Faculty Publications
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Item Production and characterization of biosurfactant produced by a novel Pseudomonas sp. 2B(2012) Aparna, A.; Srinikethan, G.; Smitha, H.Biosurfactant-producing bacteria were isolated from terrestrial samples collected in areas contaminated with petroleum compounds. Isolates were screened for biosurfactant production using Cetyl Tri Ammonium Bromide (CTAB)-Methylene blue agar selection medium and the qualitative drop-collapse test. An efficient bacterial strain was selected based on rapid drop collapse activity and highest biosurfactant production. The biochemical characteristics and partial sequenced 16S rRNA gene of isolate, 2B, identified the bacterium as Pseudomonas sp. Five different low cost carbon substrates were evaluated for their effect on biosurfactant production. The maximum biosurfactant synthesis (4.97g/L) occurred at 96h when the cells were grown on modified PPGAS medium containing 1% (v/v) molasses at 30°C and 150rpm. The cell free broth containing the biosurfactant could reduce the surface tension to 30.14mN/m. The surface active compound showed emulsifying activity against a variety of hydrocarbons and achieved a maximum emulsion index of 84% for sunflower oil. Compositional analysis of the biosurfactant reveals that the extracted biosurfactant was a glycolipid type, which was composed of high percentages of lipid (~65%, w/w) and carbohydrate (~32%, w/w). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of extracted biosurfactant indicates the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and methoxyl functional groups. The mass spectra (MS) shows that dirhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-l-rhamnopyranosyl-3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-Rha-C 10-C 10) was detected in abundance with the predominant congener monorhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-?-hydroxydecanoyl-?-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-C 10-C 10). The crude oil recovery studies using the biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas sp. 2B suggested its potential application in microbial enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation. © 2012 Elsevier B.V..Item Assimilative capacity approach for air pollution control in automotive engines through magnetic field-assisted combustion of hydrocarbons(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Oommen, L.P.; Gottekere Narayanappa, K.G.Deterioration of air quality through the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels has been one of the global transboundary problems put before the research community since last five decades. According to the updated statistics, 79% of energy needs in India are met by fossil fuel combustion which results in the emission of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons. Air quality has seriously been affected in many parts of India, and statistically, 13 out of 15 most polluted cities in the world lie in India. Magnetic field-assisted combustion has been proven as a reliable technology in internal combustion engines for enhancing the combustion of fuels and reduction of harmful emissions that are the byproducts of incomplete combustion of fuels. In the present work, the magnetic field-assisted combustion of a liquid-phase and a gas-phase fuel (gasoline and LPG) has been studied in a multicylinder automobile engine replicating on road driving conditions in a laboratory focusing on the levels of emissions in comparison with normal combustion of both the fuels. The experimental study concludes that the applied magnetic field positively influences combustion, resulting in reduced level of emission of toxic components irrespective of the phase of hydrocarbon fuels. It is also observed that the percentage reduction in emissions increases with increase in intensity of magnetization. The maximum reduction obtained for CO and UBHC emissions through this technique is 20.58% and 14.47%, respectively. The effectiveness of MFAC in countering air pollution from vehicular exhaust is also studied with respect to fuel phase and mode of operation. The effectiveness of MFAC is observed to be more in high-speed operation of the engine and decreases in the order CO > UBHC > NO. The obtained emission results have a cumulative significance as 45% of total air pollution in India is caused by combustion of hydrocarbons in automotive engines. