Environmental Science And Technology - Mphil Thesis
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://kr.cup.edu.in/handle/32116/86
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Item Influence of Fertilizer industry wastewater on the germination behavior of barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Jaskiran; K.N., YogalaskshmiIndustries generate enormous amount of wastewater. Increased water crisis problems, coupled with stringent regulatory standards for wastewater disposal has necessitated the need for better wastewater treatment options. Most developing countries do not have sufficient funds to invest on technologies for treating wastewater. As agriculture demands more water, use of wastewater for irrigation would be the best option for treatment of wastewater. Using wastewater for irrigation purposes would solve the problem of water scarcity as well. In the present study, the effect of fertilizer industry wastewater on germination behaviour of Hordeum vulgare (PL-426) grains was examined. The wastewater was collected from National Fertilizer Limited, Bathinda, Punjab. The wastewater was acidic in nature and contained around 37.5% of total dissolved solids and 9.2% of total suspended solids. BOD and COD were more than that of permissible limits. The germination study was carried for a period of 6 days. For the germination study, the wastewater composition used were 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% wastewater concentrations diluted proportionately with distilled and designated as E0-E4, respectively. The growth of the grain was evaluated based on morphological and biochemical parameters. The effects were studied by comparing the growth at different wastewater concentration with that of control. Germination percentage, germination index, germination vigor index, root and shoot length, relative elongation ratio of shoot and root, fresh and dry weight, vi chlorophyll a and b, proteins and antioxidant enzymes such as peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity of grains showed significant decrease with increase in wastewater concentration beyond 50% indicating the inhibition of germination with increase in wastewater concentration. Parameters such as dry weight, chlorophyll a and b, superoxide dismutase and proteins showed higher value at 100% wastewater than control. The results concluded that the fertilizer industry wastewater can be used effectively for the cultivation of Hordeum vulgare and the maximum growth could be achieved only at 50% dilution.Item Effect of arsenic on the growth and physiology of triticum aestivum L. seedings(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Nag, Shilpa; Mittal, SunilThe effects of Arsenic (As) were investigated on four varieties of T. aestivum viz. PBW 343, PBW 550, PBW 621 and HD 2967 to elucidate the toxicity of As on morphological, physiological, biochemical and antioxidant processes of plant in early stage. The results showed that seed germination, root length, shoot length and biomass decreased gradually with increase in concentrations of As (125-750'M) and this decrease was biologically significant. The photosynthetic and respiratory activity of the test plants was also investigated. The decrease in chlorophyll and carotenoids content with increase in As content indicates negative effect of As on the photosynthetic pigments. However, the total cellular respiration increased with increase in As concentration and this probably may be due to the enhancement in respiratory enzymes which leads to high production of energy by the respective cells. The contents of water soluble carbohydrates and proteins increased with increasing As concentrations while their hydrolyzing enzymes i.e. ? amylase and protease were decreasing with increase in As concentration. The activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase followed the increasing trend indicating the induction of oxidative stress under high concentration of As. Further, among the various varieties HD 2967 was the most tolerant variety and PBW 550 was most affected varietyItem Studies in the hydrolysis of cellulose using cellulase in imidazolium based ionic liquid(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kumar, Rabindra; Babu, J.N.Ionic liquids are the modern day revelations as a green solvent. These solvents have found many applications in biofuel strategy. The cellulose pretreatment using ionic liquid is currently being studied for future biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. The strategy involves the dissolution of cellulose in these solvents, followed by precipitation by an anti-solvent like water or acetone, leading to the formation of amorphous cellulose which is easy to hydrolyze by biocatalytic methods. Further studies had been conducted in the inhibitory effect of ionic liquid traces present