Biodegradation Of Phenol Using Spent Substrate Of Pleurotus Sp.

Phenol is an aromatic hydrocarbon which exists as a colorless or white solid in its pure state. Over the past several decades, there is growing concern about wide spread contamination of surface and ground water by phenol, due to rapid development of chemical and petrochemical industries. Phenol affects aquatic life even at relatively low concentration (5-25mg/L). Treatment for removal of phenol includes chemical as well as biological processes. Studies show that ligninases such as Lignin Peroxidase and Laccase, produced by Pleurotus sp., can degrade phenol. Spent substrate of Pleurotus mushrooms consists of ligninases. Present work was to investigate the potential of spent substrate of edible mushroom P. ostreatus for biodegradation of phenol. P. ostreatus was cultivated on paddy straw. After harvest, spent substrate was utilized for phenol degradation. According to the enzyme profile of two ligninases present in the spent substrate of P. ostreatus, maximum specific activity for Laccase was observed in 35 day old spent substrate and LiP activity was maximum in 56 day old spent substrate, which together contributed significantly for removal of phenol. Spent substrate of 35th and 56th day were each incubated with phenol sample (1:1w/v) for one day, which resulted in degradation of phenol by 48% and 45% respectively. From these results it appears that, spent substrate of P. ostreatus can be used effectively to remove phenol from industrial effluents

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toxic trace metals in seawater and sediments from the west coast of India and their bioaccumulation in some selected species of fishes

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and other toxic compounds from industrial effluents are noted for their high potency for skin, lung, bladder and gastrointestinal cancers. Increased industrialization, and population growth led to greater production of wastes, Pesticides and PAHs have received attention due to their carcinogenic effects. The main objectives of the study were; to collect base line data on the concentration of PAHs in seawater and sediment from the west coast of India, the concentration of PAHs in certain species of fishes, the comparative levels of PAHs in fish, the influence of sediment characteristics on the concentration of PAH in sediment, changes in PAH concentration in water, sediment and fish, to provide a base line concentration of trace metals in water, sediment and fish, the seasonal changes in content of selected trace metals in water, sediment and fish from the west coast of India. The present study revealed that a predominance of silt and clay at all stations in the off Cochin area. The study has provided comprehensive information available to date for PAHs in seawater, sediment and fishes from the west cost of India especially from the Quilon to Mangalore region.

Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Cochin Estuary and Backwaters

Department of Chemical Oceanography,Cochin University of Science and Technology

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons by Lysinibacillus fusiformis BTTS10

There exists a need for potential microorganism that could facilitate effective bioremediation of crude oil pollutants in the environment. Hence it was desired to isolate a potential bacterium from marine sediment, which often experiences oil pollution and develop a bioprocess for crude oil biodegradation. In the present study the sediment deposits in the beach of Munakkal, Trichur dist, Kerala, collected immediately after the major event Tsunami in 2004 was collected and analyzed by enrichment culture technique towards isolation of potential strains that could degrade crude oil and its fractions. From the results obtained it was found that the sediment deposits harbor several bacteria with potential for degrading hydrocarbons. However, among the strains obtained, isolate no. BTTS 10 showed capabilities for utilizing both alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons and hence the same was selected for further studies.

“A comparative study of medium and large pore zeolites in alkylation reactions”

Zeolites have established themselves as industrial catalysts for over two decades for a variety of hydrocarbon processing reactions where acidity and shape selectivity are important factors. As solid catalysts, zeolites may be advantageous and superior compared to their homogenous counterparts due to their characteristic properties. It is only in recent years that the utility of zeolites for organic synthesis is recognized for producing specific organic intermediates and fine chemicals in high selectivity. In this thesis an attempt has been made to compare the catalytic activity of some medium and large pore zeolites in a few alkylation and acylation reactions. The work reported in the present study is basically centered around the following zeolites namely, ZSM-5, mordenite, zeolite Y and beta. The major reactions carried out were benzoylation of o-xylene, propionylation of toluene and anisole and benzylation of oxylene. . The programme involves the synthesis, modifications and characterization of the zeolite catalysts by various methods. The influence of various parameters such as non-framework cations, Si/Al ratio of zeolites, temperature of the reaction, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of the reactants and recycling of the catalysts were also examined upon the conversion of reactants and the formation of the desired products in the alkylation/ acylation reactions. The general conclusions drawn by us from the results obtained are summarized in the last chapter of the thesis. Zeolite beta ofi'ers interesting opportunities as a potential catalyst in alkylation reactions and the area of catalysis by medium and large pore zeolites is very fascinating and there is plenty of scope for further research in this field. Moreover, zeolite based catalysts are effective in meeting current industrial processing and more stringent environment pollution limits.

Studies on the effect of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the life and activity of Perna spp

In the present study an endeavour has been made to analyse the acute toxicity of WAFs of Bombay High crude and Light Diesel oil on commercially important bivalve species Perna viridis and Perna indica by static bioassay methods. The toxic effects of chemicals in the WAF on the organisms ; their tissues and eventually on rate functions have been elucidated. Marine oil pollution not only affects productivity and quality of marine organisms but also eventually affects the health of human population due to a possible health risk by way of consumption of oil contaminated seafood