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Improvements in wastewater treatment produce cleaner coastal waters in Catalonia

A study, published in the journal Ecological Indicators and developed by scientists at the University of Barcelona, the Biodiversity Research Institute of the UB (IRBio) and the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), supported by the Catalan Water Agency, proves that Catalan coastal waters are in a good ecological status. In order to make such a positive statement, the study analysed the evolution of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, a species that shows an extraordinary sensitivity to changes in water quality. Water quality improvement is largely due to the implementation of better wastewater treatment systems.
Water quality improvement has occurred along the Catalan coast, but it has been particularly important in most affected and damaged areas. For the period 2003–2010, improvements in several plant physiological and biochemical parameters have been detected; they indicate not only a nutrient and organic matter reduction, but also an increase of water transparency.

Biological indicators, like the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, are useful tools for environmental monitoring programmes because they allow obtaining an integrated response to marine ecosystem alterations. For the last fifteen years, universities, CSIC research centres and the Catalan Water Agency have worked together and their research on water quality bioindicators has become pioneer in Spain and Europe. To date, bioindicators were particularly used to detect degradation. Sensitive indicators are required to detect ecosystem improvement and the present study is pioneer in this sense.
From 1990 to 2010, wastewater treatment plants were ameliorated and three hundred new ones were built in Catalonia. These actions reduced nutrient and organic matter discharges into the sea.
Considering public investments made in improving coastal water quality, authors highlight that it is necessary to have a powerful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and guide environmental policies. Therefore, monitoring programmes, like the one in which this study is based, must continue to receive institutional and economic support.

Image: The seagrass Posidonia oceanica are useful bioindicators for environmental monitoring programmes. Photo: Matteo Ciani
http://biotech-spain.com/en/articles/improvements-in-wastewater-treatment-produce-cleaner-coastal-waters-in-catalonia/

Researchers at the University of Alicante produce good-quality activated carbon from hemp waste

Researchers at the University of Alicante have just proved that good-quality activated carbon can be obtained from hemp residue, which is used as a filter for water treatment and the elimination of polluting gases in industry. This innovation is part of the CARVOC Project: Innovative Eco-Friendly Activated Carbon Filters for Harmful Vapours & Gases VOC Purification", in which Spain, France and the UK were involved with funding from the European Commission.

UA researcher explains the main problem "lies in the high economic cost of disposing used activated carbon and its subsequent handling and management, given its highly polluting nature".

In this sense, one of the techniques used for the treatment is thermal regeneration although it has several drawbacks: the active carbon used needs to be moved to the regeneration centre and then brought back to the place where it is to be used. Also, the energy cost is high as it requires high temperatures (600-1000 degrees C), around five and twenty percent of activated carbon is lost during the combustion process causing environmental problems due to high energy consumption, transport and the release of greenhouse gases in the recovery phase.

In order to overcome these limitations, Cazorla and Professor Emilia Morallón, from the UA Institute of Materials, have patented a new technology that is — as they say — "efficient, sustainable and cheaper" compared to the existing ones: electrochemical regeneration.

The system uses electric current that can be delivered by a conventional power supply or directly from any system based on renewable energies such as solar or wind turbine devices and, thus, the regeneration of activated carbon can be in the same place where it is being used and with a much lower energy consumption.

http://biotech-spain.com/en/articles/researchers-at-the-university-of-alicante-produce-good-quality-activated-carbon-from-hemp-waste/

Recent trends in nanomaterials applications in environmental monitoring and remediation

Environmental pollution is one of the greatest problems that the world is facing today, and it is increasing with every passing year and causing grave and irreparable damage to the earth. Nanomaterials, because of their novel physical and chemical characteristics, have great promise to combat environment pollution. Nanotechnology is being used to devise pollution sensor. Avariety of materials in their nano form like iron, titanium dioxide, silica, zinc oxide, carbon nanotube, dendrimers, polymers, etc. are increasingly being used to make the air clean, to purify water, and to decontaminate soil. Nanotechnology is also being used to make renewable energy cheaper and more efficient. The use of nanotechnology in agriculture sector will reduce the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals and thus will reduce the load of chemical pollutant. While remediating environment pollution with nanomaterials, it should also be monitored that these materials do not contribute further degradation of the environment. This review will focus broadly on the applications of nanotechnology in
the sustainable development with particular emphasis on renewable energy, air-, water-, and soil-remediation. Besides, the review highlights the recent developments in various types of nanomaterials and nanodevices oriented toward pollution monitoring and remediation.

Source: Sumistha Das, Biswarup Sen & Nitai Debnath. 2015. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:18333–18344: DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-5491-6.

Multilocation trials conducted on J. curcas accessions in Tamil Nadu and Odisha
In Tamil Nadu, the Jatropha accessions which were received from the national network partners were planted in Vadakkankulam, Tirunelveli district, according to approved design and treatment schedules and the trials included agronomic (19 accessions), multilocational (95 accessions) and silviculture (2 accessions), which are now in the second year. Under silviculture trials, the first pruning for this year was carried out in July 2011 and the data on regeneration after pruning is currently being recorded. In Odisha, during the year, field trials of accessions were conducted in 30 acres of land at Uduluguda and Chilliguda villages under the Kundura block of Koraput district. Data on growth parameters such as plant height, mortality, canopy, stem diameter, number of branches, flowering, fruiting as well as disease incidence were recorded. NPK and biofertilisers were applied 6 times and 3 times, respectively, in the agronomic trial. Of the 19 accessions, NBPGR Acc. No IC 555381 showed highest percentage of seed yield.

