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The present research is aimed at assessing the environmental impacts of landfill mining of soil-like material with on-site sorting for land application using life cycle assessment. The scenario is compared with no-landfill mining (base scenario) and future scenario (including material recycling and incineration). Soil-like material is processed using windrow composting. The impact assessment was performed using the EASETECH™ software tool. ReCipE 2016 midpoint world impact method with eight impact categories was used for assessing the environmental profiles. The functional unit of the assessment was 1 t of recovered waste in India. Overall, the results showed that excavation of landfilled waste with on-site recovery of soil and land application of soil resulted in higher environmental benefits compared to no mining condition in global warming potential (GWP), freshwater eutrophication (FEW), human toxicity (HT), and fossil depletion (FD), while higher impacts were observed in terrestrial acidification (TA), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TE), marine eutrophication (ME), and photochemical oxidation (PCO). After composting, land application of recovered soil contributed to environmental offsets in GWP, HT, and FEW while contributing to TE emissions. Emissions associated with excavation and on-site sorting contributed 55.1% to freshwater toxicity, 25.5% to human toxicity, 16.2% to climate change, and 10.8% to terrestrial acidification. The choice of energy, transportation, and fuel for waste activities affected the performance of alternative scenarios in GWP. Application of recovered metals in the manufacturing process, incineration of plastic, and textile components improved the environmental performance. The outcomes of this research will equip regulatory bodies in the development of guidelines and frameworks on material and energy recovery from the waste components mined from legacy waste.

Warthin’s tumor is the most common monomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland. It can be coexistent with other salivary gland tumors or can be metachronous, multifocal, unilateral, bilateral which perplexes the diagnosis hence delaying or over/under treating the ailment. Rare cases of Warthin’s tumor are described in young population especially young non-smoker females. We present a case of Warthin’s tumor arising in the left parotid gland of 20-year-old female.

We report an eco-friendly, economical and green approach to synthesize few-layers of functionalised graphene from large graphite flakes and chunks without the aid of any external mechanical forces. Here, we demonstrate a fermentation process aided by friendly microbes like yeast to effortlessly exfoliate graphite to graphene with a high yield. The evident flaking and delamination of graphene layers, characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy, confirmed the successful exfoliation of graphite to few-layer graphene (~10 nm in thickness). The gate-to-gate life cycle assessment of the developed method identified the environmental hotspots of the process. The biofunctionalized graphene (as suggested by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy) was explored for its application in NH4+ sensing, where it exhibited the limit of detection to be ~20 ppm. The detection mechanism was explained based on Raman and FTIR spectroscopy which revealed the functional state and lattice changes introduced in the graphene layers by NH4+ ions. Our study demonstrates a novel, cost-effective exfoliation of graphite using off-the-shelf materials in laboratories or kitchens and has the potential to be scaled up to industry levels. The yeast cells also exhibited their potential in flaking off the bulk MoS2 structure into few-layer MoS2 sheets.

Electrochemical pretreatment is considered a promising technique to reduce recalcitrance nature of lignocellulosic biomass. Yet, a comprehensive knowledge on the performance of alkaline reagents in electrochemical pretreatment and the associated environmental impacts are at an early stage. The present study investigated and compared the effect of electrochemical pretreatment by using NaOH reagent (EN) and electrochemical pretreatment by using Ca(OH)2 reagent (EC). The results showed that, both pretreatment techniques elicited the structural breakdown of the biomass, as evidenced by compositional changes, supernatant properties, SEM, FTIR, and XRD analyses. The batch anaerobic digestion results revealed that the improvement in methane production was highest for the EC pretreatment (434 mL/gVS) followed by the EN pretreatment (346 mL/gVS) and the untreated yard waste (245 mL/gVS). The Modified Gompertz model showed the best fit for untreated and pretreated yard waste. The results of economic analysis confirmed the highest net profit of 8922 rupees (US$ 119.29) for EC pretreatment. The findings of life cycle analysis revealed that the net environmental performance considering the inventory used and the limitations of the system boundary was highest for EC pretreatment followed by EN pretreatment and untreated condition.

To develop intelligent and sustainable cities, the government of India launched initiatives like Smart Cities and the Clean Development Mission. Solid waste management (SWM) has become one of the primarily focused areas of such initiatives. The changing dynamics of urban waste characteristics due to unplanned urbanization and rapid growth in urban populations (due to migration) has been a significant concern for local authorities in urban areas to develop an effective SWM plan. The development of a long-term SWM plan along the line of the government initiatives' objectives requires understanding the waste quantities, characteristics, and existing waste management practices. This paper presents an overview of existing waste management activities, financial and institutional demographics in six selected Indian Smart Cities, and the field studies to assess SWM systems as per the waste management rules. The study involved a participatory approach to collect data from local bodies and stakeholders. Indicative strategies for the development of waste management systems were formulated based on the outputs of this analysis. Discussion on pathways includes waste characterization, funding sources, data technologies, and service level benchmarking to plan an integrated solid waste management system for a Smart City. The outcomes of this study shall equip local authorities in designing waste systems to accelerate the transition towards innovative and sustainable waste systems.

