S.N. Mudliar

Bioreactors for treatment of VOCs and odours – A review

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odorous compounds discharged into the environment create ecological and health hazards. In the recent past, biological waste air treatment processes using bioreactors have gained popularity in control of VOCs and odour, since they offer a cost effective and environment friendly alternative to conventional air pollution control technologies. This review provides an overview of the various bioreactors that are used in VOC and odour abatement, along with details on their configuration and design, mechanism of operation, insights into the microbial biodegradation process and future R&D needs in this area.

Biodegradation of chlorinated compounds: A review

The pressures of an ever-increasing population and industrial development have led to the addition of an array of man-made chemicals in the environment, leading to tremendous deterioration in environmental quality. Contamination of soil, air, water, and food is one of the major problems facing the industrialized world today. Significant regulatory steps have been taken to eliminate or to reduce production and/or release of these chemicals into the environment. A major class of these chemicals is chlorinated compounds, most of which are toxic and hazardous. Application of microbial processes to decontaminate environmental media polluted with these compounds will require a better understanding of why and how microorganisms can degrade them and utilize them for their own survival as well as clean the environment. This review focuses on different microbial processes for biodegradation of chlorinated compounds and enzymes involved therein that are responsible for their degradation.

Production and Recovery of Lactic Acid for Polylactide—An Overview

In the recent past the ultimate disposability of synthetic plastics has been a greater environmental concern, and it has triggered the R&D efforts in the designing of material with an environmentally friendly life cycle by integrating material design concepts with ultimate disposability, resource utilization, and conservation. Traditionally, all plastics have been manufactured from nonrenewable petroleum resources, and these plastics are nonbiodegradable. Conventional disposal methods include incineration and secured landfill, which are associated with many environmental problems, such as production of dioxins. The continued depletion of landfill space and problems associated with incineration have led to the development of biodegradable plastics such as polylactides (PLA), which are manufactured from lactic acid that in turn is produced from starch. Although production processes for lactic acid and PLA are well known, very few processes have been commercialized and still the cost of PLA is not competitive with synthetic plastics. The crux of the PLA production technology is the fermentative production of optically active lactic acid and its recovery. Many processes are reported in the literature and through patents for the recovery of optically active lactic acid and still offer an extensive scope for research and development. This article critically reviews the production and recovery processes for lactic acid and PLA production.

Recent Advancements in Carbonic Anhydrase–Driven Processes for CO2 Sequestration: Minireview

The authors reviews the advancements in carbonic anhydrase– driven processes for CO2 sequestration research and engineering. Historical and recent discoveries of carbonic anhydrase and idea behind using it for CO2 sequestration are elaborated as well as the uses of this enzyme in free and immobilized forms are thoroughly discussed. New concepts such as extension of immobilized enzyme systems for bioreactor approach with the aim of CO2 abatement at the source are also introduced briefly toward the end of the review. The authors also suggest the possible future directions to employ carbonic anhydrase for CO2 sequestration.

Cavitationally induced biodegradability enhancement of a distillery wastewater

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was evaluated as a pretreatment option for the complex/recalcitrant biomethanated distillery wastewater (B-DWW). The effect of various process parameters such as inlet pressure, dilution and reaction time on reduction of COD/TOC and enhancement of biodegradability index (BI:BOD(5):COD ratio) of the B-DWW was studied with an aim to maximize the biodegradability index and reducing the toxicity of the distillery wastewater. It was observed that higher operating pressure (13 bar) yielded the maximum BI whereas the lower pressure (5 bar) is suitable for the reduction in the toxicity of B-DWW. The toxicity of the distillery wastewater was analyzed by measuring the COD, TOC and color of the wastewater sample. The HC pretreatment under optimized conditions leads to a BI of 0.32, COD and TOC reduction of 32.24% and 31.43%, respectively along with a color reduction by 48%. These results indicate the potential of HC as a pretreatment option for enhancing the biodegradability index of the recalcitrant wastewater such as B-DWW along with reduced toxicity of wastewater as observed from COD, TOC and color reduction profile under optimized conditions.

Treatment of waste gas containing low concentration of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in a bench-scale biofilter.

Biological treatment of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) was investigated in a bench-scale biofilter, packed with compost along with wood chips, and enriched with DMS degrading microorganism Bacillus sphaericus. The biofilter could remove 62-74% of the inlet DMS, at an optimum loading of 0.484 g/m(3)/h with optimum empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 384 s and an average moisture range of 65-70%. The biodegradative products of DMS were sulphide, thiosulphate and sulphate. Evaluation of microbiological status of the biofilter indicated the presence of other bacterial cultures viz. Paenibacillus polymyxa, and Bacillus megaterium, besides B. sphaericus.

