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This detailed study assessed heavy metal contamination of sediments/soil near central India's largest copper mining area using 38 sampling sites within 10 km of the mine using atomic absorption spectroscopy. This study utilized multivariate pattern recognition methods, namely hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), for source identification. Twelve parameters, i.e., copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil pH, distance (D), and elevation (E) were analyzed. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to analyze the sample sites with similar metal contamination and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the relationship between the parameters as well as to identify sources of heavy metal pollution. Three major pollution hotspots were detected by AHC and were classified as unpolluted/low pollution sites (UPS: mean concentration factor of 1.35 for Cu), highly polluted sites (HPS: mean concentration factor of 22 for Cu), and extremely polluted sites (EPS: mean concentration factor of 74 for Cu). PCA revealed three hidden factors/components, namely PC1 (explaining 38% of the variability), PC2 (18% of the variability), and PC3 (14% of the variability). Metals showed strong positive loading in PC1, explaining the highest variability. The mean content of Cu in soil/sediment samples was 502.526 mg/kg. The mean copper content was 10 times higher than the natural crustal value of 45mg/kg, indicating severe pollution in several sites around the study area. Mapping of copper contamination was conducted to reveal the spatial distribution of copper contamination using QGIS. This study exposes the heavy metal contamination level in surface sediments/soil and the effectiveness of pattern recognition techniques for the assessment of multivariate datasets in discerning spatial disparities and identifying the contamination causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional nutraceutical therapy is a promising approach in the management of inflammatory disorders. Fenugreek, bottle gourd, and betel leaf are rich sources of polyphenolic secondary metabolites. They are abundantly found in the Indian subcontinent for the preparation of healthy traditional functional food. Traditional evidence recommended that these herbs could control inflammation. The study was conducted with those herbs to validate their protective role against inflammatory mediators of arthritis and asthma through in‐silico and in‐vitro models. Phytochemical tests revealed the presence of flavonoids, amino acids, polyphenols, and saponins. Molecular docking was performed against six potential inflammatory bio‐marker proteins, like, LOX‐5, 15‐LOX, PLA2, IL‐6, TNFR1 & TNF‐α with the phyto‐marker compounds of test herbs and found satisfactory binding scores against inflammatory bio‐markers. Extended studies with Fenugreek and betel leaf aqueous fractions showcased 87 % and 91 % inhibition of protein denaturation at 200 μg/ml. Bottle‐gourd and betel‐leaf demonstrated 96 % and 98 % inhibition against 15‐Lipoxygenase at 100 μg/ml. TNF‐α and IL‐6 were dropped significantly by 49 % and 36 % upon treatment of betel leaf at 200 μg/ml from the LPS‐stimulated PBMC cultured cells. Findings may recommend the development of commercial anti‐inflammatory polyherbal phytopharmaceuticals for controlling polyarthritis and inflammatory complications subject to preclinical in‐vivo and clinical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem with sourcing inedible feedstock is that a single plant species is not widely available, resulting in low oil yields which are unsustainable for commercial biodiesel production. Thus in this study, two high-FFA oils Madhuca indica (MI) and waste cooking oil (WCO) were tested for suitability as a blend for biodiesel production. Char obtained from carbonization and steam activation of Delonix regia pods and Mesua ferrea linn (MFL) seed shells were doped with KOH and H2SO4 for base and acid catalyst development to be used separately. In the two-step conversion process, the oil blend was esterified with methanol and acid catalyst, while esterified oil was transesterified with methanol:2-propanol blend and base catalyst. The parameters optimized for both processes (using L25 Taguchi matrices) were reaction temperature, reaction duration, catalyst concentration, alcohol concentration (methanol or methanol:2-propanol blend), and agitation speed. For esterification, MI:WCO ratio and for transesterification, methanol:2-propanol ratio were also optimized. With 98.27% FFA conversion, 99.05% biodiesel yield was the highest, and both carbonaceous supports showed comparable efficiency as catalyst supports. Obtained kinetic data conforms to pseudo-first order kinetic model, with Ea of 2.172 kJ/mol and 1.219 kJ/mol, with A of 45.61 min−1 and 20.97 min−1 for esterification and transesterification, respectively. With both catalysts showing good reusability, the catalyst preparation costs were only $0.047/L of esterified oil and $0.016/L of biodiesel. Therefore, the established cost-efficient process can be used for producing biodiesel with high yields from compatible oil blends and thus reduce dependency on exclusive feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining activity causes displacement of rockmass from its original location