Browsing by Author "Meena, S."

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Characterization study and recovery of copper from low grade copper ore through hydrometallurgical route
(Elsevier B.V., 2022) Mohanraj, G.T.; Rahman, M.R.; Arya, S.B.; Barman, R.; Krishnendu, P.; Meena, S.
Characterization studies were conducted on low grade copper ore with the aid of standard approaches. The Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) study specifies the semi-quantitative data of qualitatively analyzed chemical elements present in the ore sample. Optical Microscopy (OM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) endorse the presence of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and pyrites along with other different mineral phases in the ore sample. Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Mossbauer spectroscopy studies confirm the formation of CuO and Fe2O3 after roasting at 700 °C. The better copper recovery from low grade copper ore was achieved through optimized leaching parameters. It was found that the particle size of −63+53 µm can be leached up to 94.96 % of copper using a lixiviant reagent mixture (30 vol. % hydrogen peroxide and 0.5 M sulfuric acid) under magnetic stirring for 30 min at a constant speed of 300 rpm, by keeping the liquid/solid (L/S) ratio at 20/2 ml/g. Moreover, the solvent extraction process works well with the pregnant leach solution, whereby, 98.9 % of copper extraction is possible, and the loading time is less than a minute. Meanwhile, 93.91 % of overall copper extraction efficiency was achieved through optimized leaching parameters and solvent extraction method. © 2021
In silico structural and functional analysis of bacillus uricases
(Bentham Science Publishers, 2021) Nelapati, A.K.; Meena, S.; Singh, A.K.; Bhakta, N.; JagadeeshBabu, P.E.
Background: Excluding humans, the peroxisomal uricase is responsible for the catabolism of uric acid into allantoin in many species like microorganisms, plants, and inverte-brates. Particularly in humans, the synthesis and excretion of uric acid are naturally balanced. When the uric acid concentration crosses 7 mg/dl, it results in conditions such as hyperuricemia and gout. Uricase is one of the potential sources for the reduction of uric acid in humans. Uricase is also widely used as a commercial diagnostic reagent in medical and clinical biochemistry to esti-mate the uric acid concentration in blood and other biological fluids. Computational approaches can be used for screening and investigation of uricase enzyme with desirable characteristics that can be employed in diverse industrial applications. Objectives: The present study deals with computational-based structural, functional, and phylogenetic analyses of uricase enzymes from various Bacillus species. Methods: Seventy uricase protein sequences from Bacillus species were selected for multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, motif assessment, domain architecture examination, understanding of basic physicochemical properties and in silico identification of the composition of amino acids in uricase. Further, structural (secondary and tertiary structure prediction), and functional (CYS_REC, MOTIF scan, CD-search, STRING, SOSUI, and PeptideCutter) analyses of uric-ase were performed. Results: Bacillus simplex (WP_063232385.1) was chosen as the representative species of the Bacillus genera. The three-dimensional (3D) structure of B. simplex uricase was predicted and validated using QMEAN, RAMPAGE, ERRAT, Verify 3D and PROQ servers. The analysis revealed that the tertiary structure of the selected uricase has good quality and acceptability. Conclusion: Computational analysis of uricase from various Bacillus sources revealed that all the selected Bacillus uricases are active within acidic to a neutral environment, and thermally stable with a molecular weight ranging from 35.59-59.85kDa. The secondary structure analysis showed that all uricases are rich in alpha-helices and sheets. The CDD tool identified two conserved do-mains, one of which belongs to OHCU decarboxylase and another belongs to Uricase superfamily. The quality estimation of 3D modeled protein gave a high overall quality factor score of 94.64. Al-so, all Bacillus species of uricase enzyme and their corresponding genes showed a strong correlation from the phylogenetic comparison of the selected taxa. The present detailed computational investigation on the uricase protein could help in screening a suitable uricase producing microbe with desirable characteristics for industrial application. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.
