Analytical Investigation of Cymbopogon citratus and Exploiting the Potential of Developed Silver Nanoparticle Against the Dominating Species of Pathogenic Bacteria

Indian biodiversity is a hub for medicinal plants. Extensive research has been carried out to select plants with numerous properties which can be used for human welfare. Present research is about Cymbopogon citratus, an economically valuable medicinal plant. In this study Cymbopogon citratus was elected as a subject plant over the five selected plants (Azadirachta indica, Plumeria obtuse, Sapindus mukorossi, Capsicum annuum and Phyllanthus emblica) on the basis of antibacterial effect against dominating pathogenic species of gram positive (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis) and gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacteria. Further, bioactive agents behind antibacterial potential of Cymbopogon citratus was analyzed using analytical method (Phyto-chemical, FTIR, NMR and GC-MS). Due to the broad antimicrobial spectrum, silver nanoparticles have turned into a noteworthy decision for the improvement of new medication. Therefore, this investigation further elaborated in the development of Cymbopogon citratus silver nano-particles (CNPs). Antibacterial potential of CNPs examine in a range of C25–C150 (μg/ml) through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) where, C25 (μg/ml) concentration of CNPs were recorded as the MIC for all bacterial species and C25 (μg/ml) and C50 (μg/ml) noted as the MBC for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis, respectively. In agar disk diffusion assay of CNPs, maximum diameter of zone of inhibition was observed for C150 (μg/ml) concentration Bacillus cereus (20.12 ± 0.42), Bacillus licheniformis (22.34 ± 0.4), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (35.23 ± 0.46) and Escherichia coli (31.87 ± 0.24). Involvement of bioactive component as a reducing and capping agent can be confirmed through FTIR spectrum of CNPs. Moreover XRD, EDXRF and SEM showed crystalline and cuboidal nature of CNPs with ∼35 nm sizes. Prominently, cytotoxic analysis was conducted to understand the toxic effect of CNPs. This research highlights the potential of CNPs due to the bioactive components present in Cymbopogon citratus extract: Polyphenols (phenol; 1584.56 ± 16.32 mg/L, Flavanoids) and mixture of terpenoids (Citral, Myrcene, Farnesol, β-myrcene and β –Pinene

Laboratory investigation and core flood demonstration of enhanced biogenic methane generation from lignite

Over the last several decades, coalbed methane (CBM) has emerged as an important energy source in developing nations like India as well as worldwide and is expected to play a significant role in the energy portfolio of the future. The current scenario of rapid exhaustion of fossil fuels is leading to the need to explore alternative and efficient fuel resources. The present study demonstrates enhanced methane production per gram of lignite (lowest-rank coal). Optimization of the bioconversion of lignite to methane revealed 55°C temperature and 1.5 g/L NaCl concentration as ambient conditions for the process. A scale-up study in the optimized condition showed 2,800 mM methane production per 25 g of lignite in anaerobic conditions. Further, Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis showed bioconversion of lignite into simpler intermediate substrates required for methane production. The results highlighted that the bacterial action first converts lignite into volatile fatty acids, which subsequently get converted into methane. Further, the exploration of indigenous microbial consortia in Tharad well (THAA) mainly comprises the order Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales. The pathogenicity of the microbial consortium THAA was declared safe for use in mice via the oral route by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India. The study demonstrated the development of indigenous consortia (TERI THAA), which can potentially enhance methane production from the lowest coal grade under extreme conditions in Indian coal beds

Laboratory Investigation of Indigenous Consortia TERIJ-188 for Incremental Oil Recovery

Bacterial Profile modification is an efficient process which brings the alteration in permeability of the porous media of the reservoir by selective plugging which eventually recover the residual oil. It is an advantageous and feasible method for residual oil recovery from high permeability zones of the reservoir. In this study, indigenous bacterial consortia, TERIJ-188 was developed from Gujarat oil fields. TERIJ-188 was identified as Thermoanaerobacter sp., Thermoanaerobacter brockii, Thermoanaerobacter italicus, Thermoanaerobacter mathranii, Thermoanaerobacter thermocopriae. The novelty of consortia was that it produces biomass (850 mg l-1), bio-surfactant (500 mg l-1), and volatile fatty acids (495 mg l-1) at 70°C in the span of 10 days, which are adequate to alter the permeability and sweep efficiency of high permeability zones facilitating the displacement of oil. The biosurfactant was analyzed for its functional group by FTIR and NMR techniques which indicate the presence of C-N bond, aldehydes, triacylglycerols. TERIJ-188 showed an effective reduction in permeability at residual oil saturation from 28.3 to 11.3 mD and 19.2% incremental oil recovery in a core flood assay. Pathogenicity test suggested that TERIJ-188 is non-toxic, non-virulent and safe for field implementation

Culture-independent assessment of the indigenous microbial diversity of Raniganj coal bed methane block, Durgapur

It is widely acknowledged that conventional mining and extraction techniques have left many parts of the world with depleting coal reserves. A sustainable method for improving the recovery of natural gas from coalbeds involves enhancing the production of biogenic methane in coal mines. By taking a culture-independent approach, the diversity of the microbial community present in the formation water of an Indian reservoir was examined using 16S rRNA gene amplification in order to study the potential of microbial-enhanced coal bed methane (CBM) production from the deep thermogenic wells at a depth of 800–1200 m. Physicochemical characterization of formation water and coal samples was performed with the aim of understanding the in situ reservoir conditions that are most favorable for microbial CBM production. Microbial community analysis of formation water showed that bacteria were more abundant than archaea. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were found as the most prevalent phyla in all the samples. These phyla play a crucial role in providing substrate for the process of methanogenesis by performing fermentative, hydrolytic, and syntrophic functions. Considerable variation in the abundance of microbial genera was observed amongst the selected CBM wells, potentially due to variable local geochemical conditions within the reservoir. The results of our study provide insights into the impact of geochemical factors on microbial distribution within the reservoir. Further, the study demonstrates lab-scale enhancement in methane production through nutrient amendment. It also focuses on understanding the microbial diversity of the Raniganj coalbed methane block using amplicon sequencing and further recognizing the potential of biogenic methane enhancement through microbial stimulation. The findings of the study will help as a reference for better strategization and implementation of on-site microbial stimulation for enhanced biogenic methane production in the future

Instigation of indigenous thermophilic bacterial consortia for enhanced oil recovery from high temperature oil reservoirs.