Possibility of pyrolyzing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) waste and activating the HDPE-derived carbon (HDC) to be utilized as an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in microbial fuel cell (MFC) was explored. The Fourier transform infra-red spectrum of synthesized HDC indicated the presence of key surface functional groups that aid in catalyzing ORR, while the X-ray diffractogram indicated carbonization of HDC that enhanced electrical conductivity. Cyclic voltammogram and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of HDC demonstrated an ORR peak current density of − 2.46 mA cm‒2, which was found to be comparable with commercial activated carbon (AC, − 2.71 mA cm‒2). The MFC with HDC as cathode catalyst (MFC–HDC) rendered a power density (115 mW m‒2) that was only 25% lower than the MFC with commercial AC as a catalyst (MFC–AC). Organic matter removal efficiency of MFC–HDC was comparable to MFC–AC. Thus, the low-cost HDC electrocatalyst (0.025 $ g‒1) exhibited catalytic performance comparable with AC (12 $ g‒1) and difference between the performance of the two MFCs with HDC and AC as catalyst can be attributed to the lower specific surface area (232 m2 g‒1) of the HDC catalyst as compared to AC (1200 m2 g‒1). Thus, for future applications, the specific surface area of HDC catalyst need to be improved to make it competitive with commercial AC.

Decarbonization of university campuses by integrating scientific waste approaches and circular economy principles is the need-of-the-hour. Universities, the maximum energetic corporations and places for clinical studies and social activities, have a duty to assemble low-carbon campuses and play a vital function in lowering CO2 emissions. An environmental life cycle assessment was conducted to compare proposed municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment systems with the existing system in the residential university campus (RUC) in Kharagpur, West Bengal (India). The results show the existing MSW disposal practice in RUC (baseline scenario has the highest GWP (1388 kg CO2 eq), which can potentially be reduced by adopting integrated waste management system with source segregation as represented in futuristic scenarios (S2—50% sorting) and (S3—90% sorting)). Compared to S1, GHG emission was reduced by 50.9% in S2 and by 86.5% in S3. Adopting anaerobic digestion and engineered landfill without energy recovery offsets the environmental emissions and contributes to significant environmental benefits in terms of ecological footprints. Capital goods play a pivotal role in mitigation the environmental emissions. The shift towards S2 and S3 requires infrastructure for waste collection and sorting will contribute to reduction of associated environmental costs in the long-term.

The co-pyrolysis of Single-use low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Eucalyptus biomass (EuBm) can be considered as a sustainable waste management technique to produce viable byproducts. This study elucidates the effects of variable temperatures (300–600 °C), residence times (90–150 minutes), and proportions of LDPE (0.25, 0.33 (w/w)) on physicochemical characteristics of LDPE - EuBm char composites. The interference of liquified polymer coating on the surface with degradation of biomass could be the reason for low nutrient extractability of chars synthesized at 300 and 400 °C. These chars were rich in volatile matter (> 68 %) and their pores were filled with partially pyrolyzed products. Interestingly however, substantial changes in properties were observed at 500 °C due to the likely synergetic effect between the feeds. The highest plant-extractable concentrations of major nutrients (Na, K, Ca, Mg, NO3−, PO43-), electrical conductivity (4.73 mS/cm), and cation exchange capacity (50.5 Cmolc/kg) of char were observed at this temperature. The optimization through regression modeling identified 524 °C, 118 min, and 31 % (w/w) of LDPE as optimal process parameters to obtain char suitable for application in soil. Soil incubation test fortified the benefits of char to soil with 3.5 times improvement in soil fertility index at 5 % (w/w) rate of application.

The performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) consisting of exfoliated porous graphitic carbon nitride (ep-GCN) and its composite with acetylene black (AB) as cathode catalyst is evaluated. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of composite ep-GCN-AB indicated excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity and comparable charge transfer resistance with respect to Pt–C. The absence of X-ray diffraction peak at 2θ = 13° (corresponding to stacked structure of bulk GCN) indicated reduction in thickness. Four MFCs were operated with simulated wastewater with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 3000 mg L−1. The maximum power densities of MFC-GAB (14.74 ± 0.17 W m−3), MFC-PAB (15.68 ± 0.58 W m−3) and MFC-G (12.47 ± 0.30 W m−3) using ep-GCN-AB, Pt–C and ep-GCN electrocatalyst, respectively, were 2.6, 2.7 and 2.2 times higher than MFC-AB operated with only acetylene black coated cathode. The investigation demonstrates that ep-GCN and its composites can be utilized as excellent cathode catalysts in MFCs at 20 folds lesser cost than Pt–C.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant mesenchymal (myogenic) tumor , and diagnosed on cytology as one of the Blue round cell tumors of paediatric age group. Here we are reporting a case of right side abdominal mass in a three-year-old child whose FNA smears, along with immunocytochemistry was diagnosed as RMS. The intriguing finding on smears was the presence of a large number of malignant elongated cells which stained with both desmin and myogenin, as crisply as the round cell component. The diagnosis of Spindle cell variant of subtype, embryonal was further confirmed on histopathology sections and extended IHC panel. This variant is itself rare and nonparatesticular regions are further infrequent in paediatric population. Keywords: Paediatric, Rhabdomyosarcoma, Spindle cell.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is a widely used anionic surfactant, which finds its way to the receiving water body due to the incapability of conventional wastewater treatment systems to completely remove it. A hybrid treatment system consisting of upflow microbial fuel cell (MFC) with titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a photocathode catalyst was developed for treating synthetic wastewater spiked with SDS (10.00 ± 0.46 mg L−1). Effluent from anodic chamber of MFC was passed through raw laterite soil filter followed by the photo-cathodic chamber with TiO2-coated cathode irradiated with the UV spectrum. This hybrid system was operated under varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) in anodic chamber of MFC. The SDS removal efficiency of more than 96% along with organic matter removal efficiency of more than 71% was obtained by this hybrid system at different HRTs. The MFC having cathode coated with TiO2 could generate a maximum power density of 0.73 W m−3 and 0.46 W m−3 at the HRT of 12 h and 8 h, respectively, showing the adverse effect of increased SDS loading rate on the electrical performance of MFC. This investigation highlighted the importance of HRT in anodic chamber of MFC and offered solution for effective removal of surfactant from wastewater.

The commercial success of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is contingent on seeking solutions for the downstream wastewater (process water) generated during the process which is still regarded largely as a nuisance. In the present study, the reusability and valorization strategy of process wastewater generated during co-HTC of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (food and yard waste) at 220 °C for 1 h was established. The process wastewater was anaerobically digested in the first part to determine its methane-generating capacity; and in the second part, it was recirculated up to five times to understand the evolution of physicochemical and fuel characteristics of hydrochar. The process water was characterized by the presence of high total organic carbon (up to 40 g/L) and chemical oxygen demand (up to 96 g/L). The decreasing trend of heavy metals with increasing recirculation suggested possible adsorption/immobilization mechanism taking place to the hydrochar surface. The process water generated from co-HTC condition has anaerobic biodegradability of 72% while experimental and theoretical methane yield observed were 224 mL/g COD and 308 mL/g COD, respectively. The presence of high organic and ionic species in recirculated process water promoted the overall carbonization process which was evident from the increased energy yield (86 to 92%), carbon content (68 to 71%) and calorific value (20 to 27 MJ/kg). The recirculation also enhanced overall combustion characteristics of hydrochar as analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. The recirculation strategy enhanced fuel properties of hydrochar while making sure upstream and downstream water related burden is reduced (as illustrated by life cycle analysis) to create a cleaner production system for renewable solid biofuels production.

With the rising population and affluence, the management of significantly increased quantity of municipal solid waste is reaching a critical level in almost all regions of the world. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) has been recognised as a major contributor to climate change, human health risk and ecosystem imbalance. Anaerobic digestion of OFMSW is a reliable and attractive option to convert the complex organic materials into a clean and renewable source of energy. This manuscript begins by providing an overview of physical, chemical and compositional characteristics of OFMSW followed by the presentation of optimum environmental and operational conditions for anaerobic digestion performance, and discussions on the various pretreatment and other in-situ strategies to improve process performance. Future research should focus on reactor improvement, process optimisation and a rigorous life cycle assessment for deploying the pretreatment technology successfully at a commercial scale.

Food waste constitutes a remarkable portion of municipal solid waste. About one-third of the global food waste produced is lost with the food supply chain. Food waste in many countries is still dumped of in landfill or incinerated simultaneously with other municipal wastes. Food waste requires proper management and recycling techniques in order to minimise its environmental burden and risk to human life. Despite considerable research on food waste conversion still, there is a shortage of comprehensive reviews of the published literature. In this review, we provide a mini global perspective of food waste with special emphasis on New Zealand and their conversion into the useful material through hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC). Other thermal technologies such as incineration and pyrolysis are also briefly discussed. The review discusses why HTC is more suitable thermal technology than others, which are currently available. Recognising the importance of techno-economic feasibility of HTC, we present a cost analysis on the production of value-added products via HTC with examples taken from the literature to gather information in the feasibility assessment process. Finally, key challenges and future directions for a better productive way of handling food waste are being suggested.

Based on the hypothesis that the electrodeposition conditions may have effects on the developed electrode’s oxidation performance, the present study aimed at investigating the effects of a graphite/PbO2 anode preparation conditions (current intensity, Pb(NO3)2 concentration, HNO3 concentration, and temperature) on leachate treatment efficiency. Synthesis conditions were varied to improve the performance of the electrode, and leachate treatment efficiencies were evaluated using anodes prepared at different conditions. The Box–Behnken design was used as an experimental design for achieving the goal. The effect of variables on the system’s outcome was modeled by response surface methodology and artificial neural network. The variation in chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency from 7.81 to 24.58% for 2 h of electrolysis demonstrates significant influences of anode preparation conditions on its performance. The optimum conditions were attained as 0.64 A of current intensity, 0.16 mol L−1 of Pb(NO3)2, 0.16 mol L−1 of HNO3, and 76.98 °C of temperature. The PbO2 electrode developed at optimum conditions yielded 79 ± 1.7% COD removal efficiency of leachate at 8 h. The study results show that electrode synthesis conditions affect the oxidation ability of the electrode, and optimization of the same can significantly improve the treatment performance.

