Outburst of pest populations in rice-based cropping systems under conservation agricultural practices in the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia.

Conservation agriculture (CA), which encompasses minimum soil disturbance, residue retention either through crop residue, or cover crops and crop diversification-based crop management practices can modify the status of pest dynamics and activities under the changing climatic scenarios. CA has been advocated extensively to optimize the use of available resources, maintain the environmental quality, enhance crop productivity, and reduce the climate change impacts. Information related to the impacts of long-term CA-production systems under rice-based cropping systems on pest status is lacking, particularly in middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (MIGP). Under CA, puddling is completely avoided, and rice is directly sown or transplanted to maintain better soil health. Different sets of experimentations including farmers practice, partial CA and full CA (CA) as treatments in rice-based cropping systems, were established from 2009, 2015 and 2016 to understand the long-term impacts of CA on pest dynamics. In this study, direct and indirect effects of tillage (zero, reduced and conventional tillage), residue retention and cropping sequences on abundance and damage by pests were investigated. After 4-5 years of experimentation, populations of oriental armyworm [Mythinma (Leucania) (Pseudaletia) separata (Wlk.)] in wheat, mealybug [Brevennia rehi (Lindinger)] and bandicoot rat [Bandicota bengalensis (Gray)] in rice were found to increase abnormally in CA-based production systems. Conventionally tilled plots had a significant negative effect while residue load in zero-tilled plots had a significant positive effect on larval population build-up of M. separata. Zero tillage had a higher infestation of mealybug (52-91% infested hills) that used grassy weeds (Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa crusgalli, Cynodon dactylon, Leptochloa chinensis and Panicum repense) as alternate hosts. Cropping sequences and no disturbance of soil and grassy weeds had higher live burrow counts (4.2 and 13.7 burrows as compared to 1.47 and 7.53 burrows per 62.5 m2 during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, respectively) and damaged tillers (3.4%) in CA-based practices. Based on the present study, pest management strategies in CA need to be revisited with respect to tillage, residue retention on soil surface, grassy weeds in field and cropping sequences to deliver the full benefits of CA in MIGP to achieve the sustainable development goals under the climate change scenarios.

Can yield, soil C and aggregation be improved under long-term conservation agriculture in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plain of India?

Deteriorating soil health, diminishing soil organic carbon (SOC), development of subsurface hard compact layer and declining system productivity are barriers to achieving sustainable production in the traditional rice-wheat cropping system (TA) in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain of India. Conservation agriculture (CA), which favours minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention and crop diversification could be a viable alternative to the TA to address most of those major problems. With that in mind, a long-term experiment is being implemented at ICAR-RCER, Patna, Bihar, India, with four treatments: (a) TA, (b) full CA (fCA) and (c and d) partial CA (pCA1 and pCA2), differing in crop establishment methods, cropping system and crop residue management in a randomized complete block design. Measurement of soil health parameters was carried out in the 11th year of the experiment. The results revealed a beneficial effect of CA and 46 and 40% increase in SOC concentration and stock, respectively, under fCA over TA in the 0-7.5-cm soil layer. The effect of partial CA (pCA1 and pCA2) was variable, but an increasing trend was always observed under pCA compared to TA. There was an enrichment in SOC content of aggregates under CA irrespective of size class; however, no relation was found between SOC content and aggregate diameter. The contribution of macroaggregates to SOC stock was larger (36-66%) under CA in the 0-7.5-cm soil layer. Adoption of CA improved the macroaggregate content, MWD and GMD of aggregates, and aggregation ratio. Soil macropore content was greater under fCA, whereas other parameters were similar among treatments. The impact of CA was mostly limited to 0-7.5 cm soil layer and a maximum up to 15 cm soil depth while evaluation until 60 cm soil depth was realized. The yield of rice in CA was comparable to or higher than in TA, whereas the system rice equivalent yield was always higher (38-53%) under CA than under the conventional practices. Therefore, a CA-based cropping system must be encouraged, to increase SOC status, improve aggregation stability and, consequently, sustain or increase system productivity, in order to achieve food and nutritional security in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain of India. HIGHLIGHTS: Effects of long-term conservation agriculture (CA) on soil C, aggregation and yield were evaluated.CA improved SOC concentration and stock by 46 and 40%, as well as macroaggregate SOC stock by 36-66%.Macro-aggregation and mean weight diameter improved in CA but was mostly limited to a shallow soil depth.CA can be promoted for sustainability of a rice-wheat system due to higher productivity (38-53%).