in pretreated cellulose, on the biocatalytic hydrolysis by cellulase. Apart from this, biocatalytic hydrolysis had been studied in binary aqueous-ionic liquid solution for a one-pot process for simultaneous pretreatment & hydrolysis. These process involved the study of biocatalytic hydrolysis in imidazolium based ionic liquids namely, [EMIM]OAc & [BMIM]Cl, as hydrophilic solvents. These solvents have anions with predominantly strong hydrogen bond acceptor capacity. The study reveals the deactivation of the enzyme in presence of these ionic liquids. Thus in an effort to increase the hydrolysis efficiency of the enzyme without loosing the hydrogen bond acceptor capacity of the IL, was essentially required. Thus in the present study, we have investigated one-pot biocatalytic hydrolysis of cellulose in IL with variable alkyl chain length of the cation leading to hydrophobic environment around the biocatalyst. The ILs used in the present study are [BMIM]Cl, [HMIM]Cl & [OMIM]Cl. The biocatalysis was studied in both homogenous as well as heterogeneous conditions. In homogenous conditions dissolution of cellulose was maintained throughout the reaction period. The homogenous biocatalysis was studied with or without the presence of surfactants. The results indicate that [HMIM]Cl is a promising solvent for cellulase catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose in both homogenous & heterogeneous condition, resulting in more than 70% hydrolysis in presence of non-ionic surfactant PEG-1500 and in the binary mixture of 40% w/w [HMIM]Cl in citrate buffer, respectively.Item Exploration of antioxidant and anticancer potential of essential oil of salvia plebeia RBR(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Gautam, Nandani; Mittal, SunilCancer is one of the major problems that accounts for millions of death worldwide per year. Breast cancer is the most commonly encountered cancer in the females. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the standard methods used in the treatment of cancer but these have various side effects also. Other complementary treatments based on plants and its products are used to lessen the side effects. Some essential oils are the potent source of the novel molecules and have been reported to have anticancer effect. In the present study, essential oil from Salvia plebeia has been screened for cytotoxic activity in vitro using MTT assay and has been observed to show inhibitory effect on the cancer cells with the increase in concentration against breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDAMB-231. The essential oil was observed to show IC50 at concentration 30?g/ml for MCF-7 cells and in MDAMB-231, IC50 was calculated to be 65?g/ml for 24 hours treatment. Essential oil was found to be effective against highly metatstatic MDAMB-231cells Exposure time effect was studied to know whether it has sustained effect or not and it was observed that essential oil had sustained effect at higher concentrations and longer exposure time was required to show sustained effect. Single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay) was used to find out its mode of action and it was observed to induce DNA damage in the cancer cells that might have resulted in cell death at various concentrations. Essential oil was observed to have antioxidant activity, which was studied using DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. Various compounds like cayophyllene, alpha-humulene and cayophllene oxide were determined by GC-MS analysis. Cayophyllene was the major compound (46%). Some of the constituents might be responsible for anticancer activity of the oil. It has been concluded from the study that novel essential oil is very effective against breast cancer cells. This oil can be screened further against other cell lines and can be used as nutritional supplement.Item Evaluation of monocrotophos residues in soils of bathinda, punjab and its viodegradation through microbial isolates of contaminated soil(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Mishra, Disha; Dhanya, M.S.The soil samples for the study were randomly collected from ten different villages (Bhagibander, Dhadde, Gurusar Sahnewala, Jajjal, Jassi, Malkana, Mahinangal, Sangat Kalan, Talwandi sabo, Teona Pujarian) of Bathinda. The questionnaire survey provided the information on pesticide history and consumption. All the villages had the history of monocrotophos (MCP) usage for crops like cotton, rice and legumes and two villages Dhadde and Teona Pujarian had current monocrotophos usage. The MCP residue of 0.08 ?g/kg was detected only in Teona Pujarian soil sample. The screening of all soil samples for the microbes with tolerance for different monocrotophos concentrations of 50 mg/l to 1000 mg/l in pikovskaya media was done by enrichment and adaptation method. The two bacterial isolates