Browsing by Author "Kumar, Vinod"
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Item Open Access Acetate as a potential feedstock for the production of value-added chemicals: Metabolism and applications(Elsevier, 2021-03-26) Kim, Yeonhee; Lama, Suman; Agrawal, Deepti; Kumar, Vinod; Park, SunghoonAcetate is regarded as a promising carbon feedstock in biological production owing to its possible derivation from C1 gases such as CO, CO2 and methane. To best use of acetate, comprehensive understanding of acetate metabolisms from genes and enzymes to pathways and regulations is needed. This review aims to provide an overview on the potential of acetate as carbon feedstock for industrial biotechnology. Biochemical, microbial and biotechnological aspects of acetate metabolism are described. Especially, the current state-of-the art in the production of value-added chemicals from acetate is summarized. Challenges and future perspectives are also provided.Item Open Access Advanced steam-explosion pretreatment mediated anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge: effects on methane yield, emerging contaminants removal, and microbial community(Elsevier, 2023-09-28) Balasundaram, Gowtham; Gahlot, Pallavi; Ahmed, Banafsha; Biswas, Pinakshi; Tyagi, Vinay Kumar; Svensson, Kine; Kumar, Vinod; Kazmi, A. A.Advanced steam explosion pretreatment, i.e., the Thermal hydrolysis process (THP) is applied mainly to improve the sludge solubilization and subsequent methane yield in the downstream anaerobic digestion (AD) process. However, the potential of THP in pretreating the high solids retention time (SRT) sludges, mitigating the risk of emerging organic micropollutants and effects on anaerobic microbiome in digester remains unclear. In this study, sludge from a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system operating at a SRT of 40 days was subjected to THP using a 5 L pilot plant at the temperature ranges of 120–180 °C for 30–120 min. The effect of THP on organics solubilization, methane yield, organic micropollutant removal, and microbial community dynamics was studied. The highest methane yield of 507 mL CH4/g VSadded and volatile solids (VS) removal of 54% were observed at 160°C- 30min THP condition, i.e., 4.1 and 2.6 times higher than the control (123 mL CH4/gVSadded, 20.7%), respectively. The experimental values of hydrolysis coefficient and methane yield have been predicted using Modified Gompertz, First order, and Logistics models. The observed values fitted well with all three models showing an R2 value between 0.96 and 1.0. THP pretreated sludges showed >80% removal of Trimethoprim, Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Bezafibrate. However, Carbamazepine, 17α-ethinylestradiol, and Progesterone showed recalcitrant behavior, resulting in less than 50% removal. Microbial diversity analysis showed the dominance of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes, collectively accounting for >70–80% of bacterial reads. They are mainly responsible for the fermentation of complex biomolecules like polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. The THP-mediated anaerobic digestion of sludge shows better performance than the control digestion, improved methane yield, higher VS and micropollutants removal, and a diverse microbiome in the digester.Item Open Access Advances in algal biomass pretreatment and its valorisation into biochemical and bioenergy by the microbial processes(Elsevier, 2022-06-09) Bhatia, Shashi Kant; Ahuja, Vishal; Chandel, Neha; Gurav, Ranjit; Bhatia, Ravi Kant; Govarthanan, Muthusamy; Tyagi, Vinay Kumar; Kumar, Vinod; Pugazendhi, Arivalagan; Banu, J. Rajesh; Yang, Yung-HunUrbanization and pollution are the major issues of the current time own to the exhaustive consumption of fossil fuels which have a detrimental effect on the nation's economies and air quality due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and shortage of energy reserves. Algae, an autotrophic organism provides a green substitute for energy as well as commercial products. Algal extracts become an efficient source for bioactive compounds having anti-microbial, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancerous potential. Besides the conventional approach, residual biomass from any algal-based process might act as a renewable substrate for fermentation. Likewise, lignocellulosic biomass, algal biomass can also be processed for sugar recovery by different pre-treatment strategies like acid and alkali hydrolysis, microwave, ionic liquid, and ammonia fiber explosion, etc. Residual algal biomass hydrolysate can be used as a feedstock to produce bioenergy (biohydrogen, biogas, methane) and