Molecular surface-dependent light harvesting and photo charge separation in plant-derived carbon quantum dots for visible-light-driven OH radical generation for remediation of aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants and real wastewater
(Academic Press Inc., 2024) Meena, S.; Sethi, M.; Saini, S.; Kumar, K.; Saini, P.; Meena, S.; Kashyap, S.; Yadav, M.; Meena, M.L.; Dandia, A.; Nirmal, N.K.; Parewa, V.
Despite the growing emphasis on eco-friendly nanomaterials as energy harvesters, scientists are actively searching for metal-free photocatalysts to be used in environmental remediation strategies. Developing renewable resource-based carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as the sole photocatalyst to harvest visible light for efficient pollutant degradation is crucial yet challenging, particularly for addressing the escalating issue of water deterioration. Moreover, the photocatalytic decomposition of H2O2 under visible light irradiation remains an arduous task. Based on this, we designed two types of CQDs, C-CQDs (carboxylic-rich) and A-CQDs (amine-rich) with distinct molecular surfaces. Owing to the higher amount of upward band bending induced by amine-rich molecular surface, A-CQDs efficiently harvest the visible light and prevent recombination kinetics resulting in prolonged lifetimes (25 ps), and augmented charge carrier density (35.7 × 1018) of photoexcited charge carriers. A-CQDs enabled rapid visible-light-driven photolysis of H2O2 (k = 0.058 min−1) and produced higher quantity of •OH radicals (0.158 μmol/sec) for the mineralization of petroleum waste, BETX (i.e. Benzene, Ethylbenzene, Toluene and Xylene) (k = 0.017–0.026 min−1) and real textile wastewater (k = 0.026 min−1). To assess comparative toxicities of both remediated and non-remediated real wastewater samples in a time and dose depended manner, Drosophila melanogaster was used as a model organism. The findings unequivocally demonstrate the potential of remediated wastewater for watering urban forestry. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Visible-light induced effective and sustainable remediation of nitro organics pollutants using Pd-doped ZnO nanocatalyst
(Nature Research, 2024) Vikal, S.; Meena, S.; Gautam, Y.K.; Kumar, A.; Sethi, M.; Meena, S.; Gautam, D.; Singh, B.P.; Agarwal, P.C.; Meena, M.L.; Parewa, V.
Nitroaromatic compounds represent a class of highly toxic pollutants discharged into aquatic environments by various industrial activities, posing significant threats to ecological integrity and human health due to their persistent and hazardous nature. In this study, Pd-doped ZnO nanoparticles were investigated as a potential solution for the degradation of nitro organics, offering heightened photocatalytic efficacy and prolonged stability. The synthesis of Pd-doped ZnO NPs was achieved via the hydrothermal method, with subsequent analysis through XRD spectra and XPS confirming successful Pd doping within the ZnO matrix. Characterization through FESEM and HRTEM unveiled the heterogeneous morphologies of both undoped and Pd-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Additionally, UV–vis and PL spectroscopy provided insights into the optical properties, chemical bonding, and defect structures of the synthesized Pd-doped ZnO NPs. Pd doping induces a redshift in ZnO’s absorption spectra, reducing the bandgap from 3.12 to 2.94 eV as Pd concentration rises from 0 to 0.2 wt.%. The photocatalytic degradation, following pseudo-first-order kinetics, achieved 90% nitrobenzene abatement (200 µg/L, pH 7) under visible light within 320 min with a catalyst loading of 16 µg/mL. The photocatalytic efficacy of 0.08 wt% Pd-doped ZnO (k = 0.058 min?1) exhibited a 25-fold enhancement compared to bare ZnO (k = 3.1 × 10–4 min-1). Subsequent quenching and ESR experiments identified hydroxyl radicals (OH•) as the predominant active species in the degradation mechanism. Mass spectrometry analysis unveiled potential breakdown intermediates, illuminating a plausible degradation pathway. The investigated Pd-doped ZnO nanoparticles demonstrated reusability for up to five successive treatment cycles, offering a sustainable solution to nitro organics contamination challenges. © The Author(s) 2024.