An impact of agronomic practices of sustainable rice-wheat crop intensification on food security, economic adaptability, and environmental mitigation across eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains.

In the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP), conventional rice-wheat system has led to a decline in productivity, input-use efficiency, and profitability. To address these, a four-year field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of tillage and crop establishment (TCE) methods in rice-wheat-greengram rotation. The treatments included: 1) random puddled transplanted rice (RPTR) - conventional-till broadcast wheat (BCW) - zero-till greengram (ZTG); 2) line PTR (LPTR) - conventional-till drill sown wheat (CTW) - ZTG; 3) machine transplanted rice in puddled soil (CTMTR) - zero tillage wheat (ZTW) - ZTG; 4) machine transplanted rice in zero-till wet soil (ZTMTR) - ZTW - ZTG; 5) system of rice intensification (SRI) - system of wheat intensification (SWI) - ZTG; 6) direct-seeded rice (DSR) - ZTW - ZTG; and 7) zero-till DSR - ZTW - ZTG. During the initial two years, conventional rice system (PTR) recorded a 16.2 % higher rice grain yield than DSR system. Whereas in the fourth year, the rice yields under DSR and PTR were comparable. As compared to SRI/SWI, the average wheat yield in ZT system was significantly high, whereas in rice, SRI/SWI system was comparable with CT system. ZTW after non-puddled rice was at par to CTW after PTR. The ZT wheat produced 4.6 % more yield than CT system. DSR production system consumed 6.8 % less water compared to transplanted system. On the system basis, 10.8 % higher net returns were recorded with CA-based system compared to conventional system. The system energy productivity under CA-based production system was 14-36 % higher than PTR-based systems. CA-based system also led to 8-10 % lower global warming potential (GWP) than conventional methods. The current study indicated that as compared to conventional system, a significant gain in productivity, profitability and energy-use efficiency, and reduction in the environmental mitigation are possible with emerging alternative TCE methods. Long-term expansion and further refinement of these technologies in local areas need to be explored for the second green revolution.

Influence of tillage based crop establishment and residue management practices on soil quality indices and yield sustainability in rice-wheat cropping system of Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) is the most important system occupying around 26 M ha spread over the Indo Gangetic Plains in South Asia and China. Many long-term trials were led to assess the agronomic productivity and economic profitability of various combinations of conservation agricultural (CA) practices (zero tillage, residue management and crop establishment) in RWCS of Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) of India. The purpose of this study was to investigate the best management practices involving different tillage-based crop establishment and residue retention techniques and their contribution to agricultural system sustainability through improvement in soil health by developing soil quality index (SQI). We have used SQI as an instrument based on physical [macro aggregate stability (MAS), available water capacity (AWC) and soil penetration resistance (SPR)], chemical [soil organic carbon (OC), available N, available P and available K] and biological [microbial biomass carbon (MBC), fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA)] properties of soil, because these are very useful indicators of soil's functions for agronomic productivity and soil fertility. Soil properties like MAS, OC, MBC, FDA and DHA were higher by 47, 18, 56, 48 and 53%, respectively, under ZTDSR-ZTW (T7: Zero-till direct seeded rice - Zero-till wheat) than RPTR-CTW (T1: Random puddled transplanted rice - Conventional till broadcasted wheat), at 0-10 cm. CA based treatment T7 also recorded lower SPR (126 N cm-1). SQI for different treatments were calculated by performing principal component analysis based on the total data set method. The higher system rice equivalent yield of 12.41 t ha-1 was observed at SQI value of 0.90 at 0-10 cm and 0.86 at 10-20 cm in T7. It can be concluded that crop residue retention on the surface with zero tillage is beneficial for the sustainability and productivity of the RWCS in EIGP of India.