named as D1, T1 and four fungal isolates D2, D3, T2, and T3 were isolated from Dhadde (D) and Teona Pujarian (T) soil at MCP concentration of 1000mg/L. The morphological and biochemical test results for bacterial isolates from Teona Pujarian, T1 and Dhadde, D1 were found similar to Pseudomonas sp. and Serratia sp. respectively. The fungal isolates were found to have similar morphological characters to Aspergillus sp. The isolate T1 showed the degradation potential of 88.9 % in media and 87.4% in the MCP spiked soil after 7 days for MCP concentration of 1000 mg/L. The increase in P solubilisation and detection of traces of MCP residues and volatile fatty acids like palmitic acid, stearic acid, etc. indicated MCP mineralization by the isolate. This isolate could be useful in on-site bioremediation of the monocrotophos contaminated soilItem Removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution using cone biomass of picea smithana as adsorbent(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Najar, Gh Nabi; Mittal, SunilChromium has wide range of uses in various metal and chemical industries. Hence, it is discharged in environment in large quantities with effluent from these industries. Cr(VI) compounds have been recognized as toxic and may cause skin irritation to lung cancer, liver, kidney and gastric damage. Various physical and chemical processes such as ion exchange, chemical precipitation, membrane process and electrolytic extraction are used for the removal of chromium (VI) from wastewaters. However, high cost, large input of chemicals and incomplete removal of metal ions are some major disadvantages with these methods. Therefore, adsorption seems to be a better process for the removal of metal ions including Cr(VI) from contaminated wastewaters because of the expediency, ease of operation and design simplicity. In the present work the batch adsorption study has been carried out on cone biomass of Picea smithiana (CBP) as low cost adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from the aqueous solution in comparison to the most widely used adsorbent activated charcoal (AC). The cones of P. smithiana are the waste materials and are often used for burning. Effects of various parameters (adsorbent dose, contact time, pH and initial metal ion concentration) on Cr(VI) adsorption were studied by batch adsorption experiments in order to maximize the Cr(VI) removal from simulated aqueous solutions. Maximum Cr(VI) removal achieved from the aqueous solution (500 ?g Cr/mL) at pH 1, contact time 2 hours, adsorbent dose 1 g/L, and 25 + 2oC temperature using CBP and AC was 234.9 mg/g and 268.7 mg/g respectively. The present work indicates nearly 88% efficiency of CBP in comparison to the AC. This shows that CBP can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Cr (VI). The batch adsorption data of both CBP and AC was well fitted in Langmuir Isotherm model.Item Isolation of indigenous butachlor (Herbicide) degrading bacteria from the agricultural fields of punjab(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Singh, Jatinder; Yogalakshmi, K.N.Butachlor (N-Butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2', 6'-diethyl acetanilide) is a chloroacetalanilide herbicide widely used in paddy fields. Due to extensive application, high stability and persistence in soil and water, has resulted in its ubiquitous presence as a pollutant. Hence, it becomes necessary to degrade the herbicide through an eco friendly and cost effective method. In this study, the degradation of butachlor herbicide was studied under controlled laboratory condition. The soil was collected from the agricultural fields of Punjab. The inoculum from the soil was enriched in 0.16mmol/L of butachlor at 130 rpm and 30 ?C. The enriched culture was plated and the best growing bacteria was isolated and designated as JF. The biodegradation of strain JF was evaluated at 0.16 and 0.32mmol/L concentration of butachlor. The isolate showed a degradation efficiency of 91.87% and 78.08% at 0.16mmol/L and 0.32mmol/L of butachlor, respectively in 120 hours (pH 7). The bacterial isolate JF was identified as Staphylococcus sp. through biochemical characterization. This study highlights the first report of isolation of butachlor degrading bacteria from the native soil of Punjab.Item Inhibitory effect of essential oil of ocimum sanctum l. against pesticide induced genotoxicity(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Gurpreet; Mittal, SunilThe increase in pesticide contamination in the environment is of great concern due to its strong association with genetic material. The plants are considered as natural drugs to decline such toxic effects. In present study, the genotoxicity of Monocrotophos has been evaluated in lung cancer cell line i.e. A549 and H1299. The further step is to evaluate the prevention Monocrotophos