthetic benefits. FTW is a phyto-technology in which macrophytes grow on a floating raft with their roots in permanent contact with water and remove pollutants via several physicochemical-biological processes. FTW is highly capable of overcoming technical and operational challenges that come way in stormwater treatment due to the erratic nature of hydrologic and input pollutant loads because this innovative buoyant hydroponic design can move up and down with fluctuating water levels in the stormwater pond and can treat highly variable flows. Plants and biofilms attached to the roots hanging beneath the floating mat play a pivotal role in FTWs. The present review encompasses the concept of FTWs, their structural designs, relevance in stormwater management, and mechanism of plant uptake for pollutant removal. The role of FTWs to remove heavy metals and nutrients is also critically analyzed. Understanding hydraulics and other parameters of FTW is vital to effective design. Hence, the role of vegetation coverage, vegetation type, sorption media, aeration frequency, and intensity, and plant density to enhance system efficiency is also highlighted. Due to their operational flexibility and environmentally friendly working with no additional burden on existing urban land use, FTWs entice broad international interest and offer a coherent solution for stormwater management. MAIN FINDINGS: The review delivers state-of-the-art analysis of the current understanding of hydraulics and other parameters of FTWs, and associated mechanisms to enhance the treatment efficiency of FTWs for nutrients and heavy metals removal.

Omics approaches for microalgal applications: Prospects and challenges.

In recent impetus of phycological research, microalgae have emerged as a potential candidate for various arena of application-driven research. Omics-based tactics are used for disentangling the regulation and network integration for biosynthesis/degradation of metabolic precursors, intermediates, end products, and identifying the networks that regulate the metabolic flux. Multi-omics coupled with data analytics have facilitated understanding of biological processes and allow ample access to diverse metabolic pathways utilized for genetic manipulations making microalgal factories more efficient. The present review discusses state-of-art "Algomics" and the prospect of microalgae and their role in symbiotic association by using omics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Microalgal based uni- and multi-omics approaches are critically analyzed in wastewater treatment, metal toxicity and remediation, biofuel production, and therapeutics to provide an imminent outlook for an array of environmentally sustainable and economically viable microalgal applications.

Two-stage phyto-microremediation of tannery effluent by Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid. and chromium resistant bacteria.

Two-stage sequential treatment of tannery effluent was conducted employing a wetland plant, Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid., and chromium (Cr) resistant bacterial strains. The bacterial strains were isolated from Cr-enriched environmental matrices and rhizosphere of Spirodela polyrrhiza. The phyto-rhizoremediation of tannery effluent by Spirodela and its rhizospheric bacteria (Cellulomonas biazotea APBR1-6, Bacillus safensis APBR2-12, Staphylococcus warneri APBR3-5, Microbacterium oleivorans APBR2-6), followed by microremediation by Cr resistant bacteria (Micrococcus luteus APBS5-1, Bacillus pumilus APBS5-2, Bacillus flexus APBE3-1, Virgibacillus sediminis APBS6-1) resulted in reduction of pollution parameters [COD (81.2%), total Cr (97.3%), Cr(VI) (99.3%), Pb(II) (97.0%), Ni (95.7%)]. The LC-MS analysis showed that many pollutants detected in untreated tannery effluent were diminished after bioremediation or long chains of alcohol polyethoxylates viz. C18EO6 in untreated effluent were broken down into smaller unit of alcohol polyethoxylate ((+)HHO[CH2CH2O]H), indicating that bacteria and Spirodela polyrrhiza, alongwith its rhizospheric associates utilized them as carbon and energy source.

Irrigational impact of untreated and treated brewery-distillery effluent on seed germination of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.).

Current study presents the effect of irrigation with different concentrations (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%) of untreated and treated brewery-distillery effluent on germination behaviour of marigold (Tagetes erecta L. var. Pusa Basanti). The 100% untreated effluent showed acidic pH (4.80) and higher values of BOD (1500.00 mg l(-1)), COD (4000.00 mg l(-1)), chloride (1742.20 mg l(-1)), TSS (900.00 mg l(-1)) as compared to that of treated effluent. Tagetes seeds were exposed to different concentrations of effluent and the results revealed maximum values of germination parameters viz., percent germination, peak value, germination value, germination index, speed of germination and vigour index at 20% untreated and 60% treated effluent concentrations, whereas the values for negative germination parameters viz., delay index, germination period and percent inhibition were minimum at 20% untreated and 60% treated effluent concentrations.

Bioremediation of chromium solutions and chromium containing wastewaters.

