Economics of Biobutanol: A Review

ABSTRACT Due to rapid depletion of fossil fuels and fluctuating market prices of crude oil, extensive research is going on worldwide to find out alternative renewable fuels that can either completely replace the fossil fuels or that can be blended in certain proportions with the fossil fuels without having major modifications in the engines. The most popular alternative liquid fuels are biodiesel and ethanol. However, both of these have limitations that they can be blended with petro-diesel and gasoline only up to 20%. They also suffer from other limitations such as separation from petrol at low temperature and low heat content that reduces economy of blended fuel. A new alternative fuel that has emerged in recent past is biobutanol, which overcomes the problems faced with biodiesel and bioethanol. Biobutanol is manufactured through the process of ABE (acetone-butanol-ethanol) fermentation using various substrates. In this review, we have compared various processes and the substrates used by them from viewpoint of unit price of the butanol. This analysis is based on published literature, but still gives a view into the niche areas for improving economy of the ABE fermentation process and the biobutanol fuel

Sensing behaviour of some nanocomposite systems

Silver nanoparticles of diameters 3.4 to 13.2 nm grown at the interfaces between silicate glass and some oxide crystallites exhibited about six orders of magnitude reduction in resistivity for a relative humidity change from 25% to 80%. Sn-SnO2 nano core-shell structure prepared within a gel-derived silica glass film by electrodeposition technique followed by heat treatment showed large change in resistivity as a function of humidity. The resistivity also changed due to gas flow of CO2, C2H5OH and NO2, respectively. The latter arose because of reduction/oxidation of Sn4+/Sn2+ species present at the shell layer of the nanostructures. Nickel nanosheets of thickness ~0.6 nm grown within the interlayer spaces of Na-4 mica crystallites showed a change of dielectric permittivity (5%) for an applied magnetic field of 1.2 Tesla. An inhomogeneous model was used to explain this behavior. Two dimensional CuO phase was grown within the channels of diameter ~5 nm of mesoporous SiO2 structure. A magnetodielectric (MD) parameter M.D. of 4.4% was obtained in this case. BaTiO3 nanoparticles of diameter ~25 nm having pores with diameter 10 nm showed multiferroic behavior which arose due to the presence of oxygen vacancies as a result of large surface area present. An M.D. parameter of 11% was found. Similarly mesoporous LiNbO3 of 10 nm diameter showed an M.D. parameter of ~4.5% at a magnetic field 1 Tesla. A giant magnetocapacitance effect with a value of 44% at 1.5 T was observed in nickel zinc ferrite (NZF) impregnated mesoporous silica. A magnetocapacitance of 51% at magnetic field 1.7 T was found in the case of nanocomposites comprising of iron ion containing silica based nanoglass and mesoporous silica. In the last two examples the behavior was explained on the basis of Catalan model of space-charge polarization with extracted values of magnetoresistance of the NZF and nanoglass phases being 58%

Status quo and sector readiness for (bio)plastic food and beverage packaging in the 4IR

Single-use plastics emanating from the food and beverage industry are polluting the environment, and there is increasing public pressure to find ‘green’ solutions to plastic pollution. The introduction of more bio-based and biodegradable plastics (possibly manufactured by disruptive technologies), increased plastic recycling, and enhanced degradation of plastics (micro, meso, and macro) in the environment can holisticallycontribute to solving the problem for future generations. In order to inform future research, it is imperative that robust background data and information are available. This review provides details about the volumes and categories of food and beverage packaging manufactured and recycled, and available data (qualitative and quantitative) on environmental plastic pollution in South Africa, and to a lesser extent, in Europe andglobally. In addition, current and future trends and technologies for recycling, enhanced degradation, and manufacturing of plastics are discussed, with an emphasis on the manufacture of bioplastics. Significance: Plastic pollution needs to be tackled through a holistic combination of reduced use, enhanced recycling efforts, public education about littering, replacement of selected conventional plastics by degradable alternatives, and enhanced degradation of plastics in the environment

