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Item Integrated metabolomic, molecular, and morphological insights into the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) by priestia megaterium mapb-27(ACS, 2025-10) Paul, Atish Tulshiram; Jha, Prabhat NathPolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that cause profound deleterious effects on the environment and human health. Exposure to PCBs and biphenyl can induce changes in cellular metabolite levels. However, metabolic responses to utilize and adapt to PCBs are not well understood. Therefore, this study meticulously examined the PCB degradation potential, gene expression, and metabolic responses of Priestia megaterium MAPB-27 exposed to biphenyl. MAPB-27 showed growth and chemotaxis toward PCB degradation intermediates such as biphenyl, dihydroxy biphenyl, benzoate, and catechol. We employed GC-MS/MS to elucidate disparities in the main metabolic pathways in the biphenyl-exposed MAPB-27 through variations in metabolite composition and PCB biodegradation, while Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to study cell morphology. GC-MS/MS analysis highlighted the degradation of trichlorobiphenyl, tetrachlorobiphenyl, pentachlorobiphenyl, and hexachlorobiphenyl by P. megaterium MAPB-27, exhibiting 92.5, 62.9, 3.7, and 2.4%, respectively. GC-MS/MS analysis identified 4-dihydroxy-2-oxo-valerate, benzoic acid, and 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid as the major degradative metabolites in MAPB-27. MAPB-27 extract also contains metabolites with a wide range of direct industrial applications, such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (3-hydroxybutyrate), a biobased organic acid (3-hydroxypropionoic acid), and antibacterial and antifungal compounds (phenyllactic acid, 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, and β-sitosterol). Glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis were observed to be the active metabolisms in MAPB-27 grown in biphenyl-supplemented Minimal Medium. Overall, the results of this study provided important insights into microbial adaptation to biphenyl and the biodegradation of PCB. Thus, the P. megaterium MAPB-27 strain can be used for the development of efficient PCB biodegradation strategies and for the exploration of industrial applications.Item Metabolomic profiling of biphenyl-induced stress response of Brucella anthropi MAPB-9(Springer Nature, 2025-04) Jha, Prabhat Nath; Paul, Atish TulshiramThe exposure of bacteria to toxic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and biphenyl induces an adaptive response at different levels of cell morphology, biochemistry, and physiology. PCB and biphenyl are highly toxic compounds commercially used in the industry. In our previous study, Brucella anthropi MAPB-9 efficiently degraded PCB-77 and biphenyl at a high concentration. In this study, we used metabolomic analyses to understand the metabolic processes occurring in MAPB-9 during exposure to biphenyl. A combination of analytical techniques such as GC-MS/MS and HR-MS study confirmed the complete biphenyl degradation pathway. The intermediate metabolic products identified were cis-2, 3-dihydro-2, 3-dihydroxy biphenyl, 2,3-dihydroxy biphenyl, and 4-dihydroxy-2-oxo-valerate. Further, benzoic acid and 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid metabolites identified in the extract revealed the interconnection of biphenyl and benzoic degradation pathways. In addition, the variations in the functioning of the major biochemical pathways in the cells were revealed through changes in the profile of metabolites belonging to glyoxylate, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and fatty acid pathways. The exposure to biphenyl inhibited metabolic activity leading to changes in the morphology and metabolism. Despite many adverse changes, the MAPB-9 was able to adapt and grow in the toxic environment undergoing upper and lower biphenyl degradation pathways.Item Analgesics in wastewater matrix: a comprehensive review on occurrence, toxicity, and sustainability assessment of biological, tertiary, and hybrid treatment processes(Elsevier, 2025-06) Mandal, PubaliOver the past few decades, increased consumption of pharmaceuticals has led to the prevalence of the pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in various wastewater matrices. Amongst, analgesics are one of the most consumed classes of medicines. These analgesics have complex molecular structures and physicochemical properties that do not favor degradation by conventional biological processes. Furthermore, they pose significant toxicity towards the non-target species and have the potential to disrupt the aquatic environment. Hence, researchers have focused on advanced or tertiary treatment processes, such as adsorption, photocatalysis, and the Fenton process, to remove these recalcitrant analgesics. Although these processes can remove analgesics with a high removal efficiency of around 85%, they fail to perform well with raw wastewater. Hence, hybrid processes have emerged as a wholesome treatment solution for pharmaceutical-contaminated wastewater. In this context, this review paper covers the performance assessment and sustainability of different biological, advanced, and hybrid processes in treating analgesic-contaminated wastewater. It was observed that the biological process alone could only remove around 60–70%, while the average analgesic removal from synthetic water using adsorption, Fenton, and photocatalysis