Microwave-assisted extraction of chitosan from Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 1526 biomass.

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of chitosan from dried fungal biomass of Rhizopus oryzae NRRL1526, obtained by culturing on potato dextrose broth (PDB), was performed and the optimal conditions required were identified using statistical analysis for the first time in this study. This microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was compared against the conventional autoclave assisted method of chitosan extraction. The full factorial experimental design was used to investigate the impact of operating parameters of MAE, microwave power (100 W-500 W), and duration (10 min-30 min), on alkaline insoluble material (AIM) yield, chitosan yield, and degree of deacetylation (DDA). The effect of operating conditions was then evaluated using full factorial data analysis and optimum condition for MAE of chitosan was identified using response surface methodology to be 300 W and 22 min. This optimum condition identified was then further evaluated and the chitosan obtained characterized. Higher chitosan yield of 13.43 ± 0.3% (w/w) of fungal biomass was obtained when compared to that obtained, 6.67% ± 0.3% (w/w) of dry biomass, for the conventional extraction process. MAE yielded chitosan of higher degree of deacetylation, 94.6 ± 0.9% against 90.6 ± 0.5% (conventional heating), but the molecular weight was observed to be similar to that obtained by using conventional autoclave heating. MAE of chitosan was observed to yield a higher quantity of chitosan when compared to conventional extraction process and obtained chitosan exhibited a higher degree of deacetylation as well as molecular weight. The lower energy consumption of 0.11 kW h for MAE (5 kW h for conventional process) and the concomitant reduction in the energy bill to 1.1 cents from 50 cents, in addition to the above results, show that microwave irradiation is a more efficient and environment-friendly means to obtain chitosan from fungal biomass.

Fabrication of nanobiocatalyst using encapsulated laccase onto chitosan-nanobiochar composite.

Laccase is one of the widely used enzymes for biotechnological processes. Immobilization of enzymes is a universally accepted approach to increase their reusability and stability. In this study, laccase enzyme from Trametes versicolor was encapsulated for the first time in a chitosan-nanobiochar matrix. The chitosan-tripolyphosphate gel formation technique was employed to produce homogeneous biocatalyst nanoparticles, with 35% effective binding efficiency and 3.5 Units/g apparent activity under the best configuration. The reusability of the encapsulated laccase was demonstrated towards the oxidation of 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) for several consecutive cycles, exhibiting 30% of the initial activity after 5 cycles. The encapsulated laccase showed a moderate increase in enzyme stability against pH and temperature variation compared to the free enzyme. Moreover, the storage stability of laccase at both 4 °C and 25 °C was increased after immobilization. Only 2% of laccase was leaked during a 5-day period from biocatalyst. Laccase in its free form showed no antibacterial activity against Gram positive and Gram-negative model microorganisms, while encapsulated laccase showed antibacterial activity towards Gram-positive ones. Thus, the encapsulation of the laccase is an efficient method to keep the enzyme active and stable for different applications.

Acute Impact of Chlortetracycline on Nitrifying and Denitrifying Processes.

In the current study, sequential nitrification and anoxic experiments in synthetic municipal wastewater were exposed to 0.5 to 100 mg/L of chlortetracycline for 24 h to evaluate acute impact on the nitrification, and denitrification processes of biological treatment. Both processes were significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited at >50 mg/L of chlortetracycline, and the results revealed that nitrification was adversely affected by chlortetracycline compared with the anoxic process. In nitrification, chemical oxygen removal (COD) and ammonia oxidation kinetics were 50% inhibited at 10 mg chlortetracycline/L, and nitrite oxidation kinetics at 0.5 mg chlortetracycline/L. Likewise, in the anoxic process, 14 and 10 mg/L of chlortetracycline inhibited 50% of COD removal and nitrate reduction kinetics, respectively. In nitrification and denitrification, 90% of chlortetracycline was removed by adsorbing onto sludge suspended solids. In addition, a higher chlortetracycline concentration in anoxic effluent, compared with aerobic effluents, indicated a dissimilarity in the composition of sludge solids, pH, and biomass production for both processes.