Microbe-Based Strategy for Plant Nutrient Management

The rapid industrialization and urbanization of developing countries such as India have encroached on cultivable lands to meet the demands of an ever-increasing population. The altered land use patterns with increased fertilizer use has increased crop yields with leaching of major portion of the applied nutrients from the soil. Nitrates and phosphates are the agricultural pollutants that are discharged into aquifers due to anthropogenic reasons causing severe environmental and health problems. Production of these nutrients requires energy and finite resources (rock phosphate, which has gradually depleting reserves). An alternative management strategy would be to sequester excess nutrients within a biomass that is reused for agriculture. Two discrete enriched microbial consortia with the potential of simultaneous nitrate and phosphate sequestration upon application as biofertilizer restricted them within the plant root zone, ensuring prevention of eutrophication through leaching while making it available for uptake by plants. The nutrient accumulated biomass enhanced the crop yield by 21.88% during mung bean cultivation with maintained elemental content and other nutritional qualities. The major drawback of conventional biofertilizer application (slow release and action) could be overcome using this formulation leading to environmental protection, crop yield enhancement and soil fertility maintenance post-cultivation

Characterization of an acidophilic α-amylase from Aspergillus niger RBP7 and study of catalytic potential in response to nutritionally important heterogeneous compound

An acidophilic α-amylase from Aspergillus niger RBP7 was purified after solid state fermentation on potato peel substrate. Molecular mass of the purified α-amylase was 37.5 kDa and it exhibited 1.4 mg/ml and 0.992 μ/mol/min Km and Vmax values, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the pH range from 2.0 to 6.0, at high NaCl concentration (3 M) and at temperatures between 40 °C and 70 °C. The enzyme showed an optimal activity at pH 3.0 and at 45 °C. The enzyme was inhibited by Hg2+ and was stable in the presence of different surfactants (Tween 60, Tween 80, and SDS at 1% level) and different inhibitory reagents (β-mercaptoethanol, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and sodium azide). This acidophilic amylase enzyme can digest heterogeneous food materials, i.e. the mixture of rice, fish, bread and curry with comparable activity to the commercial diastase enzymes available

Novel Microbial System Developed from Low-Level Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant for Environmental Sustenance

A packed bed bioreactor efficiently treated low-level radioactive waste for years with a retention time of 24 h using acetate as the sole carbon source. However, there was generation of dead biomass. This bioreactor biomass was used to develop a bacterial consortium, which could perform the function within 4 h while simultaneously accumulating nitrate and phosphate. The dead mass was negligible. Serial dilution technique was used to isolate the world’s first pure culture of a nitrate accumulating strain from this consortium. This isolate could simultaneously accumulate nitrate and phosphate from solution. Its ability to form biofilm helped develop a packed bed bioreactor system for waste water treatment, which could optimally remove 94.46% nitrate within 11 h in batch mode while 8 h in continuous mode from waste water starting from 275 ppm of nitrate. The conventional approach revealed the strain to be a member of genus Bacillus but showed distinct differences with the type strains. Further insilico analysis of the draft genome and the putative protein sequences using the bioinformatics tools revealed the strain to be a novel variant of genus Bacillus. The sequestered nitrate and phosphate within the cell were visualized through electron microscopy and explained the reason behind the ability of the isolate to accumulate 1.12 mg of phosphate and 1.3 gm of nitrate per gram of wet weight. Transcriptome analysis proposed the mechanism behind the accumulation of nitrate and phosphate in case of this novel bacterial isolate (MCC 0008). The strain with the sequestered nutrients work as biofertilizer for yield enhancement in case of mung bean while maintaining soil fertility post-cultivation

Carriage and within-host diversity of mcr-1.1-harboring Escherichia coli from pregnant mothers: inter- and intra-mother transmission dynamics of mcr-1.1