Stress-induced lipids are unsuitable as a direct biodiesel feedstock: a case study with Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

The effects of various stresses on the suitability of lipid synthesized by Chlorella pyrenoidosa for biodiesel production were investigated. Lipids were characterized for detailed fatty acid methyl ester profiling and biodiesel properties like cetane number (CN), iodine value, cold filter plugging point (CFPP). Maximum biomass productivity (106.63 mgL(-1)d(-1)) and lipid content (29.68%) were obtained at indoor cultivation (nitrate sufficient, pH 8-10, 24h illumination). However, compared to this condition, other nitrate sufficient cultures [pH 6-8 and 10-12 (24h illumination), and at ambient CO2 and 16:8h light:dark photoperiod (pH unadjusted)] showed ∼12-14% lower lipid productivity. Upon 50% nitrate depletion (at indoor and outdoor; pH unadjusted) lipid content has increased by 7.62% and 17%, respectively. Though stress conditions helped enhancing lipid accumulation, there was two-fold increase in PUFA content compared to that observed at pH 8-10. This resulted in fuel properties which did not comply with the biodiesel standards.

Wet air oxidation as a pretreatment option for selective biodegradability enhancement and biogas generation potential from complex effluent.

This study looks at the possibility of wet air oxidation (WAO) based pretreatment of complex effluent to selectively enhance the biodegradability (without substantial COD destruction) and facilitate biogas generation potential. A lab-scale wet air oxidation reactor with biomethanated distillery wastewater (B-DWW) as a model complex effluent (COD 40,000 mg L(-1)) was used to demonstrate the proof-of-concept. The studies were conducted using a designed set of experiments and reaction temperature (150-200°C), air pressure (6-12 bar) and reaction time (15-120 min) were the main process variables of concern for WAO process optimization. WAO pretreatment of B-DWW enhanced the biodegradability of the complex wastewater by the virtue of enhancing its biodegradability index (BI) from 0.2 to 0.88, which indicate favorable Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) for biogas generation. The kinetics of COD destruction and BI enhancement has also been reported.

Evaluation of indigenous fresh water microalga Scenedesmus obtusus for feed and fuel applications: Effect of carbon dioxide, light and nutrient sources on growth and biochemical characteristics.

Scenedesmus obtusus, a freshwater microalga, was evaluated for its growth and biochemical characteristics under various culture conditions. S. obtusus was tolerant at all tested CO2 concentrations up to 20%. Among the different nitrogen sources, urea showed enhanced biomass productivities up to 2-fold compared to control, where the nitrogen source was sodium nitrate. Light intensity and photoperiod had a significant effect on growth rate and biomass productivity. The growth rate was observed maximum under continuous light exposure at the light intensities, 30μmolm(-2)sec(-1) and 60μmolm(-2)sec(-1) The species was able to tolerate the salinity levels up to 25mM NaCl, where, the increase in the concentration of NaCl suppressed the growth. Ammonium acetate and glycine showed better growth rate and biomass productivity indicating mixotrophic ability of S. obtusus. Supplementation of acetate and bicarbonate significantly enhanced the biomass productivity. Biodiesel properties of S. obtusus cultivated at various culture conditions were estimated.

Alkaline Peroxide Assisted Wet Air Oxidation Pretreatment Approach to Enhance Enzymatic Convertibility of Rice Husk

Pretreatment of rice husk by alkaline peroxide assisted wet air oxidation (APAWAO) approach was investigated with the aim to enhance the enzymatic convertibility of cellulose in pretreated rice husk. Rice husk was presoaked overnight in 1% (w/v) H2O2 solution (pH adjusted to 11.5 using NaOH) (equivalent to 16.67 g H2O2 and 3.63 g NaOH per 100 g dry, untreated rice husk) at room temperature, followed by wet air oxidation (WAO). APAWAO pretreatment resulted in solubilization of 67 wt % of hemicellulose and 88 wt % of lignin initially present in raw rice husk. Some amount of oligomeric glucose (˜8.3 g/L) was also observed in the APAWAO liquid fraction. APAWAO pretreatment resulted in 13‐fold increase in the amount of glucose that could be obtained from otherwise untreated rice husk. Up to 86 wt % of cellulose in the pretreated rice husk (solid fraction) could be converted into glucose within 24 hours, yielding over 21 g glucose per 100 g original rice husk. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to visualize changes in biomass structure following the APAWAO pretreatment. Enzymatic cellulose convertibility of the pretreated slurry at high dry matter loadings was also investigated.