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.Item Role of ZSM5 catalyst and char susceptor on the synthesis of chemicals and hydrocarbons from microwave-assisted in-situ catalytic co-pyrolysis of algae and plastic wastes(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Suriapparao, D.V.; Tanneru, T.; Rajasekhar Reddy, B.R.; Yerrayya, A.; Bhasuru, B.A.; Pandian, P.; Prakash, S.R.; Sankar Rao, C.; Sridevi, V.; Desinghu, J.The synergetic effect between algae biomass in co-pyrolysis with synthetic plastics (polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and expanded polystyrene (EPS)) was investigated in this work. Individual feedstock pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis of algae with PP, PE, and EPS were conducted at a constant supply of microwave energy (420 J/s). Pyrolysis char was used as a susceptor in all the experiments. The average heating rate was varied in the range of ∼50–60 °C/min for achieving the final pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C. In catalytic co-pyrolysis, the ZSM-5 catalyst was used for upgrading the physicochemical properties of pyrolysis oil. The use of catalyst promoted the excessive cracking of biomass in co-pyrolysis, leading to higher gas and coke residue comparatively. The viscosity, density, and flash point of oil obtained in catalytic co-pyrolysis were significantly reduced. While the oil obtained from individual pyrolysis of algae is rich in phenolic derivatives, and that of PP, PE has aliphatic hydrocarbons, and EPS has monoaromatic hydrocarbons as major compounds. The synergistic role of plastic and biomass in co-pyrolysis was observed in the formation of products and oil composition. The bio-oil from catalytic co-pyrolysis is composed of aliphatic oxygenates, aliphatic hydrocarbons, cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons, and phenolics. The chemicals and hydrocarbons present in the oil have a carbon number in the range of C6 to C30. An increase in carbon and hydrogen elemental composition was observed in bio-oil obtained from co-pyrolysis. © 2021 Elsevier LtdItem Effect of fuel preheating on performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with Vateria indica methyl ester blends at various loads(Academic Press, 2022) Kodate, S.V.; Raju, P.S.; Yadav, A.K.; Kumar, G.N.The present study examines the preheated (95 °C) and unheated (35 °C) Vateria indica methyl ester (VIME) blends by studying the engine performance, combustion, and emission characteristics at various loads. A single-cylinder, TV1 Kirloskar direct injection diesel engine is used to carry out the tests. Biodiesel produced from Dhupa fat through the transesterification process is used as a renewable fuel in a diesel engine. In this work, diesel (B0), VIME (B100), and two binary blends (B30 and B50) are used. VIME has a higher viscosity, higher density, and lower calorific value than diesel, resulting in lesser brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and higher brake specific energy consumption (BSEC). Due to high viscosity of the biodiesel, preheating of fuel is done before injecting into cylinder. Preheating reduces the viscosity, and enhances the atomization and vaporization of fuel, resulting in improved engine performance. For a given blend of VIME biodiesel and diesel, the preheated blend has better BTE, decreased BSEC and lesser CO and HC emissions, with a slight increment in NOX emission compared to the unheated blend. The preheated B30 blend has a BTE value of 30.3% which is close to the BTE value of 30.1% of unheated diesel at 100% load condition. CO, HC, and soot emissions are decreased by 16.2%, 34.4%, and 16.5%, respectively, for preheated B100 fuel compared to unheated B100, at full load. © 2021 Elsevier LtdItem Preliminary evaluation of treated bio-residue as a modifier for bitumen(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Yatish, R.G.; Chiranjeevi, K.; Kumar, D.H.; Raviraj, H.M.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.R.With the global shift toward sustainable construction practices, the reuse of organic industrial by-products in pavement applications is gaining momentum. Bio-residues, when appropriately treated, can serve as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional binders. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the use of thermally treated Caffeine Spent Residue (CSR) as a partial replacement for bitumen in binder formulations. The CSR, derived from organic industrial waste, underwent thermal pretreatment to improve compatibility with the bituminous phase. The treated CSR was then mixed with bitumen (VG-40) by replacing it at varying levels—0 %, 3 %, 6 %, 9 %, 12 %, and 15 % by weight using a laboratory-scale high-shear mixer to produce Bio-residue Modified Bitumen (BRMB). The resulting BRMB samples were evaluated through penetration and softening point tests, along with rheological characterization using the Superpave rutting parameter (G?/sin ?) to assess the influence of treated CSR on fundamental binder properties. Both unaged and RTFO-aged samples were analyzed to capture the impact of short-term ageing on consistency and rutting resistance. Additionally, a cradle-to-gate assessment of embodied energy (EE) and embodied carbon (EC) revealed that replacing 10 % of bitumen with treated CSR significantly reduced the energy consumption and carbon emissions per kilogram of binder. The findings establish that treated CSR, particularly at a 9–10 % replacement level, offers a promising pathway for enhancing the sustainability of bituminous binders. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.