was more than 80%. However, hybrid processes like a combination of constructed wetlands and photocatalysis exhibited more than 80% removal from real wastewater and were more financially and environmentally sustainable. This review provides a comprehensive idea of how analgesics, in particular, are ubiquitous in the aqueous environment and suggests how they can be removed sustainably by providing a comprehensive overview of all existing treatment systems.Item Evaluation of biphenyl- and polychlorinated-biphenyl (PCB) degrading Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 on growth of Morus alba by pot study(Taylor & Francis, 2020-06) Paul, Atish Tulshiram; Jha, Prabhat NathThis study focused on isolation of bacteria with biphenyl/polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degrading ability from the rhizosphere of Morus alba (mulberry plant). Repetitive enrichment of rhizospheric soil samples with biphenyl resulted in the isolation of Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The bacterium showed growth on five different aromatic compounds (naphthalene, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, dibenzofuran and anthracene). Benzoic acid was detected as the major metabolite during biphenyl degradation using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with Rf 0.42 at 254 nm. Further GC-MS/MS study showed 95% and 15% degradation of biphenyl and dichlorobiphenyl, respectively. A pot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of presence of biphenyl on M. alba and the role of biphenyl degrader Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 in relation to phytoremediation. Morus alba twigs in biphenyl spiked soil (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) inoculated with Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 showed growth, whereas, growth of plants (control) was adversely affected in biphenyl-spiked uninoculated soil. It is the first report of isolation of Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 from the rhizosphere of Morus alba, its capability to degrade biphenyl, thereby showing a positive effect on the plant growth grown in biphenyl spiked soil.Item Biodegradation kinetics of Cr (VI) by acclimated mixed culture(JCE, 2011-05) Raghuvanshi, Smita; Gupta, SureshChromium was discovered in 1797 by Vauquelin. Numerous industrial applications raised chromium to a very important economic element. At the same time, with the development of its uses, the adverse effects of chromium compounds in human health were being investigated. Both acute and chronic toxicity of chromium are mainly caused by hexavalent compounds. It is highly toxic in nature and causes adverse effects on human beings. The present study deals with the removal of hexavalent chromium compound from industrial waste water using biodegradation by an acclimated mixed culture developed from activated sludge. The biodegradation studies are conducted for an initial Cr(VI) concentration ranging from 10-50 mg/L. The enrichment of culture is carried out for a period of 7 days. In these experiments, 100 mL of minimum salt medium (MSM) is autoclaved and added with known amount of acclimated mixed culture obtained from the enrichment procedure. Known amount of Cr(VI) is added in autoclaved MSM to maintain the required concentration of Cr(VI). The flasks are kept in the rotary shaker which is maintained at 37 C and at 150 rpm throughout the biodegradation process. The samples are collected at different intervals. The obtained biomass growth is significant and indicate the considerable decrease in Cr(VI) concentration in the solution The biodegradation rate kinetic parameters are obtained for zero order and three and half order kinetic models.Item Biodegradation kinetics of methyl iso-butyl ketone by acclimated mixed culture(Elsiever, 2009-06-26) Raghuvanshi, SmitaMethyl iso-butyl ketone (MIBK) is a widely used volatile organic compound (VOC) which is highly toxic in nature and has significant adverse effects on human beings. The present study deals with the removal of MIBK using biodegradation by an acclimated mixed culture developed from activated sludge. The biodegradation of MIBK is studied for an initial MIBK concentration ranging from 200–700 mg l−1 in a batch mode of operation. The maximum specific growth rate achieved is 0.128 h−1 at 600 mg l−1of initial MIBK concentration. The kinetic parameters are estimated using five growth kinetic models for biodegradation of organic compounds available in the literature. The experimental data found to fit well with the Luong model (R 2 = 0.904) as compared to Haldane model (R 2 = 0.702) and Edward model (R 2 = 0.786). The coefficient of determination (R 2) obtained for the other two models, Monod and Powell models are 0.497 and 0.533, respectively. The biodegradation rate found to follow the three-half-order kinetics and the resulting kinetic parameters are reported.Item Growth Kinetics of Acclimated Mixed Culture for Degradation of Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)(OMICS, 2012) Gupta, Suresh; Raghuvanshi, SmitaIso-propyl alcohol (IPA) is an organic chemical regarded as a potential pollutant. The permissible exposure limit (PEL) of IPA specified by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is 400 mg L-1. In this study the aerobic biodegradation of IPA is carried out by an acclimated mixed culture obtained by sewage treatment plant, for the range of 200-700 mg L-1 of initial IPA concentration. The batch degradation study demonstrated