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Efforts to understand macroplastic pollution have primarily focused on coastal and marine environments to the exclusion of freshwater, terrestrial, and urban ecosystems. To better understand macroplastics in the environment and their sources, a dual approach examining plastic input and leakage can be used. In this study, litter aggregation pathways at 40 survey sites with varying ambient population counts in the Ganges River Basin were surveyed in pre- and postmonsoon seasons. We examine active litter leakage using transect surveys of on-the-ground items, in conjunction with assessments of single-use plastic consumer products at the point of sale. We find that sites with low populations have a significantly higher number of littered items per 1,000 people than those with mid to high populations. Over 75% of litter items were plastics or multimaterial items containing plastic, and tobacco products and plastic food wrappers were the most recorded items. There was no significant variation of litter densities pre- and postmonsoon. Most single-use plastic consumer products were manufactured in-country, but approximately 40% of brands were owned by international companies. Stratified sampling of active litter input and consumer products provides a rapid, replicable snapshot of plastic use and leakage.

With constantly rising global population, requirement for higher agronomic productivity is increasing. There is a need to adopt safe and effective strategies contributing toward precision farming and sustainable crop production. Rhizosphere is the region of soil where root of plants has large population of microbes and makes its environment highly complex. The pattern of root exudates affects microbial activity in the soil. Beneficial and harmful interactions occur in rhizosphere microbes and plants which ultimately affect root functions and plant development. A better understanding of this process is needed to manage the microbes and plant productivity, and maintaining the soil health is important. Plant growth-promoting activities of PGPRs help to overcome challenges such as low crop productivity, overuse of agrochemicals, and nutrient loss. This chapter discusses the rhizospheric microbes and how they facilitate the nutrient solubilization and uptake by plants and helps in agriculture productivity.

Highlights • Atrazine is widely used herbicide that causes harmful effects to living organisms. • A bacterial isolate Bacillus badius ABP6 strain was used in the study. • Optimization parameters showed better influence on the Biodegradation process of atrazine. • Response surface methodology is a promising approach for Biodegradation enhancement by optimizing process parameters., In this study, the optimization of distinctive environmental factors such as pH, temperature, agitation-speed and atrazine-concentration on atrazine degradation by utilizing Bacillus badius ABP6 strain, has been done through response-surface-methodology (RSM). The optimum-conditions after analysis for the maximum atrazine degradation were: pH 7.05, temperature 30.4 °C, agitation-speed 145.7 rpm, and atrazine-concentration 200.9 ppm. The prescribed model was approved for high F-value (95.92), very low P-value (

In this study, a novel immobilizing carrier with α-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles was developed and used for immobilization of atrazine-degrading bacterial isolates of Bacillus spp. Since the free cells of microorganisms generally not succeed to degrade pollutants; thus, extra treatments are alluring to make strides biodegradation. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images appeared that after immobilization the bacterial cells were totally retained and entirely distributed on the surface of α-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles. The performance of α-Fe2O3 immobilized cells in atrazine (ATZ) degradation was compared with the free cells, which was about 90.56% in 20 days. Experimental results exhibited that ATZ could be degraded at a broad range of physicochemical parameters viz. pH (4.0 to 9.0), temperature (20 to 45 °C), ATZ concentration (50 to 300 mg L−1) and agitation speed (50 to 300 rpm), which underlines that α-Fe2O3 immobilized cells could tolerate a higher range of ATZ concentration as compared to free cells. This research demonstrated that α-Fe2O3 could be applied as a potential carrier in cell immobilization and biodegradation of ATZ herbicide with greater efficiency.

Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear represents a substantial proportion of global marine plastic pollution and can cause significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. Yet little is known about its presence in, and implications for, freshwater ecosystems or its downstream contribution to plastic pollution in the ocean. This study documents fishing gear-related debris in one of the world's largest plastic pollution contributing river catchments, the Ganges. Riverbank surveys conducted along the length of the river, from the coast in Bangladesh to the Himalaya in India, show that derelict fishing gear density increases with proximity to the sea. Fishing nets were the main gear type by volume and all samples examined for polymer type were plastic. Illegal gear types and restricted net mesh sizes were also recorded. Socio-economic surveys of fisher communities explored the behavioural drivers of plastic waste input from one of the world's largest inland fisheries and revealed short gear lifespans and high turnover rates, lack of appropriate end-of-life gear disposal methods and ineffective fisheries regulations. A biodiversity threat assessment identified the air-breathing aquatic vertebrate species most at risk of entanglement in, and impacts from, derelict fishing gear; namely species of threatened freshwater turtle and otter, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin. This research demonstrates a need for targeted and practical interventions to limit the input of fisheries-related plastic pollution to this major river system and ultimately, the global ocean. The approach used in this study could be replicated to examine the inputs, socio-economic drivers and ecological impacts of this previously uncharacterised but important source of plastic pollution in other major rivers worldwide.

The massive growth of urbanization, agriculture, and other anthropogenic activities has created serious environmental pollution with the use of numerous recalcitrant chemicals. Various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, nitroaromatic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and their derivatives are greatly toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic to natural microflora as well as to humans. In the biodegradation of toxic organic compounds, xenobiotics, and heavy metals, hyperaccumulating plants and plant-associated bacteria (including endophytic bacteria and rhizospheric bacteria) have enormous potential to improve phytoremediation. In particular, endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria may break down recalcitrant chemicals in polluted soil. Approaches from toxicology, stress physiology, and ecotoxicology will be helpful for the characterization of plant responses to recalcitrant chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to understand plants’ adaptation strategies against various harmful recalcitrant chemicals.