Adsorptive immobilization of agro-industrially produced crude laccase on various micro-biochars and degradation of diclofenac.

Although enzymes are gifted with unique and unprecedented catalytic activity and selectivity over a wide range of pollutants, still their stability related issues often hinder their application in real environmental conditions. In this study, agro-industrially produced crude laccase was concentrated using ultrafiltration. Crude laccase was immobilized on pine wood (BC-PW), pig manure (BC-PM) and almond shell (BC-AS) biochar microparticles. Immobilization of laccase was investigated at various laccase activities on micro-biochars and the release (desorption) of the enzyme has been studied. It was observed that for all the biochars, as the initial concentration of laccase increased in the crude solution, the binding capacity and as result immobilization efficiency also increased. BC-PM was found to be the most effective (31.4 ±â€¯3.1 U g-1) at 10 U mL-1 of enzyme activity followed by BC-AS (24.3 ±â€¯4.8 U g-1) and BC-PW (14.58 ±â€¯3.3 U g-1). In addition, the biochars were functionalized with citric acid for possible surface modifications and the effect of biochars for the adsorption of enzymes has been investigated. Isotherm studies of enzyme loading onto biochar established homogeneous monolayer adsorption as the major mechanism. The desorption of laccase from all biochars followed pseudo-second-order model. Immobilized laccase exhibited superior storage ability and shelf-life which were three times higher than free laccase. Finally, the immobilized laccase was used for the degradation of micropollutant, DCF and near 100% removal was obtained within 5 h at an environmentally relevant concentration (500 µg L-1).

Microwave-assisted one-pot conversion of agro-industrial wastes into levulinic acid: An alternate approach.

Brewery liquid waste (BLW), brewery spent grain (BSG), apple pomace solid wastes (APS), apple pomace ultrafiltration sludge (APUS) and starch industry waste (SIW) were evaluated as alternative feedstocks for levulinic acid (LA) production via microwave-assisted acid-catalyzed thermal hydrolysis. LA production of 204, 160, 66, 49 and 12 g/kg was observed for BLW, BSG, APS, APUS, and SIW, respectively, at 140 °C, 40 g/L substrate concentration (SC), 60 min and 2 N HCl (acid concentration). Based on the screening studies, BLW and BSG were selected for optimization studies using response surface methodology. Maximum LA production of 409 and 341 g/kg for BLW and BSG, respectively were obtained at 160 °C, 4.5 M HCl, 85 g/L SC and 27.5 min. Results demonstrated the possibility of using brewery wastes as promising substrates for economical and higher yield production of LA, a renewable platform chemical and versatile precursor for fuels and chemicals.

Activation of persulfate by homogeneous and heterogeneous iron catalyst to degrade chlortetracycline in aqueous solution.

This study investigates the removal of chlortetracycline (CTC) antibiotic using sulfate radical-based oxidation process. Sodium persulfate (PS) was used as a source to generate sulfate radicals by homogeneous (Fe2+) and heterogeneous (zero valent iron, ZVI) iron as a catalyst. Increased EDTA concentration was used to break the CTC-Fe metal complexes during CTC estimation. The influence of various parameters, such as PS concentration, iron (Fe2+ and ZVI) concentration, PS/iron molar ratio, and pH were studied and optimum conditions were reported. CTC removal was increased with increasing concentration of PS and iron at an equal molar ratio of PS/Fe2+ and PS/ZVI processes. PS/Fe2+ and PS/ZVI oxidation processes at 1:2 (500 µM PS and 1000 µM) molar ratio showed 76% and 94% of 1 µM CTC removal in 2 h. Further increased molar ratio 1:2 onwards, PS/Fe2+ process showed a slight increase in CTC degradation whereas in PS/ZVI process showed similar degradation to 1:2 (PS/Fe) ratio at constant PS 500 µM concentration. Slower activation of persulfate which indirectly indicates the slower generation of sulfate radicals in PS/ZVI process showed higher degradation efficiency of CTC. The detected transformation products and their estrogenicity results stated that sulfate radicals seem to be efficient in forming stable and non-toxic end products.