Yard waste is either dumped or is being openly burned to get rid of it, instead of using it as a valuable renewable energy source. In this study, hydrothermal carbonization of yard waste was conducted to valorize it as a solid bio fuel, using a batch reactor. The effect of process parameter on yield, energy and physicochemical properties of the valorized solid bio fuel (hydrochar) was examined in this study by varying reaction temperature (160–200 °C for 2 h) and reaction time (2–24 h at 200 °C). The calorific value of hydrochar was within a range of 17.72–24.59 MJ/kg as compared to 15.37 MJ/kg for untreated yard waste. Hydrochar mass yield decreased from 78.6% at operating temperature – time of 160 °C –2 h to 45.6% at 200 °C –24 h. The plot of atomic ratios (H/C and O/C) demonstrates improvement in the coalification process which was mainly governed by decarboxylation and dehydration reactions. The grindability of the prepared hydrochar was comparable to that of coal. Hydrochar produced at lower reaction condition (160–200 °C at 2 h) have better flowability as compared to that produced at higher reaction condition (4–24 h at 200 °C). The reaction time longer than 12 h has a minimal effect on the yield, energy and physicochemical properties of hydrochar. Increasing reaction time and temperature improved the ignition and burnt temperature of hydrochar. All reaction condition has an energy ratio (energy output to energy input) of more than one making HTC process a net energy producer.

Environmental impacts associated with a dairy processing industry are directly related to consumption of water and energy, as well as the generation of waste and wastewater. The objective of this research is to suggest improvements for increasing the environmental efficiency of a dairy factory using Environmental audit and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the first time in south India. A gate-to-gate approach was conducted based on environmental audit data. LCA calculations of 10 dairy products was performed according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 to identify and quantify the impacts within the system boundary using the LCA software SimaPro® 8.1.1.16. Calculations were based on IMPACT 2002+ impact assessment method consisting of 15 midpoint categories and four endpoint categories. The results clearly indicate that the frozen products such as ice cream candy, ice cream, and sip-up attributed more environmental burden to endpoint categories. The global warming potential related to the products ghee and butter (0.0039 kg CO2 eq.) is high. Relative contributions revealed sodium hydroxide, nitric acid and wastewater were the major impact contributing factors to endpoint categories. Among them, sodium hydroxide contributed more impact to the endpoint categories: human health (99.4%), eco-system quality (96.4%), climate change (97.1%) and resource usage (97.9%). Based on the findings a new eco-design proposal has been proposed for improving the environmental efficiency of the industry. Also, suitable alternatives were proposed to minimise the environmental impacts.

Hierachical nanosheets of Co3O4 can deliver specific capacitance of ∼402 F g–1, which is 50% higher than that obtained using simpler disc shaped (∼230 F g–1) or conventional solid structures (∼150 F g–1). A simple question is then asked: should the particles showing other morphologies be discarded? As the electrode material is to be used in green or renewable energy technologies, the carbon footprint of each particle morphology was determined using the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The results led to inferences, which were strikingly different from those generally expected. It was seen that simpler morphologies, prepared using easier synthesis protocols, had five-times lower CO2 footprints than hierarchical morphology (nanosheets). The results become extremely critical for proposing their large scale industrial use. They clearly indicate that the choice of nanostructured metal oxides in energy storage devices will have to be relooked from the aspect of their own environmental impacts. Particles wit...