Exchange of antimicrobial resistance genes via mobile genetic elements occur in the gut which can be transferred from mother to neonate during birth. This study is the first to analyze transmissible colistin resistance gene, mcr, in pregnant mothers and neonates. Samples were collected from pregnant mothers (rectal) and septicaemic neonates (rectal & blood) and analyzed for presence of mcr, its transmissibility, genome diversity, and exchange of mcr between isolates within an individualand across different individuals (not necessarily mother-baby pairs). mcr-1.1 was detected in rectal samples of pregnant mothers (n=10, 0.9%), but not in neonates. All mcr-positive mothers gave birth to healthy neonates from whom rectal specimen were not collected. Hence, transmission of mcr between these mother-neonate pairs could not be studied. mcr-1.1 was noted only in Escherichia coli (phylogroup A & B1), and carried few resistance and virulence genes. Isolates belonged to diverse sequence types (n=11) with two novel STs (ST12452, ST12455). mcr-1.1 was borne on conjugative IncHI2 bracketed between ISApl1 on Tn6630, and the plasmids exhibited similarities in sequences across the study isolates. Phylogenetic comparison showed that study isolates were related to mcr-positive isolates of animal origin from Southeast Asian countries. Spread of mcr-1.1 within this study occurred either via similar mcr-positive clones or similar mcr-bearing plasmids in mothers. Though this study could not build evidence for mother-baby transmission, but presence of such genes in the maternal specimen may enhance the chances of transmission to neonates

Road safety: A Public Health Perspective

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years.  Current trends suggest that by 2030 road traffic deaths will become the fifth leading cause of death unless urgent action is taken (1).  India accounts for about 10% of road crash fatalities worldwide, causing approximately 140,000 deaths and almost a million of serious injuries each year (2). As per the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors study- 2010, RTIs are the eighth leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in India. It is significant to note that RTIs were not among the top ten lists of DALYs in India in 1990 and has appeared in 2010 (3).

Optical Character Recognition from Text Image

Abstract: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a system that provides a full alphanumeric recognition of printed or handwritten characters by simply scanning the text image. OCR system interprets the printed or handwritten characters image and converts it into corresponding editable text document. The text image is divided into regions by isolating each line, then individual characters with spaces. After character extraction, the texture and topological features like corner points, features of different regions, ratio of character area and convex area of all characters of text image are calculated. Previously features of each uppercase and lowercase letter, digit, and symbols are stored as a template. Based on the texture and topological features, the system recognizes the exact character using feature matching between the extracted character and the template of all characters as a measure of similarity

Atmospheric Variability and Prevalence of Common Psychiatric Disorders in South Asia: A Meta-regressive Analysis

Background: The review of literature suggests that there is a dearth of meta-analytical study that examines the role of Atmospheric Variability on the prevalence of mental disorders in South Asia. Aims &Objectives: Therefore, the present study explores the moderating role of variability in temperature, air pressure, humidity, and rainfall on the prevalence of Common Psychiatric Disorders in South Asia. Material & Methods: Databases of several web sources, namely, EBSCOhost, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar were explored for the studies that had previously observed the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in South Asian countries. Further, articles were also examined manually. Initially, geographical locations (i.e. latitude, longitude, and altitude) of surveyed places were determined. Based on these locations, historical atmospheric data were retrieved. Meta-regression analysis was computed using R –software with ‘metafor’ package. Results: The present Meta-analysis included 32 epidemiological studies consisting of 110402 persons reported a total morbidity in 7935 persons across seven countries of South Asia. Yearly rainfall (z=2.8260, p<0.01), yearly variability in temperature (z=3.7160, p<0.001), yearly variability in humidity (z= -2.4031, p<0.05) appear to have a significant influence on the prevailing patterns of common psychiatric disorders. However, yearly variability in atmospheric pressure did not have a significant influence on the prevalence of mental disorders (z= 1.0364, p>0.300). Conclusion: Discomfort weather conditions such as yearly temperature variability, excessive rainfall, and yearly variability in humidity have a significant role in the occurrence and maintenance of different psychiatric disorders in South Asia