Genetic engineering of Brassica juncea for enhanced phytoremediation
Phytoremediation is a relatively new technology that uses plants (accumulators of pollutants such as heavy metals) for the remediation of heavy metals from the soil. It is an inexpensive technology, the main strategies of which include phytostabilisation and accumulation. Plants like Brassica juncea, Thlaspi caerulescens are said to be hyper accumulators as they can accumulate the pollutants into their tissues. Phytoremediation efficiency of plants can be substantially improved using genetic engineering technologies. Over expression of genes whose protein products are involved in metal uptake, transport, and sequestration, have opened up new possibilities in phytoremediation. Metallothioneins and phytochelatins are thought to sequester excess amounts of certain metal ion. Metallothioneins are low molecular weight (4-8 kDa) polypeptides rich in cysteine residues (25-33 per cent). These residues in metallothionein form thiol bonds with metal ions to scavenge toxic heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, etc.), to store biologically essential metals (copper and zinc) and to regulate metal dependent processes essential to cellular pathways and thus play a major role in heavy metal detoxification. Brassica juncea was successfully transformed with PjMT1 (metallothionein gene isolated from Prosopis juliflora) under CaMV promoter using hypocotyls as explant. GUS was used as the reporter gene and the antibiotic Hygromycin as selectable marker. Putative transgenics were analysed for the presence of the transgene via PCR. The transgenic lines are currently in the T2 generation. Screening for homozygous single copy lines is underway.
Source: M. S. Swaminathan research foundation, Annual report 2011-12

Bioremediation of Sewage Wastewater Using Selective Algae for Manure Production.

Phycoremediation is the process of employing algae for removing excess nutrient load from wastewater and subsequently diminish the pollution load. It is an alternative technology of treating sewage wastewater compare to conventional treatment process in economical and sustainable way. IARI gives the effort to phycoremediate sewage wastewater with different microalgae viz. Chlorella minutissima, Scendesmus spp & BGA (Nostoc) and their consortium. Algae were very effective in reduction of BOD5, COD, NO3- , NH4, PO43- and TDS in sewage wastewater. Further, it has been observed that Chlorella was having best phycoremediation potential as well as manure production among all three microalgae and even better than consortium. Among the potential uses of algal biomass from such systems is its use as a slow release fertilizer. After 20 days microalgae were harvested using muslin cloth and fresh and dry weigh were determined. The maximum biomass was observed in Scendesmus spp and Chlorella minutissima while percentage of nitrogen and phosphorus was highest in Chlorella minutissima. So Chlorella minutissima has the best manurial potential. The algae in nutrient-rich sewage wastewater offers a new option of applying algae to manage the nutrient load and after phycoremediation the biomass itself can be utilized for manure application in agriculture, serving the dual roles of nutrient reduction and valuable manure feedstock production
Source: Sharma, G. K., & Khan, S. A., 2013. “Bioremediation of Sewage Wastewater Using Selective Algae for Manure Production”, International Journal of Environmental Engineering and Management, 4 (6), pp. 573-580.

Potential use of Cyanobacteria species in Phycoremediation of Municipal Wastewater
The treatment of municipal wastewater becomes effective by using microalgae which are superior as the wide range of toxic and other wastes can be reduced with them. Locally available blue green algae such as Oscillatoria limosa and Nostoc commune have ability to remove of various nutrients to prevent further deterioration of water quality. The phycoremediation experiments were conducted at Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Pune, India using randomized complete block design with three replications of each treatment. The results of present investigation clearly indicated that both the algal species viz Oscillatoria limosa and Nostoc commune are highly efficient for removal of NO3-2, PO4 -2, SO4 -2, Cl- and for reducing EC values. The average reduction was between 84 to 98%. The pollutant removal efficiency was increased with decreasing concentration of wastewater. Amongst the selected algae Oscillatoria limosa was the best candidate as compare to Nostoc commune. It was concluded that the cyanophycea members would be the best options for phycoremediation. Source: Hossein, A., Pejman, B., Kondiram, D. and Gorakh, P., 2014. “Potential use of cyanobacteria species in phycoremediation of municipal wastewater”, International Journal of Biosciences, 4 (4), 105-111].