An insight into the adsorption of diclofenac on different biochars: Mechanisms, surface chemistry, and thermodynamics.

Biochars were prepared from feedstocks pinewood and pig manure. Biochar microparticles obtained through grinding were evaluated for the removal of emerging contaminant diclofenac (DCF) and the underlying mechanism were thoroughly studied. Characterization of biochar was carried out using particle size analyzer, SEM, BET, FT-IR, XRD, XPS and zeta potential instrument. Pig manure biochar (BC-PM) exhibited excellent removal efficiency (99.6%) over pine wood biochar (BC-PW) at 500 µg L-1 of DCF (environmentally significant concentration). Intraparticle diffusion was found to be the major process facilitated the adsorption. BC-PW followed pseudo first-order kinetics whereas BC-PM followed pseudo second-order kinetics. Pine wood biochar was largely affected by pH variations whereas for pig manure biochar, pH effects were minimal owing to its surface functional groups and DCF hydrophobicity. Thermodynamics, presence of co-existing ions, initial adsorbate concentration and particles size played substantial role in adsorption. Various isotherms models were also studied and results are presented.

Adsorption of diclofenac onto different biochar microparticles: Dataset - Characterization and dosage of biochar.

Due to its wide occurrence in water resources and toxicity, pharmaceuticals and personal care products are becoming an emerging concern throughout the world. Application of residual/waste materials for water remediation can be a good strategy in waste management as well as in waste valorization. Herein, this dataset provides information on biochar application for the removal of emerging contaminant, diclofenac from water matrices. The data presented here is an extension of the research article explaining the mechanisms of adsorption diclofenac on biochars (Lonappan et al., 2017 [1]). This data article provides general information on the surface features of pine wood and pig manure biochar with the help of SEM and FTIR data. This dataset also provides information on XRD profiles of pine wood and pig manure biochars. In addition, different amounts of biochars were used to study the removal of a fixed concentration of diclofenac and the data is provided with this data set.

Removal of pharmaceutical compounds in water and wastewater using fungal oxidoreductase enzymes.

Due to recalcitrance of some pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), conventional wastewater treatment is not able to remove them effectively. Therefore, their occurrence in surface water and potential environmental impact has raised serious global concern. Biological transformation of these contaminants using white-rot fungi (WRF) and their oxidoreductase enzymes has been proposed as a low cost and environmentally friendly solution for water treatment. The removal performance of PhACs by a fungal culture is dependent on several factors, such as fungal species, the secreted enzymes, molecular structure of target compounds, culture medium composition, etc. In recent 20 years, numerous researchers tried to elucidate the removal mechanisms and the effects of important operational parameters such as temperature and pH on the enzymatic treatment of PhACs. This review summarizes and analyzes the studies performed on PhACs removal from spiked pure water and real wastewaters using oxidoreductase enzymes and the data related to degradation efficiencies of the most studied compounds. The review also offers an insight into enzymes immobilization, fungal reactors, mediators, degradation mechanisms and transformation products (TPs) of PhACs. In brief, higher hydrophobicity and having electron-donating groups, such as amine and hydroxyl in molecular structure leads to more effective degradation of PhACs by fungal cultures. For recalcitrant compounds, using redox mediators, such as syringaldehyde increases the degradation efficiency, however they may cause toxicity in the effluent and deactivate the enzyme. Immobilization of enzymes on supports can enhance the performance of enzyme in terms of reusability and stability. However, the immobilization strategy should be carefully selected to reduce the cost and enable regeneration. Still, further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms involved in enzymatic degradation and the toxicity levels of TPs and also to optimize the whole treatment strategy to have economical and technical competitiveness.

Hydrolytic pre-treatment methods for enhanced biobutanol production from agro-industrial wastes.