Highlights • Tuberculosis has variable presentation in children most common being reduced appetite and failure to thrive. • Children mostly suffer from primary tuberculosis without anyprior history of tubercular contact. • Cyto/histopathological confirmation supplemented by staining for Acid Fast Bacilli remains the mainstay of diagnosis., A young child with unsuspected tuberculosis (TB) presented with chronic pain abdomen along with off and on fever. He was admitted as case of lymphoma. X ray of the chest and abdomen showed diffuse miliary calcified lymph nodes and omental nodules. Aspiration yielded dry tap and hence Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) was not done. Omental biopsy revealed occasional mature lymphocytes, epithelioid histiocytes forming ill-defined granuloma. Ziehl Neelsen stain was non-contributory. The patient responded to anti tubercular drugs (prescribed for six months) and his abdomen softened. He was put on nutritional support which helped him regain health.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment due to plastic waste proliferation in diverse sectors. The recent years have witnessed exponential growth in the number of studies focusing on their occurrence, distribution and toxicity in several parts of India. The overarching aim of this article is to evaluate the sources, abundance, and characteristics of MPs reported in the sediments, water, and biota of the aquatic ecosystems in India. The review revealed that while the MPs from land-based sources such as littering, domestic sewage, and industrial runoff were carried by rivers and streams, MPs from other sources including marine litter and accidental spillages during shipping directly enter the aquatic environment. The unique hydrodynamic conditions during the southwest and northeast monsoons were found to influence the abundance and distribution of MPs in the Indian aquatic ecosystems. Although the seaward flushing and monsoonal flux were reported to increase the abundance of MPs, the reversal of the winds and currents during the NE monsoon was observed to oppose the drift of MPs towards the Goa coast. The reported higher concentrations of MPs in the beach sediments collected from the high tide line (1323 ​± ​1228 ​mg/m2) as compared to that of low tide line (178 ​± ​261 ​mg/m2) along the southeast coast of India also emphasize the tidal influence. While the shape and type of MPs can help in determining their sources, their size and colour might influence their ingestion in aquatic biota and also indicate the amount of degradation. The variability in the characteristics of MPs observed between different studies could also be a factor of difference in the sampling and analysis techniques adopted. Although the general practice of degutting before consumption could lower the risk of MPs transfer from fish, popular delicacies of dried fish and shrimps could be potential sources of human ingestion. Since the research was mostly confined to the southern coasts of India and some urban recreational beaches, the MP pollution on other coastal regions of India remains largely unexplored. Moreover, with very few studies reporting on the MP pollution in the freshwater ecosystems, the wide network of rivers and enclosed water bodies could also be the major focus of future research.

An environmental life cycle assessment was conducted to compare proposed municipal solid waste treatment systems with the existing system in Visakhapatnam, India. Five waste alternative treatment systems, including open dumping of municipal solid waste (S1), landfill without gas recovery [LFWGR] (S2), landfill with gas recovery (S3), anaerobic digestion + LFWGR (S4), and incineration + LFWGR (S5). EASETECHTM was considered for assessment using ReCiPE Midpoint (Heuristic) world environmental impact assessment method. Global warming potential (GWP), terrestrial acidification (TA), freshwater eutrophication (FEW), marine water eutrophication (ME), human toxicity (HTP), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TE), freshwater ecotoxicity (FWT), and marine ecotoxicity (MET) impacts were determined for each option. The existing MSW disposal practice in Visakhapatnam city (baseline scenario, S1) has the highest GWP (1107 kg CO2 eq.), which can potentially be reduced to 68.2%, 81.5%, 98.2%, and 94.5% by alternative waste management scenarios S2, S3, S4 and S5, respectively. Scenario S4, involving the use of anaerobic digestion of food waste and residues dumped in engineered landfill without energy recovery was found to be the option with the highest mitigation potential of most of the impacts, and it contributes to significant environmental benefits in terms of ecological footprints in a low-income country such as India. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to confirm the reasonable legitimacy of data used for the determination of the impacts.

With the steady growth in the worldwide solar installed capacity, there is an immediate concern about the fate of the solar panels at the end of their life. Solar panel waste is often disposed of indiscriminately, exposing the environment to chemical hazards. The major objective of the current study was to evaluate the leaching potential of the polycrystalline solar panel waste under different simulated disposal conditions through toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) and pH static leaching procedure tests. Moreover, the study evaluates the effects of ageing and the breakage of the Glass Laminate Encapsulation (GLE) of solar panels on their leaching potential. Among the metals studied (silver (Ag), aluminium (Al), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)), the concentrations of Pb were as high as 9.3 mg/L, 1.4 mg/L, 6.7 mg/L in the TCLP, SPLP, and pH static test respectively. This indicated the hazardous nature of the waste with leaching potential of Pb above the permissible limits stipulated by various regulatory bodies. The presence of GLE reduced the mobility of Pb by a factor of 4.1–8.8 in the TCLP test, thereby rendering the waste as non-hazardous for its disposal in a landfill. However, the indiscriminate disposal of solar panel waste in the natural environment as simulated by the SPLP test indicated its harmful nature irrespective of the physical condition. Ageing of the solar panels before disposal and acidic pH conditions also positively influenced the leaching potential of the selected metals subjected to their reactivity and the accessibility of internal layers of waste to the leaching solution. Strategies such as extended producer responsibilty, advance-recycling fee, and incentivizing the recycling industry will lead to both economic benefit creation and effective waste management of this waste stream.

A bioelectrochemical system (BES) can produce energy in the form of electricity in microbial fuel cells or hydrogen in microbial electrolysis cells while treating wastewater or sequester carbon by reducing CO2 to long-chain organic products of high calorific or market value via a microbial electrosynthesis pathway. Augmenting the circular bioeconomy (CBE) models with BES can aid in bridging the gap between reality and the concepts. This chapter discusses the different variants of BESs and their constraints for understanding the feasibility of incorporating BES in the future CBE models. Suggestive measures such as minimized primary material consumption, utilization of waste-based materials for electrode and proton-exchange membrane synthesis, CO2 emission reduction, regeneration of spent electrodes and membranes, and bioelectrochemical mining of metals from waste stream for on-site reutilization and recovery have been discussed. A detailed scope for the future is also outlined for designing BES variants to fit in the futuristic circular bioeconomy models.

