Research Papers

Climate change—WASH services—health nexus: the Indian case

Sharma Brij Mohan , Basu Avanti Roy , Krishnan Anagha , Sarkar Shyamal Kumar , Bharat Girija K. Bharat

| 2024

Climate change introduces a wide range of factors that affect human health, which are now becoming increasingly evident Worldwide. This emphasizes the necessity for a more profound understanding of the intricate health issues to implement preventive measures and intervention strategies aimed to safeguard lives on the planet earth. The current set of circumstances calls for more intensive research to gain a better comprehend of the emerging health risks associated with climate change and to identify the most vulnerable populations.

High-value products from microalgae—Unlocking the potential for large-scale commercialization

Kaur Mehak , Peshwani Hishita , Goel Mayurika

| 2025

Microalgae are a sustainable source for the commercial production of nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and pharmaceutical industries. In order to obtain the optimum yields, current focus should be to develop a process chain that revolves around cost-efficiency and ease of up-scaling to develop holistic microalgal biorefineries. Enhanced biomass yield through optimization of nutrient composition, light intensity, agitation, cultivation techniques, or genetic engineering is one of the promising solutions.

Plant Bioactive Natural Products through Endophytic Fungal Interactions

Kaur Mehak , LenkaSangram K., Goel Mayurika

| 2024

One of the primary areas in drug discovery today is the exploration of natural sources such as medicinal plants to discover new bioactives that can contribute to the pharmaceutical industry. Endophytic fungi are being studied the most as microbial bio-factories to produce such bioactives because of their symbiotic associations with the host plants. Furthermore, the production of secondary metabolites is determined by their genetic makeup, environmental factors, and surrounding biota.

India’s pathway to net zero by 2070: status, challenges, and way forward

Chaturvedi Vaibhav et al

| 2024

The announcement of India’s 2070 net-zero target has demonstrated the power of a credible policy signal and changed the course of India’s climate debate. While the Government of India (GoI) has not specified whether this target refers to carbon-dioxide or all greenhouse gases, the announcement has been a watershed moment in India’s climate policy. From questions related to whether and at what pace should India decarbonize its economy, various actors in India are now aligned towards this target.

Application of digital twins for the low-voltage electricity grid–Challenges and opportunities of Distribution Grid Analytics in India

Singh Ajeet Kumar, Kumar Mukesh , Schopf Michael

| 2025

India anticipates significant growth in both population and energy demand. A substantial portion of this growth in energy demand is projected to be met through non-fossil-based resources, with ambitious plans to expand capacity to 500 GW by 2030. This ransition necessitates extensive grid infrastructure expansion to accommodate increasing demand and supply fluctuations. However, urban areas, experiencing rapid population growth, offer limited space for large-scale electricity network infrastructure development.

Artificial Neural Network - Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm based optimization for the enhanced pigment accumulation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Bhagat Namrata , Gupta Guddu Kumar , Minhas Amritpreet Kaur , Chhabra Deepak , Shukla Pratyoosh

| 2025

Natural colorants produced by the cyanobacterium include carotenoids, chlorophyll a and phycocyanin. The current study used the Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to examine how abiotic stress conditions, such as low temperature as well as high light intensity, affect the pigment accumulations in comparison to the control conditions.

Efficient nutrient sequestration and biomolecule production by Chlorella Sorokiniana MSP1 cultivated in industrial wastewater

Kalwani Mohneesh, Minhas Amritpreet Kaur, Shukla Pratyoosh, Pabbi Sunil

The generation of industrial wastewater poses a hazardous impact on the environment. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the performance of a new isolate Chlorella sorokiniana MSP1 in sequestering nutrients: nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater to produce protein, carbohydrate, chlorophyll, carotenoid and lipids.Industrial wastewater supplemented with different percentage of BG-11 media i.e.

Sustainable recovery of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from coal and coal ash through urban mining: A Nature Based Solution (NBS) for circular economy

Agrawal Ruchi , Ragauskas Arthur J.

The demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has surged in recent years, driven by their crucial role in various industrial applications and their uneven geological distribution. As a result, urban mining from secondary resources, particularly coal and coal ash, has gained traction as a sustainable solution within a circular economy framework. This study highlights the significant presence of REEs in coal and coal ash, revealing that certain samples contain REE concentrations that rival traditional ores.

Chemical characterization and biological activity of Curvularia Lunata, an endophytic fungus isolated from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). Braz J Microbiol

Kaur Mehak, Mishra Rahul C., Lahane Vaibhavi, Kumari Anita, Yadav Akhilesh K., Garg Monika, Barrow Colin J., Goel Mayurika

Exploration of medicinal plants for bioactive-producing endophytic fungi is a relatively unmapped source of pharmaceuti¬cally important compounds. In this study, the endophytic fungus Curvularia lunata AREF029 isolated from the medicinal plant Cymbopogon citratus (known as lemongrass) was assessed for its biological activity. The methanolic extract of AREF029 had minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) ranging from 38 to 174 μg/ml against phytopathogenic fungi Alteranria solani, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani.

An Overview of Pigmented Bioactive Products from the Genus Cordyceps

Kaur Mehak , Goel Mayurika

| 2025

The demand for natural colorants in the food, textile, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and other industries has increased due to the adoption of environmentally friendly alternatives to non-sustainable resources. Microorganisms are preferred over other biological resources because of their high stability, water solubility, year-round availability, and cost-effectiveness. Fungi are prolific producers of a myriad of pigments with therapeutic benefits.