Microalgae for Bioremediation of Distillery Effluent
Distillery effluents, also referred to as spent wash/stillage/slop/vinasses, are one of the most environmentally aggressive industrial effluents. With the development of economies and resultant growth of distillery industries, large volume of spent wash is produced which is likely to cause extensive soil and water pollution due to the presence of high amount of organic matter and dark brown coloured recalcitrant compounds. There have been many isolated studies for treatment of distillery effluents and related compounds using microalgae.
For treatment of wastewaters native microalgal strains are a favorable alternative to the traditional wastewaters treatment systems. A consortium of Oscillatoria, Lyngbya and Synechocystis decolorized melanoidin by 98% by absorption followed subsequently by degradation of the organic compounds. The microalgal strains like Anabaena cylindrica, Phormidium foveolarum, P. valderianum, Synechococcus, Ankistrodesmus braunii and Scenedesmus quadricauda have been reported instrumental in degradation of phenol and its derivatives, whereas the performances of Phormidium ambiguum, Chroococcus minutus, Oscillatoria, and Anabaena azollae were found satisfactory for degradation of lignin. Phormidium ambiguum and Chroococcus minutus were found to reduce lignin by over 73.0% from the pulp and paper mill wastes in 5 days; whereas Phormidium, Oscillatoria, and Anabaena azollae were able to degrade lignin by 89% and hemicellulose by 92% from coir waste.
Souerce: Singh, N. K., and Patel, D. B., 2012. “Microalgae for Bioremediation of Distillery Effluent”, Farming for Food and Water Security Sustainable Agriculture Reviews, 10, pp. 83-109.
The role of cyanobacteria in distilleries effluent was studied in Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu, India. Totally 12 species of cyanobacteria belonging to 6 genera were identified. Nostoc muscorum was found to be the most dominated genus in this effluent (heterocyst organism). The inoculation of cyanobacteria Nostoc muscarum resulted in removal of various chemicals as well as nutrients such as nitrogen, ammonia and phosphorus from the effluent and could be potentially employed for the treatment of distilleries effluent.
Source: Ganapathy Selvam, G., Baskaran, R. and Mohan, P. M., 2011. “Microbial diversity and bioremediation of distilleries effluent”, Journal of research in Biology, 3, 153-162.

Phytoremediation of Sewage-Fed Wetlands of East-Kolkata, India - A Case Study
Degree of purification of water qualities had been assessed in different sewage-fed wetlands in Kolkata Metropoliton Area, West-Bengal, India by one of the predominant macrophytic components, Eichhornia crassipes, locally named as water hyacinth from the littoral belts of the studied aquatic systems. This study has revealed that water quality was improved significantly with the reduction in values of BOD, COD, TDS, etc. All those sewage loaded aquatic bodies were considerably polluted which were manifested by higher values of Pollution Load Index and water quality Index during the present study. Besides, toxic metals from this aquatic environment have also been found to be reduced to a considerable extent which was evident by the deduction of bio-concentration factor of toxic metals. These results have indicated that toxic metals were absorbed in this plant community to a great extent from its readily available form in the aquatic medium. Thus, water-hycinth as a most flourishing and abundant macrophyte is being recommended as an important biotic agent for the bio-remediation and eco-restoration of pollution loaded aquatic systems.
Source: Poulomi Sanyal , Susanta Kumar Chakraborty and Phani Bhusan Ghosh, 2015. International Research Journal of Environment Sciences, ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 4(1), 80-89,
http://www.isca.in/IJENS/Archive/v4/i1/14.ISCA-IRJEvS-2014-247.pdf

Bio-concentration of chromium--an in situ phytoremediation study at south kaliapani chromite mining area of orissa, india.
Mine waste water at South Kaliapani usually contains toxic levels of hexavalent Cr(VI). The present in situ study was conducted at South Kaliapani chromite mine area in Orissa state, India, to assess the phytoremediation ability of three plants, namely, rice (Oryza sativa L.), paragrass (Brachiaria mutica), and an aquatic weed (Eichhornia crassipes), in attenuating Cr(VI) from mine waste water and to correlate the bio-concentration factors (BCF) of Cr. Water hyacinth (E. crassipes) showed 24% to 54% reduction whereas paragrass (B. mutica) was able to reduce 18% to 33% of Cr(VI) from mine water. This reduction was studied over a period of 100 days of plant growth. The reduction was observed through a passage of a sum total of 2,000 sq. ft. cultivated plots and ponds separately. Reduction in Cr(VI) content in mine water varies with plant age as well as with the distance of passage. Cr accumulation and BCF values increased with high soil Cr levels as well as the age of plants. High BCF and transportation index (Ti) values, i.e., 10,924 and 32.09, respectively, were noted for water hyacinth. The Ti values indicated that the root-to-shoot translocation of Cr was very high after 100 days of growth. The total accumulation rate was maximum (8.29 mg Cr kg dry biomass(-1) day (-1)) in paragrass. The BCF values for roots were noted to be higher than those of leaves, stems, and grains of the 125-day-old plants. Hence, paragrass and water hyacinth may be used as tools of phytoremediation to combat the problem of in situ Cr contamination.
Source: Monalisa Mohanty, Mausumi M Pattnaik, Aruna K Mishra, Hemanta K Patra. Environ Monit Assess 2012 Jan 13;184(2):1015-24. Epub 2011 Apr 13.
http://www.jspb.ru/issues/2011/N4/JSPB_2011_4_335-346.pdf