induced genotoxic effect by pretreatment and post-treatment of O. sanctum essential oil. The results of present study suggest that eugenol (46%) and caryophyllene (28%) are the major components of essential oil of O. sanctum apart from other minor components. The essential oil cause increase in cell proliferation rate at lower concentration (20 ?g/ml for 6hrs.) in A549 cells while decrease in cell proliferation rate with increase in essential oil treatment after 20 ?g/ml concentration. Also, the cell viability has not been affected at 10 ?g/ml concentration in both the cell lines. On the other hand, Monocrotophos also cause increase cell proliferation rate at lower concentration (6.25 ?M - 200 ?M) for 6 hrs. in A549 cells and significant decrease in cell proliferation rate at higher concentration (1 mM -50 mM) in both the cell line. The results suggest that the H1299 cells, lacking p53 expression, are more sensitive to essential oil and Monocrotophos concentrations. The genotoxic study revealed that the Monocrotophos caused increase in comet length, % DNA in tail, tail length, tail intensity and decrease in Head intensity but pre-treat and post-treatment show protective action with respect to various Monocrotophos concentrations. It has been observed that post-treatment is better in comparison to pretreatment of Ocimum sanctum essential oil in all studied parameters. It can be concluded that the essential oils help the cells to compensate the oxidative stress generated inside the cell and hence can protect them from pesticide induced genotoxic effect.Item Thermo-chemical decomposition of wheat crop residue in presence of fly--ash and its application for soil amelioration(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Singh, Rishikesh; Babu, J.N.In the present work, pyrolysis of wheat crop residue is studied in the presence and absence of fly-ash at three different pyrolysis temperatures (viz., 2500C, 3500C and 4500C) with a temperature hold time of 1 to 4 hours. Biochar yield, in absence of fly-ash, was found to decrease with increase in pyrolysis temperature and hold time. Biochar yield was found to increase significantly with increase in fly-ash content at 2500C, whereas, a significant decrease in biochar yield was observed with increase in fly-ash content at 4500C. The biochar/fly-ash composite samples were characterized by FTIR, SEM, CHNS analysis and other physico-chemical parameters like pH, EC, alkalinity, total P, K, Na and extractable micronutrient content. pH, EC, alkalinity, total P, K and Na contents were found to be modulated by increase in fly-ash content and pyrolysis temperature. Further, effect of the biochar/fly-ash composites on the soil amelioration were studied and found to have a significant effect on soil physico-chemical properties like, water holding capacity (WHC), pH, EC, CEC, exchangeable cations, organic carbon, available P and micronutrients contentItem Studies in the synthesis and chromium adsorption behaviour of microcrystalline cellulose immobilized zero valent iron nanoparticles (MCC-nZVI)(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Sharma, Archana Kumari; Babu, J.N.In this study iron nanoparticles (nZVI) are used for the chromium removal from water. nZVI are synthesized in ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl and water, binary solution by borohydride reduction method. For stability of the nZVI, it is immobilized in microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Varying concentration of iron was used for both the MCC-nZVI synthesized in ionic liquid and water. 6%, 12% and 24% w/w loading of Fe were studied in MCC-nZVI (5-7) synthesized in ionic liquid-water binary mixture, whereas MCC-nZVI (8) and MCC-nZVI (9) were synthesized in water. The synthesized MCC-nZVI materials were characterized by SEM, TEM and FTIR analysis. The MCC-nZVI material was fully dispersed in water with a particle size distribution of 30-100 nm estimated from TEM. The MCC-nZVI contained spherical nZVI; with few of them immobilized in MCC and attached to the surface. FTIR analysis of MCC and MCC-nZVI (5-7) upon comparison showed the strong binding of nZVI to the hydroxyl moieties of MCC. The MCC-nZVI materials were studied for the adsorption of Cr(VI). Batch experiments were performed for chromium adsorption with optimization for contact time, pH, concentration, adsorbent dose etc. on the extent of adsorption by MCC-nZVI. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm were best applied to analyze the adsorption data of chromium. MCC-nZVI(6) shows optimum adsorption efficiency. The adsorption efficiency of MCC-nZVI was dependent on their surface area. Maximum adsorption of chromium was found to be 57 mg of Cr(VI)/g of MCC-nZVI (6) at pH 3 and 24 h equilibrium time. The adsorption kinetics could be described by pseudo second order kinetic model