Brewery industry liquid waste (BLW), brewery spent grain (BSG), apple pomace solid wastes (APS), apple pomace ultrafiltration sludge (APUS) and starch industry wastewater (SIW) have been considered as substrates to produce biobutanol. Efficiency of hydrolysis techniques tested to produce fermentable sugars depended on nature of agro-industrial wastes and process conditions. Acid-catalysed hydrolysis of BLW and BSG gave a total reducing sugar yield of 0.433 g/g and 0.468 g/g respectively. Reducing sugar yield from microwave assisted hydrothermal method was 0.404 g/g from APS and 0.631 g/g from APUS, and, 0.359 g/g from microwave assisted acid-catalysed SIW dry mass. Parameter optimization (time, pH and substrate concentration) for acid-catalysed BLW hydrolysate utilization using central composite model technique produced 307.9 g/kg glucose with generation of inhibitors (5-hydroxymethyl furfural (20 g/kg), furfural (1.6 g/kg), levulinic acid (9.3 g/kg) and total phenolic compound (0.567 g/kg)). 10.62 g/L of acetone-butanol-ethanol was produced by subsequent clostridial fermentation of the substrate.

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by fungal enzymes: A review.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of chemicals. They represent an important concern due to their widespread distribution in the environment, their resistance to biodegradation, their potential to bioaccumulate and their harmful effects. Several pilot treatments have been implemented to prevent economic consequences and deterioration of soil and water quality. As a promising option, fungal enzymes are regarded as a powerful choice for degradation of PAHs. Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus and Bjerkandera adusta are most commonly used for the degradation of such compounds due to their production of ligninolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase and laccase. The rate of biodegradation depends on many culture conditions, such as temperature, oxygen, accessibility of nutrients and agitated or shallow culture. Moreover, the addition of biosurfactants can strongly modify the enzyme activity. The removal of PAHs is dependent on the ionization potential. The study of the kinetics is not completely comprehended, and it becomes more challenging when fungi are applied for bioremediation. Degradation studies in soil are much more complicated than liquid cultures because of the heterogeneity of soil, thus, many factors should be considered when studying soil bioremediation, such as desorption and bioavailability of PAHs. Different degradation pathways can be suggested. The peroxidases are heme-containing enzymes having common catalytic cycles. One molecule of hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the resting enzyme withdrawing two electrons. Subsequently, the peroxidase is reduced back in two steps of one electron oxidation. Laccases are copper-containing oxidases. They reduce molecular oxygen to water and oxidize phenolic compounds.

A review on the important aspects of lipase immobilization on nanomaterials.

Lipase is one of the most widely used enzymes and plays an important role in biotechnological and industrial processes including food, paper, and oleochemical industries, as well as in pharmaceutical applications. However, its aqueous solubility and instability make its application relatively difficult and expensive. The immobilization technique is often used to improve lipase performance, and the strategy has turned out to be a promising method. Immobilized lipase on nanomaterials (NMs) has shown superiority to the free lipase, such as improved thermal and pH stability, longer stable time, and the capacity of being reused. However, immobilization of lipase on NMs also sometimes causes activity loss and protein loading is relatively lowered under some conditions. The overall performance of immobilized lipase on NMs is influenced by mechanisms of immobilization, type of NMs being used, and physicochemical features of the used NMs (such as particle size, aggregation behavior, NM dimension, and type of coupling/modifying agents being used). Based on the specific features of lipase and NMs, this review discusses the recent developments, some mechanisms, and influence of NMs on lipase immobilization and their activity. Multiple application potential of the immobilized lipases has also been considered.

Degradation of chlortetracycline in wastewater sludge by ultrasonication, Fenton oxidation, and ferro-sonication.

Residual emerging contaminants in wastewater sludge remain an obstacle for its wide and safe applications such as landfilling and bio-fertilizer. In this study, the feasibility of individual ultrasonication (UlS) and Fenton oxidation (FO) and combined, Ferro-sonication processes (FO) on the degradation of chlortetracycline (CTC) in wastewater sludge was investigated. UlS parameters such as amplitude and sonication time were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) for further optimization of FS process. Generation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals in FO and FS processes were compared to evaluate the degradation efficiency of CTC. Increasing in the ratio of hydrogen peroxide and iron concentration showed increased CTC degradation in FO process; whereas in FS, an increase in iron concentration did not show any significant effect (p>0.05) on CTC degradation in sludge. The estimated iron concentration in sludge (115mg/kg) was enough to degrade CTC without the addition of external iron. The only adjustment of sludge pH to 3 was enough to generate in-situ hydroxyl radicals by utilizing iron which is already present in the sludge. This observation was further supported by hydroxyl radical estimation with adjustment of water pH to 3 and with and without the addition of iron. The optimum operating UlS conditions were found to be 60% amplitude for 106min by using RSM. Compared to standalone UlS and FO at 1:1 ratio, FS showed 15% and 8% increased CTC degradation respectively. In addition, UlS of sludge increased estrogenic activity 1.5 times higher compared to FO. FS treated samples did not show any estrogenic activity.

