Faculty Publications
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Item Biocatalytic Remediation of Industrial Pollutants(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Pallavi, P.; Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, V.The release of an significant amount of pollutants from various industrial activities pose a serious threat to environmental sustainability and ecological integrity. Toxic pollutants, such as dyes, pesticides, metal ions, plastics, and antibiotics, can cause detrimental diseases to diverse living beings in their ecosystems. Biocatalytic remediation is one efficient method of removing toxic industrial pollutants by applying microorganisms or enzymes. Microorganisms in the environment typically produce a variety of enzymes to immobilize and degrade contaminants by using them as a substrate for growth and development. Biocatalytic remediation has attracted enormous interest worldwide due to its affordability and eco-friendliness. The use of microbial enzymes and microorganisms, especially immobilized biocatalysts, has been established as a flexible approach for the sustainable alleviation of industrial pollutants, in contrast to physical and chemical methods. This chapter presents and discusses recent scientific and technological advancements related to biocatalytic remediation of industrial pollutants. It also considers different biocatalysts and novel methodologies to mitigate various pollutants. This article also examines current trends, challenges, and directions for efficiently removing pollutant using biocatalysis method. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item Role of coconut shell biochar and earthworm (Eudrilus euginea) in bioremediation and palak spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) growth in cadmium-contaminated soil(Academic Press, 2022) Noronha, F.R.; Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, N.The contamination of soil with heavy metals is known to affect the yield the soil fertility, which in turn affects the growth of agricultural crops. This study investigates the role of coconut shell biochar (CSB) and earthworms (Eudrilus euginea) in the bioremediation and growth of Palak spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil. The soils were amended with different combinations of CSB and earthworms and incubated for 35 days. Later, the soil samples were analyzed for the changes in the soil properties, soil enzyme activity, and heavy metal contents. It is observed that the treatments with both CSB and earthworms resulted in the improvement of soil properties and soil enzyme activity which was directly related to soil fertility. Meanwhile, the maximum removal of 94.38% of total Cd content in the soil was obtained for the soil sample contain both CSB and earthworms. The improved soil properties resulted in a higher germination percentage of Spinacia oleracea L. seeds in the Cd contaminated soil. © 2021 Elsevier LtdItem Developing a biocatalyst showcasing the synergistic effect of rice husk biochar and bacterial cells for the removal of heavy metals(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023) Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, V.Heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) are toxic pollutants that affect the environment and pose health risks. Removal of Cd and Ni through bioremediation in the presence of biochar is a sustainable strategy. This study investigated the removal of Cd and Ni by Pseudomonas stutzeri immobilized on rice husk biochar (PRHB). The removal efficiency was calculated by varying the culture incubation time, pH, temperature, biocatalyst dosage, and initial metal ion concentration. PRHB showed a maximum metal removal capacity of 95% Cd and 92% Ni. The removal efficiency of PRHB was higher than that of free cells, which could be attributed to simultaneous adsorption, ion exchange, complexation, precipitation, and bioaccumulation caused by the biochar carrier and bacteria. The rice husk biochar material served as both an adsorbent and a carrier supplying nutrients for the growth of the bacteria. Considering the excellent metal ion removal capability and reusability, the use of PRHB could be a promising, cost-effective, and environment-friendly strategy for treating wastewater containing heavy metals. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.Item Mechanistic studies on bioremediation of dye using Aeromonas veronii immobilized peanut shell biochar(Academic Press Inc., 2024) Singh, A.; Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, V.Recalcitrant chemicals in the environment not only present obstacles to living organisms but also contribute to the degradation of natural resources. One contribution to environmental pollution is the discharge of synthetic dyes from the textile sector. This study investigates the combined effect of microbial cells and biochar on eliminating methyl orange (MO) dye. The immobilization of Aeromonas veronii on peanut shell biochar (APSB) was conducted to investigate its efficacy in removing MO dye from water. PSB synthesized by pyrolysis at 300 °C for 120 min showed maximum bacterial immobilization potential. The highest degradation rate of 96.19 % was achieved in APSB within 96 h using MO dye concentration of 100 mg L?1, incubation temperature of 37 °C, pH 7, and biocatalyst dosage of 1g L?1. In comparison, free cells achieved degradation rates of 72.53 % and 61.56 % for PSB. Moreover, the adsorption process was primarily controlled by PSB, with subsequent dye mineralization by A. veronii, as supported by FTIR and LC-MS studies. Moreover, this innovative approach exhibited the reusability of the biocatalyst, giving 76.23 % removal after fifth cycle, suggesting sustainable alternative in dye remediation and potential option for real-time applications. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.Item Dual-role of coconut shell biochar as a soil enhancer and catalyst support in bioremediation(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, V.The application of soil amendments has been proposed to influence soil properties, thereby improving agricultural productivity. They are known to increase the organic matter content, water holding capacity, and soil porosity, which play a significant role in the growth and development of plants. In work, experiments were carried out to evaluate the impact of coconut shell biochar as a soil amendment and microbial cell support to remediate cadmium-contaminated soil. To investigate the roles of biochar size and concentration on soil water holding capacity, the laterite loam soil is mixed with the biochar having different particle sizes of less than 1 mm, 1–2 mm, and 2–5 mm and concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% (w/w). The effects of combining biochar with different concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% (w/w) of farmyard manure on plant growth of Solanum lycopersicum L, soil nutrient changes, and enzyme activity are also investigated. The biochar particle size of <1 mm and concentration of 10% showed the highest (41.5%) water holding capacity and 90.47% germination, and 464.25 seed vigour index for Solanum lycopersicum L. Further 21 days soil incubation experiments were conducted to explain the effect of the biochar, and P. stutzeri immobilized on biochar on cadmium adsorption and bioavailability in soil. Cadmium removal of about 73.84% was obtained from contaminated soil compared to the control. It is suggested that coconut shell biochar generation from coconut shells could be a sustainable crop residue management option to enhance the soil physico chemical properties and also to remediate soil. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023.