The purpose of the study involves the development of an anaerobic, thermophilic microbial consortium TERIK from the high temperature reservoir of Gujarat for enhance oil recovery. To isolate indigenous microbial consortia, anaerobic baltch media were prepared and inoculated with the formation water; incubated at 65°C for 10 days. Further, the microbial metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography, FTIR and surface tension. The efficiency of isolated consortia towards enhancing oil recovery was analyzed through core flood assay. The novelty of studied consortia was that, it produces biomass (600 mg/l), bio-surfactant (325 mg/l), and volatile fatty acids (250 mg/l) at 65°C in the span of 10 days, that are adequate to alter the surface tension (70 to 34 mNm -1) and sweep efficiency of zones facilitating the displacement of oil. TERIK was identified as Clostridium sp. The FTIR spectra of biosurfactant indicate the presence of N-H stretch, amides and polysaccharide. A core flooding assay was designed to explore the potential of TERIK towards enhancing oil recovery. The results showed an effective reduction in permeability at residual oil saturation from 2.14 ± 0.1 to 1.39 ± 0.05 mD and 19% incremental oil recovery

Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery: An Overview and Case Studies

After traditional oil recovery processes, large amount of residual oil are still trapped in the pore spaces of the complex capillary network of the reservoir. MEOR (microbial enhanced oil recovery), a promising tertiary oil recovery method involves the utilization of indigenous microbial species capable of producing various secondary metabolites which further enhances the recovery of oil through their plugging, viscosity or interfacial tension reduction mechanisms. The chapter represents the overview of MEOR, mechanism involved in the process and field trials. Furthermore, microbial based mechanisms are widely demonstrated. The chapter confirms the credibility of MEOR process towards the enhanced oil recovery

DataSheet1_Laboratory investigation and core flood demonstration of enhanced biogenic methane generation from lignite.docx

Over the last several decades, coalbed methane (CBM) has emerged as an important energy source in developing nations like India as well as worldwide and is expected to play a significant role in the energy portfolio of the future. The current scenario of rapid exhaustion of fossil fuels is leading to the need to explore alternative and efficient fuel resources. The present study demonstrates enhanced methane production per gram of lignite (lowest-rank coal). Optimization of the bioconversion of lignite to methane revealed 55°C temperature and 1.5 g/L NaCl concentration as ambient conditions for the process. A scale-up study in the optimized condition showed 2,800 mM methane production per 25 g of lignite in anaerobic conditions. Further, Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis showed bioconversion of lignite into simpler intermediate substrates required for methane production. The results highlighted that the bacterial action first converts lignite into volatile fatty acids, which subsequently get converted into methane. Further, the exploration of indigenous microbial consortia in Tharad well (THAA) mainly comprises the order Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales. The pathogenicity of the microbial consortium THAA was declared safe for use in mice via the oral route by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India. The study demonstrated the development of indigenous consortia (TERI THAA), which can potentially enhance methane production from the lowest coal grade under extreme conditions in Indian coal beds.</p

Optimization and molecular characterization of syngas fermenting anaerobic mixed microbial consortium TERI SA1

The present study focused on the optimization and molecular characterization of anaerobic mixed consortium TERI SA1 that can utilize synthesis gas as sole carbon source for volatile fatty acids production. Optimization study using Box- Behnken design and RSM methodology was carried out in order to investigate the effect of three medium factors on metabolite formation from synthesis gas bioconversion: (yeast extract (0.0–2.0 g/L), ammonium chloride (0.0–1.5 g/L) and corn steep liquor (0.0-10 g/L). Optimized parameters enhanced the production of volatile fatty acids upto 3.9 g/L, which indicated an increase of around 289 % from the non-optimized conditions. Furthermore, two approaches were used for isolation and phylogenetic identification of anaerobic consortium TERI SA1 involving 16S rRNA sequencing of culturable bacterial isolates as well as meta-genomic approach (by making a 16S rRNA gene library of total community DNA). Based on similarity search with NCBI database selected positive clones were most closely related with acetogenic microorganisms Clostridium scatalogenes, Clostridium carboxydivorans, Clostridium drakei and Uncultured Clostridium sp. and strains isolated by culturable method (ASH051 and ASH 052) with Clostridium scatalogenes, and Clostridium drakei. These strains have previously been reported for acetic acid production from syngas bioconversion. Article History: Received July 16th 2017; Received in revised form September 13rd 2017; Accepted Sept 28th 2017; Available online How to Cite This Article: Singla, A., Kumar, S., Lavania, M., Chhipa, H., Kapardar, R., Rastogi, S., Lal, B., and Sarma, P.M. (2017) Optimization and Molecular Characterization of Syngas Fermenting Anaerobic Mixed Microbial Consortium TERI SA1.International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 6(3), 241-251. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.3.241-25