In recent times, the mutation of complex municipal solid waste (MSW) biodegradable portion to an energy recovery resource became an extraordinary innovation as it conserves our precious natural resources and maintains the ecological balance. The various thermo-chemical and biological treatment approaches also succeeded in synthesizing efficient energy recovery resources like solid biofuel (char) and biogas. Despite, the process instability due to precursor heterogeneity, environmentally non-benign, and non-viable processes have shown their inefficiency in on-site executions (Liu and Balasubramanian 2012). Nevertheless, on the other side intercontinental MSW generation is almost 1.3 × 103 million tons and reaches 2.2 × 103 million tons by 2025 (Xu 2013). Therefore, a promising futuristic viable and sustainable treatment technology for producing active energy recovery resource is the need of the hour. Likewise, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has recently gained well-built recognition as key enabling mechanization for converting the MSW biodegradable portion to desirable commodities (Wang et al. 2018; Zhao et al. 2014). The HTC process operates under lower temperatures, making use of distilled/de-ionized water as a catalyst or medium within a residence time of minutes to several hours (Ramke et al. 2009). The process finally yields into an energy-dense product named “hydrochar”, can be the replacement by lignite/bituminous coal. The usage of HTC as a waste conversion technology can notably minimize the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG’s) via compost centres and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites (Berge et al. 2013). Also, the synthesized energy-dense hydrochar can be practiced as an economical replacement to different environmental applications to deal with the imminent universal energy shortage and environmental challenges (Wang et al. 2020). However, HTC is manifesting as a robust technology, along with the process advantages and hydrochars wide variety applications in environmental and energy sectors, the process disadvantages are also discussed in this chapter for its better practical scale execution.

As quantities and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) vary significantly with seasons, a seasonal characterization study is critical for developing an efficient MSW management system. MSW was characterized in three different seasons for selecting an appropriate waste treatment and management strategy for Guwahati city. Results of the study shows that the major components of the MSW were organics (42.2%) and plastic wastes (25.2%), which show high variations on a seasonal basis (22–49%). The chemical characterization of MSW revealed that on seasonal basis moisture content varies between 43.4% and 58.3%, pH between 5.5 and 6.5, volatile solid content from 32.9 to 58.9%, and the calorific value between 1203 and 3015 kcal/kg. Waste collected in the present study was a mixture of organics, recyclables, and inert material which is difficult and uneconomical for treatment in its present form. However, with proper waste segregation, bio-methanation, and composting could be sustainable waste treatment solutions due to the high moisture and volatile content of the MSW. Due to inadequate quantity, low calorific values, requirement of skilled supervision, and high capital investment, the thermochemical conversion of MSW may not be economically feasible for the present case. Implications: Present study is a novel attempt to analyze in-depth variation in the municipal solid waste (MSW) composition and properties in different seasons and how does it influence the selection and feasibility of the available waste treatment technologies. Search on Google scholar shows that only seven articles have been published till now which evaluated seasonal impact of MSW. Out to these published studies only one study have calculated energy potential of MSW on seasonal basis which is mainly restricted to incineration only. In-depth analysis of seasonal variation on anaerobic digestion, composting, refuse derived fuel (RDF), pyrolysis, and gasification is yet to determine. Furthermore, to best of our knowledge so far in India there was no such in-depth study has been published related to seasonal variation in MSW on large scale (city level). Present study provides in-depth valuable information regarding degree of variation in MSW composition and how does it affect resource recovery out of waste, which was not studied before in-depth before. Outcomes of the present study will definitely assist engineers and policymaker involved MSW management and planning for large urban areas to fulfil their sustainability goals. publishedVersion

This chapter presents an overview of the food industry with an emphasis on ice-cream raw materials, the processes and methods followed, and their effect on the environment and human health. Raw material extraction contributes a major impact in all the categories of life cycle analysis, whereas the manufacturing process leads to fossil fuel depletion. Furthermore, the cultivation of crops may contribute to global warming due to land-use change. The production unit and refrigeration consume high energy, which accounts for the depletion of the ozone layer. Finally, further development and improvement are required to combat the problems associated with ice-cream production.

Some of the inferior properties, including high heterogeneity and high moisture content, limit the resource recovery option from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW). Most of the thermochemical processes are only able to process dry waste and therefore are seldom successful in treating organic-rich wet MSW, which is pertinent to most of the developing nations. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), which treats waste in the presence of subcritical water, can easily handle organic-rich wet MSW. Hydrochar, due to its wide potential application in agriculture, water treatment, and as an energy carrier, has a possible market value. It can be integrated with other treatment processes either upstream or downstream to minimize waste generation; it is due to this flexibility that HTC is been seen as a futuristic treatment technology that greatly advocates the concept of circular economy in the waste management sector. Successful implementation of HTC for recovering value-added product from organic waste provides an opportunity to handle high moisture content waste while assuring entrepreneurial and socioeconomic benefits. Available literature suggests that before any large industrial-scale deployment of HTC more vigorous study on technoeconomic and life cycle should be conducted.