biochemicals (organic acids, polyhydroxyalkanoates) via microbial fermentation.Item Open Access Arabinose as an overlooked sugar for microbial bioproduction of chemical building blocks(Taylor and Francis, 2023-11-06) Kumar, Vinod; Agrawal, Deepti; Bommareddy, Rajesh Reddy; Islam, M. Ahsanul; Jacob, Samuel; Balan, Venkatesh; Singh, Vijai; Thakur, Vijay Kumar; Navani, Naveen Kumar; Scrutton, Nigel S.The circular economy is anticipated to bring a disruptive transformation in manufacturing technologies. Robust and industrial scalable microbial strains that can simultaneously assimilate and valorize multiple carbon substrates are highly desirable, as waste bioresources contain substantial amounts of renewable and fermentable carbon, which is diverse. Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is identified as an inexhaustible and alternative resource to reduce global dependence on oil. Glucose, xylose, and arabinose are the major monomeric sugars in LCB. However, primary research has focused on the use of glucose. On the other hand, the valorization of pentose sugars, xylose, and arabinose, has been mainly overlooked, despite possible assimilation by vast microbial communities. The present review highlights the research efforts that have explicitly proven the suitability of arabinose as the starting feedstock for producing various chemical building blocks via biological routes. It begins by analyzing the availability of various arabinose-rich biorenewable sources that can serve as potential feedstocks for biorefineries. The subsequent section outlines the current understanding of arabinose metabolism, biochemical routes prevalent in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, and possible products that can be derived from this sugar. Further, currently, exemplar products from arabinose, including arabitol, 2,3-butanediol, 1,2,3-butanetriol, ethanol, lactic acid, and xylitol are discussed, which have been produced by native and non-native microbial strains using metabolic engineering and genome editing tools. The final section deals with the challenges and obstacles associated with arabinose-based production, followed by concluding remarks and prospects.Item Open Access Augmented hydrolysis of acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse by PEG 6000 addition: a case study of Cellic CTec2 with recycling and reuse(Springer, 2019-11-08) Baral, Pratibha; Jain, Lavika; Kurmi, Akhilesh Kumar; Kumar, Vinod; Agrawal, DeeptiIn an integrated lignocellulosic biorefinery, the cost associated with the “cellulases” and “longer duration of cellulose hydrolysis” represents the two most important bottlenecks. Thus, to overcome these barriers, the present study aimed towards augmented hydrolysis of acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse within a short span of 16 h using Cellic CTec2 by addition of PEG 6000. Addition of this surfactant not only enhanced glucose release by twofold within stipulated time, but aided in recovery of Cellic CTec2 which was further recycled and reused for second round of saccharification. During first round of hydrolysis, when Cellic CTec2 was loaded at 25 mg protein/g cellulose content, it resulted in 76.24 ± 2.18% saccharification with a protein recovery of 58.4 ± 1.09%. Filtration through 50KDa PES membrane retained ~ 89% protein in 4.5-fold concentrated form and leads to simultaneous fractionation of ~ 70% glucose in the permeate. Later, the saccharification potential of recycled Cellic CTec2 was assessed for the second round of saccharification using two different approaches. Unfortified enzyme effectively hydrolysed 67% cellulose, whereas 72% glucose release was observed with Cellic CTec2 fortified with 25% fresh protein top-up. Incorporating the use of the recycled enzyme in two-stage hydrolysis could effectively reduce the Cellic CTec2 loading from 25 to 16.8 mg protein/g cellulose. Furthermore, 80% ethanol conversion efficiencies were achieved when glucose-rich permeate obtained after the first and second rounds of saccharification were evaluated using Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 180.Item Open Access Bioactive compounds of edible fruits with their anti-aging properties: a comprehensive review to prolong human life(MDPI, 2020-11-13) Dhalaria, Rajni; Verma, Rachna; Kumar, Dinesh; Puri, Sunil; Tapwal, Ashwani; Kumar, Vinod; Nepovimova, Eugenie; Kuca, KamilAging is a complicated biological process in which functional and structural alterations in a living organism take place over time. Reactive oxygen species is one of the main factors responsible for aging and is associated with several chronic pathologies. The relationship