Cr(VI) represents a serious threat to human health, living resources and ecological system as it is persistent, carcinogenic and toxic, whereas, Cr(III), another stable oxidation state of Cr, is less toxic and can be readily precipitated out of solution. The conventional methods of Cr(VI) removal from wastewaters comprise of chemical reduction followed by chemical precipitation. However, these methods utilize large amounts of chemicals and generate toxic sludge. This necessitates the need for devising an eco-technological strategy that would use the untapped potential of the biological world for remediation of Cr(VI) containing wastewaters. Among several viable approaches, biotransformation of Cr(VI) to relatively non-toxic Cr(III) by chromium resistant bacteria offers an economical- and environment-friendly option for its detoxification. Various studies on use of Cr(VI) tolerant viable bacterial isolates for treatment of Cr(VI) containing solutions and wastewater have been reported. Therefore, a detailed account of mechanisms and processes involved in bioreduction of Cr(VI) from solutions and wastewaters by bacterial isolates are the focus of this review article in addition to a discussion on toxicity of Cr(VI) on bacterial strains and various factors affecting Cr(VI) bioreduction.

Optimization of culture parameters for tannery effluent bioremediation by Bacillus gala ctosidilyticus APBS5-3.

Wastewaters produced by tanneries contain high concentration of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and organic pollutants. In the presentwork, tannery effluent remediation ability of a chromium resistant Bacillus galactosidilyticus strain APBS5-3, isolated from tannery effluent enriched soil, was evaluated. This strain was found to be resistant up to 800 ppm Cr(VI). Optimization of pH, carbon source, nitrogen source, inoculum concentration, agitation rate and incubation temperature was performed for efficient bioremediation of tannery effluent. Highest reduction of COD and Cr(VI) was found to be 63.1 and 41.8%, respectively and final O.D. (at 600 nm) and pH were found to be 1.222 and 8.54, respectively after 72 hr under optimized conditions.

Impact of dyeing industry effluent on germination and growth of pea (Pisum sativum).

Dye industry effluent was analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics and its impact on germination and growth behaviour of Pea (Pisum sativum). The 100% effluent showed high pH (10.3) and TDS (1088 mg l(-1)). The germination parameters included percent germination, delay index, speed of germination, peak value and germination period while growth parameters comprised of root and shoot length, root and shootweight, root-shoot ratio and number of stipules. The study showed the maximum values of positive germination parameters viz. speed of germination (7.85), peak value (3.28), germination index (123.87) and all growth parameters at 20% effluent concentration while the values of negative germination parameters viz. delay index (-0.14) and percent inhibition (-8.34) were found to be minimum at 20% effluent concentration. The study demonstrated that at lower concentrations the dyeing industry effluent caused a positive impact on germination and growth of Pisum sativum.

Effect of distillery effluent on yield attributes of Brassica napus L.

A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of untreated distillery effluent on yield attributes of gobi sarson (Brassica napus. L. var. Punjabi Special) at different effluent concentrations. The effluent showed unpleasant odour, acidic pH, high COD and high chlorides. Five concentrations of the distillery effluent (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%) were used for irrigation of B. napus plants with tap water as control. Various characteristics of siliqua (number of siliqua, average siliqua length, weight of siliqua) and seeds (number of seeds, weight of hundred seeds, economic yield) were quantified to check the variations in the yield attributes of effluent irrigated test plant. Overall, 20% distillery effluent was found to be most effective for highest number and better quality of siliqua (62.0 siliqua plant-1; weight of ten siliqua 1.21 g) and seeds (836.3 seeds plant-1; weight of 100 seeds 0.39 g), and increased yield (economic yield 2.85 g plant1; stover yield 7.85 g plant1) of the test plant.

Impact of distillery effluent on germination behaviour of Brassica napus L.

The study has been focused on effect of untreated distillery effluent (Devans Breweries Ltd., Jammu) on germination of gobi sarson (Brassica napus. L. var. Punjabi Special). Six treatments (E0.... E100) each having three replicates were made. E0 was taken as control in which tap water was used for irrigation of the plants. For E20, E40, E60, E80 and E100, different concentrations i.e. 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of effluent were used for irrigation, respectively. The 100% sample of distillery effluent analyzed for various physicochemical parameters showed acidic nature (pH 4.0) and higher values of COD (2496 mg l(-1)), TDS (799.7 mg l(-1)) and chlorides (1408 mg l(-1)). The parameters e.g. percent germination, germination index, speed of germination, and peak value were highest in treatment receiving 20% effluent concentration which also showed minimum values for percent inhibition, germination period, and delay index.

Seasonal variations in different physico-chemical parameters of the effluents of Century Pulp and Paper Mill, Lal Kuan, Uttarakhand.

The present study was undertaken with the objective to study the characteristics of the effluent of Century Pulp and Paper Mill, Lalkuan (Uttarakhand) in different seasons. The variations in the physicochemical characteristics were observed and monitored up to 12 months at three different sites. Mean values of temperature, pH, chlorides and total phenols of the effluent were found below, whereas colour, BOD5, COD and lignin concentrations were above the minimum national standards (MINAS).