Landfills are urban stocks and resource reservoirs for potential energy recovery. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the amount of energy that could be recovered from aged waste (around 5-20 yr old) recovered from landfills. Investigations were conducted on the physical and chemical properties of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) prepared from recovered landfill waste (RLW) in Andhra Pradesh, India. Waste characterization studies included determination of waste composition, proximity analysis, ultimate analysis, and energy content. The moisture content ranged between 25.7 to 31.3%, however, no trend was observed with age. In the ultimate analysis, the percentage of carbon increased from 42.9 to 71.7% with the age of the samples, this is due to an increase in the plastic content over time. The calorific value of the recovered landfill waste ranged from 10.4 to 21.8 MJ kg-1. From the findings, it can be summarized that the RDF can potentially be utilized as a feedstock for the recovery of energy from RLW. The results from this study will assist policy makers and local authorities in designing and developing strategies for resource and energy recovery from landfills in different urban cites across the globe.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of yard waste (YW) and food waste (FW) was performed in landfill leachate (LL) to overcome the unnecessary exploitation of our limited natural resources. The physicochemical properties and combustion behavior of the resulting hydrochars were compared with those obtained using distilled water (DW) as reaction medium. Although performing HTC in LL led to lower hydrochar mass yields (43% YWH and 36% FWH) than DW (47.1% YWH and 41.5% FWH), it had minimal impact on the fuel characteristics of the hydrochars. Notably, the higher heating value of the hydrochars prepared in LL (22.8 MJ kg−1 for YWH and 30.2 MJ kg−1 for FWH) is comparable to that of conventional solid fuels, and may, therefore, be considered as inexpensive alternatives to fossil fuels. Overall, the results of this study conclusively suggest that the use of LL as an alternative moisture source can significantly improve the sustainability of HTC technology.

In this study, Co-HTC of food waste with yard waste was conducted for biofuel pellets production, and also to understand any possible synergy between two feedstock types. The calorific value of blended raw feedstock was 13.5 MJ/kg which increased to 27.6 MJ/kg after Co-HTC at 220 °C for 1 h. Energy yield and fuel ratio calculated was 45% and 0.65 respectively. Hydrochar produced demonstrated a stable combustion profile as compared to reactive combustion profile for raw samples. The blend of food and yard waste hydrochar was easily pelletized, and its pellets showed improvement in mechanical properties as compared to pellets made from mono-substrate((food waste) hydrochar. Pellets produced from the blend of food and yard waste hydrochar showed higher energy (46.4 MJ/m3) and mass density (1679 kg/m3) as compare to the pellet produced from food waste hydrochar alone. Tensile strength obtained for the blended hydrochar pellet was 2.64 MPa while same for the pellets produced from food waste hydrochar alone was 1.30 MPa. In addition to improving hydrophobicity, soften lignin from yard waste also helped in binding the food waste hydrochar particles together within the pellets matrix during heated pelletization. The results presented in the study indicated that in the presence of all favorable conditions, there is a potential that approximately 11% of the global coal consumption could be replaced by the combustion of hydrochar produced from food and yard waste globally.

Application of microbial fuel cell (MFC) is coming to the forefront as a dual-purpose system for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. Future research should emphasize on developing low-cost field-scale MFCs for removal of organic matter, nutrients, xenobiotic and recalcitrant compounds from wastewaters and powering low energy devices. For achieving this, low-cost electrodes, low-cost yet efficient cathode catalysts and proton exchange membrane (PEM) should be developed from waste-based resources to salvage the waste-derived material as much as possible, thereby reducing the fabrication cost of this device. Biochar is one such low-cost material, which has wide range of applications. This review discusses different applications of biochar in MFC, viz. in the form of standalone electrodes, electrocatalyst and material for PEM in light of different characteristics of biochar. Further emphasis is given on the future direction of research for implementation of biochar-based PEMs and electrodes in field-scale MFCs.

Injection of surface modified zero valent iron nanoparticles for in situ remediation of soil, contaminated with an array of pollutants has attracted great attention due to the high reactivity of zero valent iron towards a broad range of contaminants, its cost effectiveness, minimal physical disruption and low toxicity. The effectiveness of this technology relies on the stability and mobility of injected iron nanoparticles. Hence the development of a modelling tool capable of predicting nZVI transport is indispensable. This review provides state of the art knowledge on the mobility of iron nanoparticles in porous media, mechanisms involved in subsurface retention of nZVI based on continuum models and field scale application. Special attention is given to the identification of the influential parameters controlling the transport potential of iron nanoparticles and the available numerical models for the simulation of laboratory scale transport data.