in lithosphere. This action exposes rockmass to environmental forces such as air, water, micro-organisms and generates a discharge known as acidic mine drainage (AMD). Due to high solubility owing to acidic nature, AMD is rich in heavy metals. Through various drainage channels this metal rich discharge is transported to adjacent water bodies such as streams, rivers, ponds etc. This is a detailed study to include 38 sample sites to assess the heavy metal pollution of soil and stream sediments near the largest copper mining area in central India. Stream sediments and soil samples were systematically collected from the mining area within a span of 10 km from the mine site. The samples were analyzed for copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb). The contamination level of the samples was assessed by Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor (CF), Pollution Load Index (PLI). Mean value of Enrichment factor (EF) was 15.6 and Contamination factor (CF) was 11.1, which were highest for copper. Contamination of Cu was observed in majority (68%) of sample sites in the study area. The elevation of other heavy metals such as Co and Pb was also observed in more than 50% i.e., 19 samples location. Mapping of PLI reveals polluted sites near mine waste dump and tailing storage facility. This study reveals and evaluates the contamination by acidic mine drainage due to mining activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 was grown in a photobioreactor for 15 days, yielding 3.1 g/L of biomass. During the composition analysis of biomass, the moisture, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and ash contents were found to be 83.27, 6.36, 5.48, 3.79, and 1.1% on a wet basis (w.b), respectively. The tray drying properties of cyanobacterial biomass were investigated at temperatures of 40, 60, and 80°C with constant air velocity of 0.6 m/s. To reduce the moisture content of biomass from 83.27% to <10%, drying time required 2, 12, and 30 hr at 80, 60, and 40°C, respectively. The calculated effective moisture diffusivity of biomass was 5.10 × 10−9, 6.34 × 10−8, and 2.30 × 10−7 m2/s at 40, 60, and 80°C, respectively, and the activation energy was found to be 28.01, 31.04, and 33.27 kJ/mol at 40, 60, and 80°C, respectively. The logarithmic and Henderson and Pabis models showed the highest R2 values of 0.997 and 0.996 at 80°C, respectively, and were thus employed to explain biomass drying characteristics. The drying constant value grew with increasing temperature, with the highest value obtained using the logarithmic model at 80°C being 0.523 (hr−1). The bulk density of biomass powder dried at 80°C was 598.21 kg/m3 and the tapped density was 652.80 kg/m3, with Hausner ratio and Carr index of 1.091 and 8.363, respectively, showing that biomass powder had excellent flow qualities. The dried cyanobacterial biomass is a great source of protein, according to FTIR measurements. Similarly, after selecting four models based on the sorption isotherm, the GAB model was shown to be the best fit to represent the sorption behavior of Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 powder. Practical Applications: The drying characteristics of Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 biomass were evaluated using thin‐layer drying models. The primary goal of drying biomass is to remove water from the solids to a point where microorganisms and degradation chemical processes are considerably reduced. The analysis of drying properties aids in the development of a cost‐effective dryer. By hastening the manufacture of biomass powder, the effective design of the drying process helps to decrease time and processing costs. After the drying process, an FTIR analysis can be used to determine the presence of macromolecules. Similarly, sorption isotherm studies were performed to evaluate the safe moisture content of items and to estimate shelf life at a specific temperature and relative humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dyed fabrics from textile industries occupy a significant share in the global economy with a world-wide market. Conventional natural dyes were gradually substituted by synthetic dyes in the wake of burgeoning demand for coloured textiles. Textile dyes are of several types depending on the core chemical structure which determines the solubility, colour and dye class. Often, dyes require treatment with mordants to fix the colour to the fabric and develop different hues. The textile treated dye baths contain residual dye moieties, mordants as well as other chemicals from the overall textile dyeing and finishing processes. For such effluents, proper treatment is a mandate to alleviate dyes associated colour, chemical compounds and organics from the wastewaters prior to release into watercourses. The challenge of textile dye effluents to meet the regulatory limits becomes more problematic when the textile industries are dominated by the unorganised small/medium scale industries and unauthorised sectors. The present review details on the genesis of Indian textile industries, dye types, dyeing process and the impact of dye effluents on health and environment along with a case study. Besides, strategies to replace chemical dyes with natural equivalents and state-of-art textile dye effluent treatment techniques are elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]