that the maximum growth rate obtainable is 0.337 h-1. To explain the inhibition effects, different kinetic growth models such as Haldane, Luong and Edward models are applied. The experimental data are found to fit well with inhibition models having the values of coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.989, 0.986 and 0.984 respectively for Haldane, Luong and Edward models. Based on the disappearance of IPA, degradation is modeled by the three-half-order kinetics and the resulting kinetic parameters are reported.Item Metabolic pathway and role of individual species in the bacterial consortium for biodegradation of azo dye: A biocalorimetric investigation(Elsiever, 2017) Deepa, P.R.In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the functional role and metabolic behaviour of the monoculture (Staphylococcus lentus (SL), Bacillus flexus (BF) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA)) in the bacterial biocenosis for biotransformation of an azo dye. The power-time profile obtained from consortia depicted three distinct peaks, which correlated well with the individual bacterial growth (PA > SL > BF), indicating the synergistic relation and division of labour in the biocenosis. The heat release pattern was used to identify the sequential behaviour of microbial consortia in real time. Yield calculation based on total heat liberated to the complete substrate utilization Y (Q/S) for PA, SL, and BF were 15.99, 16.68, 7.32 kJ/L respectively. Similarly, the oxy calorific values Y (Q/O) for the above species are respectively 386, 375, 440 kJ/mol and indicates the aerobic nature of microorganism employed. Further, the metabolome produced during the biotransformation were identified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), based on which a plausible pathway was predicted. The abundant metabolites were palmitic acid (m/z = 256) and diethyl phthalate (m/z = 222.2). The abundance of diethyl phthalate was much lesser in the consortia compared to the monoculture. Thus, the biocalorimetric heat yield calculation along with the stoichiometry and plausible pathway based biochemical elucidation provides a mechanistic basis for understanding the azo-dye biotransformation by the monocultures in consortia.Item Evaluation of biphenyl- and polychlorinated-biphenyl (PCB) degrading Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 on growth of Morus alba by pot study(Taylor & Francis, 2020-06-30) Jha, Prabhat N.; Paul, Atish T.This study focused on isolation of bacteria with biphenyl/polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degrading ability from the rhizosphere of Morus alba (mulberry plant). Repetitive enrichment of rhizospheric soil samples with biphenyl resulted in the isolation of Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The bacterium showed growth on five different aromatic compounds (naphthalene, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, dibenzofuran and anthracene). Benzoic acid was detected as the major metabolite during biphenyl degradation using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with Rf 0.42 at 254 nm. Further GC-MS/MS study showed 95% and 15% degradation of biphenyl and dichlorobiphenyl, respectively. A pot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of presence of biphenyl on M. alba and the role of biphenyl degrader Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 in relation to phytoremediation. Morus alba twigs in biphenyl spiked soil (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) inoculated with Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 showed growth, whereas, growth of plants (control) was adversely affected in biphenyl-spiked uninoculated soil. It is the first report of isolation of Rhodococcus sp. MAPN-1 from the rhizosphere of Morus alba, its capability to degrade biphenyl, thereby showing a positive effect on the plant growth grown in biphenyl spiked soil.Item New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering(Elsiever, 2020) Panwar, JitendraIncreasing population, industrialization, globalization, and expanding economy throughout the world have led to the increased consumption of various consumer goods, of which, plastics contribute a large proportion. Due to properties such as low cost, ease of manufacturing, hydrophobicity, inertness, and durability, plastic goods have become an integral part of the daily routine of all human beings. Various types of plastics contribute to different applications, such as in carry-bags, containers, bottles, pipes, tubing, cable, rope, flooring, furniture, and so on. However, the demand for plastics has outpaced efficient disposal practices causing increased accumulation in landfills and water bodies. The accumulated plastic waste releases toxic compounds such as dioxins and furans, which are potent carcinogens and can cause serious health issues, including neurological disorders, disruption of the endocrine system, and infertility. In addition, both land and aquatic animals mistakenly consume plastic wastes. Hence, proper disposal strategies need to be practiced without the release of any harmful chemicals. Biodegradation can prove to be helpful, as the products of the reaction are completely harmless and contribute to the biogeochemical cycle of the Earth. In this chapter, we discuss the various types of plastics, their disposal practices, and the ability of microorganisms to consume plastics as a sole carbon source, leading to their degradation via aerobic or anaerobic pathways.