The major challenges associated with the anaerobic digestion of urban lignocellulosic biomass are its recalcitrance nature and the disposal of resulted digestate. In this study yard waste was thermally pretreated to overcome inherent recalcitrant nature during anaerobic digestion. The resulted digestate after anaerobic digestion, which poses a serious land disposal problem was hydrothermally treated to produce energy-rich solid biofuel knows as hydrochar. After pretreatment the biogas production was improved from 328 to 364 mL/g VS. Then hydrochar prepared from the digestate at a temperature of 180 and 200 °C for a treatment duration of 6 h. The produced hydrochar had a calorific value in the range of 20–23.5 MJ/kg as compared to 15 MJ/kg for raw digestate. The present research on integration of anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal carbonization not only improved the bioenergy production but also minimized the waste production.

The possible sustainable technologies for waste-to-energy production are anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal carbonization. In this paper, aforementioned technologies were explored on yard waste. Yard waste was thermally pretreated to overcome inherent recalcitrant nature during anaerobic digestion to enhance biogas production. In addition, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of yard waste was also conducted for bio-solid fuel production. After pretreatment, the biogas production was improved from 311 ± 5 to 361 ± 11 mL/g VS. HTC of yard waste at different treatment conditions yields a higher calorific value up to 24.59 MJ/kg as compared to 15.37 MJ/kg for raw. In addition, the structural and chemical changes in biomass after pretreatment and hydrothermal carbonization were also studied. The HCT of yard waste at 200 °C for 24 h converted it into the dark lignite like coal with enhanced energy.

Background: Secondary bacterial and fungal infections in COVID patients have been documented during current pandemic. The present study provides detailed account of histomorphology of debridement tissue received for suspected fungal infections. The primary objective was to determine the morphological characteristics that must be recognized for the identification of fungal hyphae. Methods: The detailed histological examination of debridement tissue was performed. Demographic and clinical findings with treatment provided was recorded. Presence or absence of necrosis and lecocytoclasis was noted. Results: A total of 110 cases of debrided tissues were included in the study. Eosinophilic granular necrosis with lecocytoclasis was observed in 103cases; fungal elements were identified in 89.3% (92/103) of these. Eleven cases where necrosis was observed, strong suspicion of fungus was reported, 6 of them displayed fungus on KOH preparation, 3 on repeat biopsy. However, in 2 of these cases, neither KOH nor repeat biopsies identified the fungus. Mucor with aspergillus was observed in 7 cases and actinomyces in 3. In all these 10 cases dense fungal colonies were evident. In 7 cases careful observation revealed fruiting bodies of aspergillus. Cotton ball appearance of actinomyces was evident. Mucor infection in current disease was so rampant that aseptate ribbon like branching mucor hyphae were evident on H&E sections. Diabetes was significantly associated with fungal infection (97.2%; 70/72; P Conclusions: Eosinophilic granular necrosis with the presence of neutrophilic debris in a case of suspected fungal disease suggests the presence of fungal elements. This warrants processing of the entire tissue deposited for examination, careful observation, application of fungal stains, and repeat biopsy if clinical suspicion is strong. Moreover, uncontrolled diabetes is more frequently associated with secondary fungal infection in COVID patients as compared to oxygen therapy.

Electrochemical oxidation has drawn great interest for its potential application in degrading persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through electrogenerated hydroxyl radical at the surface of anode. This study aims at the preparation of an inexpensive graphite/PbO2 anode. For enhancing oxidation performance, preparation process parameters viz. Pb(NO3)2 concentration, potential, and time of electrodeposition of a graphite/PbO2 anode, electrodeposited from acidic electrolyte bath, were optimized targeting a POP, 2,4-dinitrophenol removal. The changes in morphological properties of the developed oxide films were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which manifested significant impacts of selected anode preparation process parameters. Furthermore, PbO2 film prepared at optimum conditions were characterized using SEM, atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (ESD) elemental mapping, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for thorough investigation of crystal structures, elemental distribution over surface, and phase of PbO2. Angular structures in both SEM and AFM analysis and appearance of β-PbO2 characteristic peaks in XRD analysis confirmed formation of electrocatalytically active phase of PbO2. For further enhancing the oxidation ability, influencing experimental parameters viz. current intensity, pH, and NaCl concentration were optimized. After 2 h of electrolysis at optimum experimental conditions, COD and total organic carbon removal efficiency of 93.6 ± 0.63% and 71.7 ± 1.52% were obtained respectively.

The frequent occurrence of surfactants in urban wastewaters represents a multifaceted environmental concern. In this investigation, bio-electro-Fenton-microbial fuel cell (BEF-MFC) was developed for the degradation of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) from wastewater. The synthesised cathode catalyst (powdered activated carbon and iron oxide) facilitated the Fenton reaction in the cathodic chamber of the MFC, concurrently generating a maximum power density of 105.67 mW m−2. The overall performance of the BEF-MFC for SDS removal and power generation excelled the control MFC (C-MFC) having carbon black coated cathode under similar operating conditions. Although, the rate of SDS degradation was favourable in acidic pH, under neutral pH, 70.8 ± 6.4% of SDS degradation was achieved in 120 min in BEF-MFC. A comparison of environmental impacts of BEF-MFC with up-flow MFC and electrochemical oxidation using life cycle assessment tool suggests that BEF-MFC can be one of the promising technologies for the tertiary treatment of wastewater.