Diclofenac and its transformation products: Environmental occurrence and toxicity - A review.

Diclofenac (DCF) is a prevalent anti-inflammatory drug used throughout the world. Intensive researches carried out in the past few decades have confirmed the global ubiquity of DCF in various environmental compartments. Its frequent occurrence in freshwater environments and its potential toxicity towards several organisms such as fish and mussels makes DCF an emerging environmental contaminant. At typical detected environmental concentrations, the drug does not exhibit toxic effects towards living organisms, albeit chronic exposure may lead to severe effects. For DCF, about 30-70% removal has been obtained through the conventional treatment system in wastewater treatment plant being the major primary sink. Thus, the untreated DCF will pass to surface water. DCF can interact with other inorganic contaminants in the environment particularly in wastewater treatment plant, such as metals, organic contaminants and even with DCF metabolites. This process may lead to the creation of another possible emerging contaminant. In the present context, environmental fate of DCF in different compartments such as soil and water has been addressed with an overview of current treatment methods. In addition, the toxicity concerns regarding DCF in aquatic as well as terrestrial environment along with an introduction to the metabolites of DCF through consumption as well as abiotic degradation routes are also discussed. Further studies are required to better assess the fate and toxicological effects of DCF and its metabolites and must consider the possible interaction of DCF with other contaminants to develop an effective treatment method for DCF and its traces.

Checking the Biocompatibility of Plant-Derived Metallic Nanoparticles: Molecular Perspectives.

Understanding the biocompatibility of metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) is pivotal for biomedical applications. The biocompatibility of plant-derived MNPs has been mostly attributed to capped plant molecules. This claim seems to be straightforward but lacks conclusive evidence. The capped phytochemicals and the metallic core might have decisive and individual roles in imparting the overall biocompatibility. Whether capped phytochemicals really make sense in diminishing the toxicity effect of the otherwise naked or metallic core needs further analysis. Here, we readdress the biocompatibility of plant-derived MNPs with references to contemporary cellular assays, different reactants for green synthesis, possible epigenetic involvement, and nanobiocompatibility at the molecular level. Finally, we discuss relevant in vivo studies and large-scale production issues.

Recent advances in the biomedical applications of fumaric acid and its ester derivatives: The multifaceted alternative therapeutics.

Several lines of evidence have demonstrated the potential biomedical applications of fumaric acid (FA) and its ester derivatives against many human disease conditions. Fumaric acid esters (FAEs) have been licensed for the systemic treatment of the immune-mediated disease psoriasis. Biogen Idec Inc. announced about the safety and efficacy of the formulation FAE (BG-12) for treating RRMS (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis). Another FAE formulation DMF (dimethyl fumarate) was found to be capable of reduction in inflammatory cardiac conditions, such as autoimmune myocarditis and ischemia and reperfusion. DMF has also been reported to be effective as a potential neuroprotectant against the HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Many in vivo studies carried out on rat and mice models indicated inhibitory effects of fumaric acid on carcinogenesis of different origins. Moreover, FAEs has emerged as an important matrix ingredient in the fabrication of biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Drug delivery vehicles composed of FAEs have shown promising results in delivering some leading drug molecules. Apart from these specific applications and findings, many more studies on FAEs have revealed new therapeutic potentials with the scope of clinical applications. However, until now, this scattered vital information has not been written into a collective account and analyzed for minute details. The aim of this paper is to review the advancement made in the biomedical application of FA and FAEs and to focus on the clinical investigation and molecular interpretation of the beneficial effects of FA and FAEs.