Physico-chemical assessment of paper mill effluent and its heavy metal remediation using aquatic macrophytes—a case study at JK Paper mill, Rayagada, India
The phytoremediation potential of six aquatic macrophytes, viz. Eichhornia crassipes, Hydrilla verticillata, Jussiaea repens, Lemna minor, Pistia stratiotes and Trapa natans grown in paper mill effluent of JK Paper mill of Rayagada, Orissa, for remediation of heavy metals. The experiment was designed in pot culture experiments. Assessment of physico-chemical parameters of paper mill effluent showed significant decrease in pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, chlorine, sulphur, biological and chemical oxygen demand after growth of macrophytes for 20 days. Phytoremediation ability of these aquatic macrophytic species for copper (Cu) and mercury (Hg) was indicated by assessing the decrease in the levels of heavy metals from effluent water. Maximum reduction (66.5 %) in Hg content of untreated paper mill effluent was observed using L. minor followed by T. natans(64.8 %). L. minorshowed highest reduction (71.4 %) of Cu content from effluent water followed by E. crassipes (63.6 %). Phytoextraction potential of L. minor was remarkable for Hg and Cu, and bioaccumulation was evident from bioconcentration factor values, i.e. 0.59 and 0.70, respectively. The present phytoremediation approach was considered more effective than conventional chemical treatment method for removing toxic contaminants from paper mill effluent.
Source: Swayamprabha Mishra & Monalisa Mohanty & Chinmay Pradhan & Hemanta Kumar Patra & Ritarani Das & Santilata Sahoo, Environ Monit Assess (2013) 185:4347–4359 DOI 10.1007/s10661-012-2873-9

Microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment: heavy metal removal, sewage sludge treatment, and its potential application in wastewater reuse in irrigation
20.03.2014

Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a sustainable technology that converts organic matter in wastewater into electricity, thus it can be a potential alternative source for water and energy. Although significant advances in MFC research have been accomplished in the last few years, improvement in power generation and decrease in material cost are still necessary to bring MFC into practical application. First, heavy metal removal by MFC was studied. Simultaneous high power generation (3.6 W/m²) and high Cd (90%) and Zn (97%) removal efficiencies were achieved in a single chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC). The maximum tolerable concentrations (MTCs) that did not affect power output were 200 μM for Cd and 400 μM for Zn.
Then, enhancement of sewage treatment by MFC was investigated. Although energy costs required for wastewater treatment are offset by methane production from sewage sludge treatment, not all the energy is extracted from sludge and effluents need additional treatment, such as aeration, to meet environmental regulations. MFC has been used to convert organic matter in sludge into electricity.

Wastewater use in irrigation resolves the problem of water shortage, it also presents a threat to the environment. Thus, wastewater treatment before irrigation is needed. MFC has potential to treat wastewater and generate electricity simultaneously while leaving low residual concentrations of nutrients in the effluent. In order to investigate the economic returns from using MFC to treat wastewater before agricultural application. The various profits from treated water, produced electricity and nutrients in effluent were evaluated. The analysis showed that MFC is a promising technology that can resolve issues of water and energy shortage and thus can ensure food security.

Source: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/47329

Oilzapper: eliminate crude oil spills, manage oily sludge

Tata Energy Research Institute, (TEERI), New Delhi, initiated the research on crude oil and oil sludge degrading bacterial consortium. After seven years of research work, TERI developed the Oilzapper (crude oil and oily sludge degrading bacterial consortium). Oilzapper was produced in bulk and immobilized on to a carrier material (organic powder material). Carrier based Oilzapper was used for cleanup of crude oil spills and treatment of oily sludge. More than 40,000 tonnes of oily sludge/oil contaminated soil and drill cuttings have been treated at various locations. More than 30,000 tonnes of oily sludge/oil contaminated soil is under treatment at different locations in India and the Middle East countries. With the application of Oilzapper, crude oil contaminated agricultural lands were cleaned up in the north-eastern and western parts of India.

In situ bioremediation was chosen to reclaim the contaminated site in both the refineries. Bioremediation is a process that employs microorganisms capable of degrading toxic contaminants for the reclamation of polluted sites. It has the potential to treat the contaminants on-site (in situ) thus ensuring that the contaminant is not merely moved from one place to another. Apart from the various factors like the type and characteristics of the soil, nutrient and oxygen availability, various sampling and analytical techniques, a successful approach towards bioremediation involves the indigenous microorganisms, their survivability, and their response to toxic contaminants as well as nutrient enrichment. The reintroduction of indigenous microorganisms isolated from the contaminated sites after culturing seems to be a highly effective bioremediation approach, especially when oxygen and fertilizers supplement the growth of the microorganisms.

The end-users of Oilzapper are

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, India

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, India

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, India

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd, India

Oil India Ltd, India

Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd, India

Reliance Industries Ltd, India

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Abu Dhabi

Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait

Source: http://www.teriin.org

Odour Control in Domestic Solid Waste Treatment Plant, Chennai

A decentralized integrated bio-mechanization plant has been implemented near Koyambedu Market in Chennai to utilize vegetable, fruit, flower wastes. The plant generates about 2000 m3 of biogas and 4 tons of bio-fertilizer from 30 tons of degradable wastes. The biogas is being converted into electricity using biogas engine and connected to Tamil Nadu Electricity Board power grid. For the first time odour control system with bio-filter is implemented with contributions by Ministry of Non-Convention Energy Sources, Govt. of India and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. The main sources of odour are from waste storage yard, collection sump, sorting area and minceration unit. The air from these areas is collected through presuction pipes and connected to a blower. The inlet of the pipe is covered with

anticorrosion mesh to avoid flies and solid particle entry into the pipe leading to bio filter. A bio filter is developed using wooden chips as media. Water is sprinkled occasionally to keep the media under wet condition.

