Phycoremediation of municipal wastewater by microalgae to produce biofuel

Municipal wastewater (WW), if not properly remediated, poses a threat to the environment and human health by carrying significant loads of nutrients and pathogens. These contaminants pollute rivers, lakes and natural reservoirs where they cause eutrophication and pathogen-mediated diseases. However, the high nutrient content of WW makes it an ideal environment for remediation with microalgae that require high nutrient concentrations for growth and are not susceptible to toxins and pathogens. Given that an appropriate algal strain is used for remediation, the incurred biomass can be refined for the production of biofuel. Four microalgal species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella sp., Parachlorella kessleri-I and Nannochloropsis gaditana) were screened for efficient phycoremediation of municipal WW and potential use for biodiesel production. Among the four strains tested, P. kessleri-I showed the highest growth rate and biomass production in 100% WW. It efficiently removed all major nutrients with a removal rate of up to 98% for phosphate after ten days of growth in 100% municipal WW collected from Delhi. The growth of P. kessleri-I in WW resulted in a 50% increase of biomass and a 115% increase of lipid content in comparison to growth in control media. The FAME and fuel properties of lipids isolated from cells grown in WW complied with international standards. The present study provides evidence that the green alga P. kessleri-I effectively remediates municipal WW and can be used to produce biodiesel

Biofuel policy in India: A review of policy barriers in sustainable marketing of biofuel

Global warming issue due to the combustion of fossil fuel pushes the world to produce renewable and environmental friendly energy from sustainable feedstock. There are several measures on different levels to reduce the global warming including clean energies from wind, solar, and biomass. There are different aspects in bringing these technologies into a reality including development of technology, economic feasibilities, environmental sustainability and finally, support from the government in the form of effective policies and public awareness. Adequate R&D efforts could overcome all the factors but only an effective policy could drive those efforts to reality. Therefore, in this connection this review initially addresses the present state of energy demand, progression of biofuel sources and the bottlenecks in microalgal biofuel production and commercialization. The biofuel policies are essential to change the world’s dependence on fossil fuels for a better tomorrow. Hence, this review addresses the salient features of National Biofuel policy of India that helps in regulating the biofuels production and their marketing. As a part of Policy implementation, government of India introduced several schemes and programs in last two-decades, which includes mandate blending of ethanol with gasoline, diesel with biodiesel, for the future clean energy vision, and incentivizing bio-based products/fuels. In addition, participation of both federal and state governments for clean energy initiatives, capital investments and tax credits were described in detail. Many policies lack easy outreach among public and industries, which needs marketing by the government that secures a clean energy future in India. Though India is in the process of evolution, it might be quite difficult to enact a dedicative legislation to deal with the challenges of biofuel marketing. Therefore, recent initiatives and scope were summarized in this review for future endeavors

Active status on phytochemistry and pharmacology of Pergularia daemia Forsk. (Trellis-vine): a review

Abstract Background Medicinal plants play a significant role in the progress of persuasive therapeutic agents. Earlier to the innovation of synthetic drugs, human beings completely relied on the plants for the treatment of various ailments. Natural product extracts, particularly those derived from different plant species, provided the main source of Siddha, Ayurveda and Folk medicines. P. daemia is a perennial climber, traditionally reported for the treatment in a variety of diseases. In present review, we focused on the present status of phytochemical and pharmacological activities P. daemia. Methodology With the support of electronic databases such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, Mendeley, Scirus and PubMed central. Traditional knowledge information collected by Indian taxonomical books, survey from local rural and tribal peoples. Pharmacological data’s obtained from scientific journals published from 2000 to 2020. Results P. daemia extract, contains several phytochemicals, especially rich in flavonoids. These secondary metabolites synthesized from P. daemia have been reported for the treatment of various chronic diseases. In recent years, P. daemia phytoconstituents set as a key role in natural drug development as it harbours many in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-fertility, anti-arthritic and antimicrobial etc., Conclusion P. daemia was the less studied plant compared to other medicinal plants. In this context more emphasis has to be laid on studies that discuss on the secondary metabolite activities and molecular mechanisms that work against various chronic diseases. </jats:sec