Research Papers

Challenges of illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries in Indian waters: Plausible mitigation measures

Ramaiaha, M.; Varma, R.; D'Souzab, F.; Giriyan, A.
| 2025

Marine fisheries sector provides not only a major source of high-quality animal protein but also ensures food security for fish-consuming populations at reasonable costs. With ~200000 fishing crafts, including mechanised, motorised, and nonmotorized crafts, marine fishing, landing, and sales activities employ close to 4 million fisherfolk in recent years. India, with a mainland coast length of over 7000 km and 3000 km of island coastline, is among the top 10 marine fishing nations in the world.

Transport sector emissions and decarbonization pathways for Viksit Bharat 2047 and Net Zero 2070

Qamar, Sharif; Dr. Dhawan, Vibha
| 2026

India’s transport system is central to economic development: it connects production centres with markets, enables labour mobility, supports urbanisation, and strengthens national integration. Yet the sector’s developmental role is accompanied by the dual challenges – rising carbon and energy-security. As per estimates, transport sector contributes about 5 percent of India’s gross value added, while accounting for a much larger share – around 12 percent – of energy-related CO2 emissions.

From lab to supplements: Microalgae in the nutraceutical industry

Kaur Mehak , Kusum, Goel Mayurika
| 2026

There is a growing need for sustainable food alternatives to address the inadequacy of traditional food crops in meeting nutritional demands. Microalgae have come across as a promising solution owing to their capacity for providing both nutrition and health benefits while offering environmental advantages. This chapter delves into recent innovations in microalgal processing for nutraceutical applications while addressing safety concerns and identifying the current market outlook.

Exploring the rainbow of filamentous fungal pigments: a comprehensive patent and global market analysis (2004–2024)

Kaur Mehak , Peshwani Hishita , Uniyal Prem L., Barrow Colin J., Goel Mayurika
| 2026

Colour plays a crucial role in human expression and existence through its presence in food, textiles, cosmetics and other industries. Synthetic petroleum-based pigments were initially well-received but are currently out of favour due to their non-renewable nature and the push for sustainable options. Among natural reservoirs of pigments, microbial sources are desirable for their rich genetic and chemical diversity. Filamentous fungi are particular useful for colour production.

AI for Restoring Degraded Lands: Mapping Degradation, Predicting Climate Risk and Valuing Ecosystem Services

Ghosh Sayanta , Sharma Jitendra Vir
| 2026

Land degradation is a major global challenge, with up to 40% of the world's land estimated to be degraded, affecting more than 3 billion people and weakening food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and ecosystem services. In this context, the objective of this review is to examine how artificial intelligence (AI), remote sensing and geospatial analytics can support land restoration by integrating three connected domains: land degradation mapping, climate-risk prediction and ecosystem service valuation.

Solar threads and social knots: Gender and energy transitions in the weaving community of Varanasi, India

Murali Rashmi, Govindan Mini
| 2025

India's renewable energy transition presents an opportunity for transformative social change, especially in advancing gender equality and inclusion. This paper examines the Sustainable Energy in Micro-enterprises for Income & Livelihood Enhancement (SMILE) program, led by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), which introduced low-carbon energy solutions into micro-enterprises, focusing on the silk weaving cluster in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Omics-Based Exploration of Potential Soil Microorganisms for Sustaining the Productivity of Soybean: Prospects and Challenges

Bundela Vindhya , Ranjan Prem , Saini Neha , Ramesh Aketi, Pandey Komal , Das Paramita , Jakhar Geetanjali , Das Subhasis, Sharma Mahaveer P.
| 2026

Root-associated microbial communities play a pivotal role in enhancing soybean productivity, particularly under adverse climatic conditions. These microbes are integral to a range of critical processes, including nutrient acquisition, disease suppression, phytohormone synthesis, and conferring tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Advances in omics technologies have unveiled the profound significance of unculturable rhizomicrobial niches, reshaping our perception of their contributions to modern soybean production.

In-situ bio-stimulation for enhanced biological methane production and its effect on the microbiome of CBM wells in Raniganj block, India

Chawla Mansi , Lavania Meeta , Sahu Nishi , Banerjee Dipanjana , Singh Nimmi, Lal Banwari
| 2025

Microbially enhanced coalbed methane production (MeCBM) is a way towards translation of the recent momentum of the high demand for renewable energy into operational capacity. The present study demonstrates the enhancement of biogenic methane in coalbed methane (CBM) wells of an Indian coal reservoir via in-situ biostimulation. A laboratory-scale strategy was previously developed to understand and enhance the microbial processes for the bioconversion of coal to methane before transferring it to the field.

Study of occurrence, abundance, and characterization of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, India

Bisht Heena, Maurya Ankita C., Channashettar Veeranna, Jeyaseelan C. Paul, Siddhanta Soumik, Lal Banwari, Khare Sunil K., Kuppanan Nanthakumar
| 2025

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered the most significant contributors to microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic ecosystems. MPs are defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in size that are difficult to remove by WWTPs, posing risks to aquatic life, human health, and the overall ecosystem. This study investigates the prevalence of MPs in influent wastewater, treated effluent water, and sludge from WWTP. The samples were collected from Keshopur WWTP in New Delhi, whose effluents flows into the Yamuna River via Najafgarh drain.