Source: http://www.cpcb.nic.in/divisionsofheadoffice/pci2/package_odourreport_2.12.08.pdf

Waste to Wealth' programme

Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Limited (KCI) ) is an ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified leading manufacturer of chemical intermediates in India. 'The Waste to Wealth programme is based on unified technology used at KCI's Ankleshwar Chemical Works for gainful utilisation of waste generated from manufacturing processes. The programme has three components, namely Waste to Water, Waste to Energy and Waste to Soil Nutrients.

Source: http://www.kanoriachem.com

Waste to Water

In its quest for an effective environmental technology for recovery of recyclable water from effluent, KCI identified Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology as a possible route for achieving the objective of maximum recycle and minimum possible disposal. This technology had hitherto never been used for treatment of industrial effluent in India and for the company it was a calculated risk.

This has resulted in the following benefits for the company:

Reduction in fresh water consumption as 65-70% recovered water in recycled back to the manufacturing process.

Source:http://www.kanoriachem.com/2-uncategorised.html?start=32

Waste to Power

The bio-gas produced during treatment of distillery effluent is gainfully used for power generation after removing its H2S content with the help of "Thiopaq" scrubber technology supplied by Paques Bio-system of the Netherlands. This has reduced Sulphur emission into the atmosphere from 900 kg to 9 kg per day. The technology supplier was awarded the Dutch Environment Award for Industry in 1999 based on the H2S plant installed at KCI. The project has become an Indian benchmark for similar projects taken up subsequently by other plants.

Waste to Soil Nutrients

Initially built on a small piece of land of 7 acres located opposite the distillery plant, a bio-compost manufacturing facility was set up on trial basis. The bio compost manufactured in this plant, was well received by farmers and encouraged by the results, KCI shifted this plant to a much larger plot of land measuring approximately 60 acres and located about 20 kilometres away from the Ankleshwar Works.

The new location of the bio-compost plant not only helped in increasing the production level, but has also made it possible to put up a demonstration farm growing various types of crops such as sugarcane and banana to showcase the effectiveness of bio-compost as good manure. The use of distillery waste in bio-compost results in recycling of nutrients available in the molasses back to the soil, and at the same time reduces the dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Source: http://www.kanoriachem.com/2-uncategorised.html?start=32

BHARATIYA AGRO-INDUSTRIES FOUNDATION (BAIF)

Bharatiya Agro-industries Foundation (BAIF), now renamed as BAIF Development Research Foundation, is a non-profit, non-political, professionally managed Public Charitable Trust, established in 1967. Its mission is to create opportunities for gainful self-employment for the rural families, especially disadvantaged sectors, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment, improved quality of life, and good human values. (www.baif.org)

BAIF has its own Central Research Station, where all research as well as production takes place. The Central Research Station is recognized as a centre for pursuing certificate and degree courses in Agriculture and related topics of the Yashwantrao Chavan, Maharashtra Open University, Nasik. BAIF is also in touch with other research institutes. It has tied up with IRDC for research in mycorhizzae. It has formulated ideas for manufacturing at grassroots level, trying to grow the bacteria on the field with the help of simple methods like using shade nets.

BAIF is a Public Charitable Trust recognised as a Research Institution by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, University of Pune and South Gujarat University, Surat. BAIF manufactures 4 types of bio-fertilizers - Rhizobium, Azotobacter, PSB and Mycorhizzae. Rhizobium is applied to roots or seeds; the rest may be applied to the soil. All the bio-fertilisers are powder (lignite) based.

Source: http://www.baif.org.in/

BAIF provides complete livelihood support through the Livelihood Support Programme to the farmer, and his entire family. It provides first inputs like neem cake, bone meal; then bio-fertilizers and then mixed fertilizers. Bio-fertilisers are thus a part of a package of inputs provided to the farmers. The focus is on the creation of self-sustaining units, where production of inputs, utilization of family labour, and generation of income takes place. The farmer, thus, gets income from various sources like forestry, horticulture, grasslands, vermi-compost, and so on. Thus, a complete capacity building activity is carried out. Along with the Livelihood Support Programme, BAIF also conducts the Natural Resource Management Programme.

Source: http://www.imdr.edu/marketing of biofertilizers.html

Biopesticides and Biofertilisers in Haryana, India.

