Research Papers

Exploring the nature of rural energy transition in India :Insights from case studies of eight villages in Bihar

Goswami Anandajit, Bandyopadhyay Kaushik Ranjan, Kumar Atul
| 2017

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of rural energy transition in cooking options in India. Although India is aiming to achieve a double-digit economic growth, a large share of rural households still rely on firewood for cooking which not only has serious repercussions of increasing indoor pollution but also has a concomitant adverse effect on women and child morbidity and mortality. However, transition to clean energy options like improved cookstoves for these households may not be necessarily linear.

Empowerment of Women Through Tasar Sericulture Activities in Jharkhand State

Setty H H Ninga, Gopal Lasya, Chinnaswamy K P
| 2017

Jharkand is a newly created state in India, rich in forest and tribal population. The State is known for tasar sericulture and production of highest tasar silk in India. The State Department of Handloom, Sericulture and Handicraft (DHS&H), has been striving hard for promotion of sericulture in the state by launching several projects. Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd (Jharcraft) in the state is responsible for promoting post cocoon sericultural activities form cocoon to fabric for livelihood enhancement of rural and tribal population.

Development of models for prediction of the energy content of disposed MSW from an unsecured landfill

Siddiqui Faisal Zia, Zaidi Sadaf, Manuja Sourabh, Pandey Suneel, Khan M Emran
| 2017

This research was undertaken to estimate the energy potential of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed over the past 15 years in an unsecured landfill located in Okhla, Delhi, India. The research collected a total of 98 samples from various depths and locations, which were analyzed for physico-chemical characterization. Multiple regression models for estimating the energy content of the disposed MSW were developed to predict average gross calorific value (GCV) and net calorific value (NCV).

Characterization of a Novel Polymeric Bioflocculant Produced from Bacterial Utilization of n-Hexadecane and Its Application in Removal of Heavy Metals

Pathak Mihirjyoti, Sarma Hridip K, Bhattacharyya Krishna G, Subudhi Sanjukta, Bisht Varsha, Lal Banwari and Devi Arundhuti
| 2017

A novel polymeric bioflocculant was produced by a bacterium utilizing degradation of n-hexadecane as the energy source. The bioflocculant was produced with a bioflocculating activity of 87.8%. The hydrocarbon degradation was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and was further supported with contact angle measurements for the changes in hydrophobic nature of the culture medium. A specific aerobic degradation pathway followed by the bacterium during the bioflocculant production and hydrocarbon utilization process has been proposed.

Characteristics of the Ozone pollution and its health effects in India

Karthik L Balajee, Sujith Babu, Rizwan Suliankatchi, Sehgal Meena
| 2017

Surface level ozone is one of the important air pollutants. It is formed by the reaction of atmospheric pollutants in the presence of sunlight. The surface ozone shows temporal and spatial variations in the country. The levels are maximum during summer and minimum in monsoon seasons. The levels are maximum during daytime and minimum during night or early morning. In India, surface ozone levels are above the recommended threshold of 8 hour average of 100 μg/m3 for air quality monitoring at various stations. Exposure to high levels of surface ozone causes number of health problems.

Bioelectrochemical enhancement of direct interspecies electron transfer in upflow anaerobic reactor with effluent recirculation for acidic distillery wastewater

Feng Qing, Song Young-Chae,Yoo Kyuseon, Kuppanan Nanthakumar, Subudhi Sanjukta, Lal Banwari
| 2017

Methane production in the upflow anaerobic bioelectrochemical reactor (UABE) treating acidic distillery wastewater was compared to the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB), and the electron transfer pathways for methane production were also evaluated in the effluent recirculation. The methane productions from reactors were influenced by the low pH of influent wastewater. However, the methane production rate and yield of the UABE were 2.08 L/L.d and 320 mL/g CODr, which were higher than the UASB.

Applications of microalgal biofilms for wastewater treatment and bioenergy production

Miranda1 Ana F, Ramkumar Narasimhan, Andriotis Constandino,Höltkemeier Thorben,Yasmin Aneela, Rochfort Simone, Wlodkowic Donald, Morrison Paul, Roddick Felicity,Spangenberg German,Lal Banwari, Subudhi Sanjukta, Mourado Aidyn
| 2017

Microalgae have shown clear advantages for the production of biofuels compared with energy crops.Apart from their high growth rates and substantial lipid/triacylglycerol yields, microalgae can grow in wastewaters (animal, municipal and mining wastewaters) efficiently removing their primary nutrients (C, N, and P), heavy metals and micropollutants, and they do not compete with crops for arable lands.

An Assessment of Ground Water Potential for state of Kerala, India: A Case Study

Jayasankar Parvathi, Babu M N Sridar
| 2017

The southern state of Kerala in India, known as ‘God’s Own Country’, is blessed with plenty of water resources that include chains of backwater bodies, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, springs and wells. Although, the state receives abundant rainfall throughout the year, the region’s topography and soil characteristics, combined with rapid urbanization are causing significant stress to its ground water level. Therefore, it has become imperative for researchers, scientists, administrators, and policy-makers to analyze the present ground water situation of the state.

Novel Targets and Advancements 18 in Drug Discovery: The Case of HIV-AIDS

Nihar Ranjan, Umesh Kumar, and Sunil K. Deshmukh
| 2017

Since the very first report of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the early 1980s in the United States, a number of advancements have taken place both in the structural and functional aspects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) life cycle as well as anti-HIV drug design. While new drugs have come to the market and combination therapies have increased life expectancy, resistance and viral mutations have mandated introduction of new drugs in the market. Apart from two main classes of HIV inhibitors (reverse transcriptase and

Development of a novel myconanomining approach for 2 the recovery of agriculturally important elements from 3 jarosite waste.

Bedi Ankita, Singh Braj Raj, Deshmukh Sunil K, Aggarwal Nisha, Barrow Colin J, Adholeya Alok
| 2017

In this study, an ecofriendly and economically viable waste management approach have been attempted towards the biosynthesis of agriculturally important nanoparticles from jarosite waste. Aspergillus terreus strain J4 isolated from jarosite (waste from Debari Zinc Smelter, Udaipur, India), showed good leaching efficiency along with nanoparticles (NPs) formation under ambient conditions. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the formation of NPs.