The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in Indian agriculture has seen a sharp increase in recent years, and in some areas has reached alarming levels with grave implications for human health, the ecosystem and ground water. It is therefore increasingly urgent that environmentally friendly methods of improving soil fertility and pests and disease control are used. The potential of biopesticides and biofertilizers for promoting sustainable agriculture has been known for many years. A number of government agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Biotechnology, are engaged in supporting research, production and application of these agents. However, in spite of these efforts, their use in India is small. It explores the factors responsible for the limited use of these agents, based on detailed discussions with a large number of farmers, various agencies engaged in the promotion of biopesticides and biofertilizers, State Agricultural Department officials, and shopkeepers. The study found that for the use of biopesticides, a key problem was that departments promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) have very little knowledge and experience of biopesticides, and most state agricultural universities, on whose recommendations pest control methods are promoted, do not tend to recommend biopesticides. In the absence of active promotion by the agriculture department, the demand for these products has not developed, and most private shops and dealers do not stock and sell biopesticides. In the case of biofertilizers, their poor quality and performance is a major factor in their limited uptake by farmers. This is primarily linked to inappropriate strains and inefficient production technology. As a result it is recommended that research and development to identify more suitable strains, to develop better production technology and quality control methods is greatly increased, and that in the meantime the various grants and subsidies on biofertilizers are diverted to support these R&D programmes.

Gatekeeper Series - Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development 2000 No. 93 pp. 24 pp.

Kumar Krishi Mitra Bio-Products (I) Pvt. Ltd (KKM):

Kumar Krishi Mitra (KKM) bio-products Pvt. Ltd. is a biotechnology company, which focuses on the use of beneficial microbes for environment friendly agriculture. The main aim is enhanced profitability through increased sale of bio-fertilizers. It provides safe inputs to farmers, to increase soil productivity and yield. It focuses on research, discovering, cultivating, and marketing safe and environmentally friendly microbial inputs for agriculture for domestic and foreign markets.

KKM manufactures a range of liquid bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Bioplin is a liquid bio-fertilizer for Nitrogen supplementation and contains nitrogen-fixing strains of Azotobacter. Phosfert is a liquid bio-fertilizer for Phosphorus supplementation and contains phosphate solubilising strains of azotobacter and bacillus polymyxa. Vitormone is a liquid bio-fertilizer for foliar application and contains growth-promoting strains of azotobacter.

The research, development, and testing is done in-house, and new products are developed. The company also gets third party testing done from other research institutes. These include NBDC, Ghaziabad, NCL, Pune, and The International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria, Directorate of Agriculture, Maharashtra, India and ISO certified national and international laboratories, amongst others. It has also formulated a soil betterment technique called KREF to correct soil salinity and act as a catalyst to increase soil organic matter and productivity. The company provides a kit to farmers for this purpose.

Source: http://agriculture.indiabizclub.com/profile/1687924~kumar+krishi+mitra+bioproducts+(i)+pvt+ltd~pune_india

Removal of Toxic Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions using Substrate Materials made from Low-Grade Natural Minerals

This work has been carried out in collaboration with Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, Cairo, Egypt under CSIR-ASRT, Egypt Scientific Collaborative Programme. The objective of the project was to explore the possibilities of using low-grade minerals for the removal of different toxic ions such as chromium, cadmium, arsenic etc. from the effluents of a zinc plant. Under the project low grade natural minerals namely low grade rock phosphate and pyrophyllite were studied as substrate materials for the removal of heavy metals ions namely lead, zinc and copper from synthetic solutions as well as from the real industrial effluents obtained from Hindustan Zinc Ltd. The substrate materials were evaluated in the form of powder as well as balls in two different compositions prepared from the substrate materials for carrying out effluent treatment studies in packed columns. The studies were carried out to optimize the required weight of the balls of the substrate materials and number of treatment cycles using a single charge for a fixed volume of the effluent for bring down its heavy metal ion concentration in the permissible limit. The results show that it is possible to bring down the concentration of heavy metal ions (such as lead) in the permissible limits (0.05 mg/l) from the initial level of 3.4 mg/l for 20 litres of the effluent by using 1.2 kg of the substrate material balls in 10 cycles.

Source: http://www.ampri.res.in/eng/index.php/research/wastetowealth/rfw

Development of Glazing Material Drum Filter Cake

The secondary zinc industry mainly utilizes zinc ash as raw material for producing zinc. After roasting, the raw material is leached out with sulphuric acid followed by treatment with activated MnO2 . The solution is taken for polishing followed by electrolysis while the pH of the residue slurry is adjusted and the solids are filtered using a drum filter. The solid residue, known as drum filter cake (DFC), contains silica, alumina, lead and zinc compounds. The presence of lead makes DFC hazardous. A grant-in-aid project from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) was undertaken to utilize the DFC for making value added products. On consideration of intrinsic contents, frit compositions have been developed wherein the toxic species are complexed in a glass with toxicity level within permissible limits.

Source: http://www.ampri.res.in/eng/index.php/research/wastetowealth/rfw

Development of Value Added Products from Industrial Wastes, Deactivated Catalysts and Flyash slag

A collaborative project on the development of value added products from industrial wastes, deactivated catalysts and flyash slag etc. is being carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Krasnoyarsk (Russia) under the ILTP program of cooperation between DST, India and RAS, Russia. The solid waste materials have been collected from respective industries and characterized for their physico-chemical properties. The deactivated catalysts were used for the recovery of metals followed by making inorganic pigments like nickel titanate, nickel chromate etc. The flyash slag has been used as an additional source of silica in the development of frit glaze materials in combination with the solid waste generated in zinc sulphate industry to prepare glazing materials that could be cured at low temperatures. The toxic ions have been very well complexed in the glassy material of the frit. High impact strength ceramic bodies were also developed from Fly-ash + talc mixtures utilizing phosphate based complex activators. The compatibility of tiles, glaze and pigments prepared under this project is being investigated.

Hazardous Anode Mud of Zinc Industry:

Zinc Industry waste anode mud contains 50-60% MnO2 and 5-15% PbO2
Process developed for recovery of Manganese values as MnSO4 and lead values to make lead chromate pigment

Carbothermal treatment process developed using liquid reducing agent to reduce solid waste generation and for >95% recovery of manganese values.

Source: http://www.ampri.res.in/eng/index.php/recoveryfromwastewtow/413-sheilding3-research

Low Temperature Sintering Materials for Developing Energy Efficient Process

Ceramic bodies are sintered to achieve acceptable level of impact strength. In the case of silicate bonding, sintering is required to be carried out at temperatures in the range of 1150-1300oC whereby reinforcing mullite crystals are formed in the matrix. To lower the temperature of sintering, the role of phosphate bonding has been investigated. The reinforcing AlPO4 crystals have been observed to form at a lower temperature of 950oC which also provide impact strength higher than the silicate bonded ones. Further, the impact strength improved significantly by the incorporation of magnesium bearing mineral (talc) due to the formation of sodium magnesium phosphate. Accordingly, in addition to the development of ceramic materials that could be processed at low temperatures and possess high impact strength, the studies have also provided a valuable insight in the sintering process.

Source: http://www.ampri.res.in/eng/index.php/recoveryfromwastewtow/413-sheilding3-research

Wood Substitute

Industrial wastes such as redmud, flyash, jarosite, marble slurry dust, copper tailings, and natural fibres like sisal and jute have been used as fillers for developing a variety of polymer composites. The materials have been subjected to a characterization such as resistance to weathering and fire, mechanical, chemical, wear etc. A comparison of features shows higher strength, greater resistance to corrosion and weathering for the developed materials than that of the conventional ones (wood). They are also insensitive to attack by termite, rodent, rot etc unlike wood. Display of their self extinguishing nature helps to reduce the severity of damage to the residents and buildings in the event of fire hazards. Also, their less maintenance and basic costs than wood make them further attractive. Products like door shutters, roofing sheets, panels etc. for building applications, as well as furniture. etc. TThe developed door shutters were thoroughly tested by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and finally approved by CPWD for public use

Source: http://www.ampri.res.in/eng/index.php/woodsubstitute

PUSA JAI KISAN: A SUCCESS STORY

MUSTARD HYBRIDS: A SUCCESS STORY

Identification and cloning of a new blast resistance gene Pi54 from rice and its utilization in rice improvement: A Success Story

International

Biodiesel Producers Limited (BPL) - A 3 Month Grease Eradication System (GES) Trial

The Aims of the Program.
The aim for Environmental Biotech was to bioremediate with its GES™ bacteria cultures, both ponds with three main initial criteria:-
1. To reduce the FOG in the CAL discharge to less than 150mg/L.
2. To eliminate the stable fat foam in the SBR to allow the denitrification sequencing program to be reinstated.
3. To clean up the hard fat layer from the surfaces of the open ponds.
Bioremediation project at Biodiesel Producers Limited, Barnawatha, Victoria: The project involved the remediation of a waste water treatment process containing a large covered anaerobic lagoon (CAL), an aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a series of downstream open ponds. The pond downstream of the SBR was heavily loaded with a thick hard grease cap. The CAL was believed to have a 1metre plus grease cap (GHD- Treatment plant design Engineers) and the SBR had developed a thick foam cap that had prevented aeration and mixing.
The inflow to the CAL was designed for a flow of 210 KL per day with a loading of 6,900 mg/L BOD and FOG of 425 mg/L (90Kg). Actual load was 100KL with 20,000 mg/L BOD and 1,800 mg/L (180Kg) FOG.

More: http://www.environmentalbiotech.com.au/biodieselproducerscasestudy

Sugar Eradication System

Almost every food or drink production process involves the use of sugar or starch. Bakeries, restaurants, breweries, and soft drink manufacturers send excess sugar and starch down their drains and into their drainage systems. Once there, these wastes settle in the bottom of drain lines, accumulating until they completely block the pipes, often causing backups.
Environmental Biotech's Sugar Eradication System (SES®) provides a permanent solution to sugar and starch build-up.
The Sugar Eradication System (SES®) harnesses the power of live, vegetative, non-toxic bacteria in a process called bioremediation. When pumped into drainage systems, these bacteria actually eat the blockages, converting them into harmless by-products mainly water. So the bacteria not only save you time and money in costly repairs, they help the environment as well.

More: http://www.environmentalbiotech.com.au/sugar

GreaseBlast
Used by many businesses globally, Environmental Biotech’s GreaseBlast system is a cost-effective natural way to permanently free your drains from FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) that account for over 75% of drain blockages.
The wall-mounted GreaseBlast automatic drain dosing system routinely delivers non-toxic live vegetative bacteria directly into the drain line or grease trap. The bacteria simply consume the drain-clogging FOG, turning it into H2O and CO2
GreaseBlast’s multi-strained bacteria are specifically cultured for use in drain lines, and are proven to:
• Constantly maintain free-flowing drains using a ‘biofilm’ forming bacterial action
• Eliminate food related drain odours
• Save on unnecessary reactive plumber call-outs and drain maintenance
• Help food service operatives meet tight legislative demands

More: http://www.environmentalbiotech.com.au/greaseblast2

Odour Elimination System
Noxious odours that linger around rubbish bins and refuse containers, float up from floor or sink drains, and take up residence in toilets. Cigarette smoke smells plague bar areas and hotel rooms. Worse, these odours can rapidly permeate a kitchen or preparation area and drift out into dining or service areas.

The Proven Solution
Environmental Biotech's Odour Elimination System (OES™) is a low cost permanent solution to these and other odour-related problems. We locate the noxious odours and build customised solutions based on the type of problem experienced.

The Odour Elimination System™ includes:

Find the source of the odour(s)
Installation of an atomiser or drip-feed chemical injection system
Bi-weekly service visits from a trained EB technician
Environmentally friendly chemicals that actually counteract and neutralise unwanted odours
Maintenance and housekeeping recommendations to ensure a fresh smelling facility

http://www.environmentalbiotech.com.au/odourelimination

Bioremediation project at Biodiesel Producers Limited, Barnawatha, Victoria.
The project involved the remediation of a waste water treatment process containing a large covered anaerobic lagoon (CAL), an aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a series of downstream open ponds. The pond downstream of the SBR was heavily loaded with a thick hard grease cap. The CAL was believed to have a 1metre plus grease cap (GHD- Treatment plant design Engineers) and the SBR had developed a thick foam cap that had prevented aeration and mixing.
The inflow to the CAL was designed for a flow of 210 KL per day with a loading of 6,900 mg/L BOD and FOG of 425 mg/L (90Kg). Actual load was 100KL with 20,000 mg/L BOD and 1,800 mg/L (180Kg) FOG.

More: http://www.environmentalbiotech.com.au/biodieselproducerscasestudy

Nesterenkonia sp. strain F, a halophilic bacterium producing acetone, butanol, and ethanol under aerobic conditions

The moderately halophilic bacterium Nesterenkonia sp. strain F, which was isolated from Aran-Bidgol Lake (Iran), has the ability to produce acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) as well as acetic and butyric acids under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This result is the first report of ABE production with a wild microorganism from a family other than Clostridia and also the first halophilic species shown to produce butanol under aerobic cultivation. The cultivation of Nesterenkonia sp. strain F under anaerobic conditions with 50 g/l of glucose for 72 h resulted in the production of 105 mg/l of butanol, 122 mg/l of acetone, 0.2 g/l of acetic acid, and 2.5 g/l of butyric acid. Furthermore, the strain was cultivated on media with different glucose concentrations (20, 50, and 80 g/l) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Through fermentation with a 50 g/l initial glucose concentration under aerobic conditions, 66 mg/l of butanol, 125 mg/l of acetone, 291 mg/l of ethanol, 5.9 g/l of acetic acid, and 1.2 g/l of butyric acid were produced. The enzymes pertaining to the fermentation pathway in the strain were compared with the enzymes of Clostridium spp., and the metabolic pathway of fermentation used by Nesterenkonia sp. strain F was investigated.

Source: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep18408

Biofertilizers for Bio remediation of Pesticide contaminated Soil
Biofertilizers by the General Organization of Agriculture Fund, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt (Phosphoren, Microbien, Cerealin and Azospirillum) to degrade five selected pesticides representing different classes including organophosphate, carbamate and chlorinated organic compounds. There were differences in rates of biotransformation, suggesting the selective induction of certain metabolic enzymes. Inoculation of soil incorporated with malathion, fenamiphos, carbaryl, aldicarb and dieldrin, resulted in 80-90% removal of malathion and fenamiphos within 8 days, carbaryl and aldicarb within 11-15 days respectively. Dieldrin removal occurred slowly within 2 months. These data suggest that biofertilizers may act as potential candidates for soil inoculation to bioremediate pesticide contaminated soil. The production of CO2 (soil respiration) was stimulated by some pesticides. In samples with microbien, about 2 times higher CO2 production was measured.
Source: Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt); 1555 p; 1999; p. 241-249; International conference on hazardous waste sources, effects and management; Cairo (Egypt); 12-16 Dec 1998; INIS-EG--165(V.1,2,3) ].

Bioremediation of Petroleum Pollutants
Bioremediation tries to raise the rates of degradation found naturally to significantly higher rates. The two general approaches that have been tested for the bioremediation of marine oil spills are the application of fertilizer to enhance the abilities of the indigenous hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria and the addition of naturally occurring adapted microbial hydrocarbon-degraders by seeding. Bioremediation, accomplished by the application of fertilizer to enhance the abilities of the indigenous hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria, was successfully applied for the treatment of the Alaskan oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Source: Ronald, M. Atlas., 1995. “Bioremediation of Petroleum Pollutants”, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 311-321.

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