between aging and diet is quite interesting and has attained worldwide attention. Healthy food, in addition to dietary antioxidants, are required to delay the process of aging and improve the quality of life. Many healthy foods such as fruits are a good source of dietary nutrients and natural bioactive compounds which have antioxidant properties and are involved in preventing aging and other age-related disorders. Health benefits linked with healthy consumption of fruit have drawn increased interest. A significant number of studies have documented the advantages of fruit intake, as it suppresses free-radical development that further reduces the oxidative stress created in the body and protects against several types of diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory disorders, and other cardiovascular diseases that ultimately prevent aging. In addition, fruits have numerous other properties like anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, and have health-promoting effects. Mechanisms of various bioactive compounds that aids in preventing various diseases and increases longevity are also described. This manuscript provides a summary of various bioactive components present in fruits along with their health-promoting and antiaging properties.Item Open Access Biodegradation of heavy oily sludge by a two-step inoculation composting process using synergistic effect of indigenous isolated bacteria(Elsevier, 2019-12-24) Parhamfar, Maryam; Abtahi, Hamid; Godini, Kazem; Saeedi, Reza; Sartaj, Majid; Villaseñor, José; Coulon, Frederic; Kumar, Vinod; Soltanighias, Tayebeh; Ghaznavi-Rad, Ehsanollah; Koolivand, AliThe impact of two-step inoculation of indigenous strains and their synergistic effect in the scaling-up of petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation from a mineral-based medium (MBM) to a two-phase composting process were investigated. After isolating the strains KA3 and KA4 from heavy oily sludge (HOS), their emulsification index (E24), bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon (BATH), and oil degradation efficiency were evaluated in the MBM. Then, they were inoculated twice into the composting bioreactors lasted for the primary 8 weeks as the first phase (FP) and subsequent 8 weeks as the second phase (SP). The results indicated that the consortium of the two strains degraded 16-61% of crude oil (1-5% concentration) in the MBM. In the composting reactors, removals of 20 g kg−1 initial concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were found to be 63.95, 61.00, and 89.35% for the strains KA3, KA4, and their consortium, respectively. The computed biodegradation constants indicated the synergistic effect of the two strains and the effectiveness of the second-step inoculation. The study demonstrated the successful scaling-up of HOS biodegradation from MBM to the two-phase composting process through two-step inoculation of the isolated strains.Item Open Access Bioengineered bioreactors: a review on enhancing biomethane and biohydrogen production by CFD modeling(Taylor & Francis, 2021-09-17) Saini, Anand Kumar; Radu, Tanja; Paritosh, Kunwar; Kumar, Vinod; Pareek, Nidhi; Tripathi, Dharmendra; Vivekanand, VivekanandComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) is numerical strategy developed for simulating the behavior of liquid and gas flow. CFD may be applied starting from aerospace, engine design, vehicle aerodynamics, power plants and chemical industries for analyzing and solving relevant system design and process issues. Biogas produced during anaerobic digestion (AD) is sustainable and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. AD may improve the controlled production of biogas and offers significant environmental benefits. This review focuses on research outcomes relevant for enhanced biogas production by exploring the possible applications of CFD in AD technology. CFD-related research performed in AD conditions in order to improve mixing performance, reduce power consumption, and understand the effects of total solid (TS) concentrations on flow behavior have been discussed. In addition, the use of AD for bio-hydrogen production, wastewater treatment, and sludge treatment are looked in. This review also identifies novel areas for AD technology advancement where there is potential for economic improvement in renewable energy production. Finally, future research needs have been identified, focusing on the opportunities to integrate conceptual and mathematical models for advancing CFD simulations for bioenergy.Item Open Access Biological production and recovery of 2,3-butanediol using arabinose from sugar beet pulp by Enterobacter ludwigii(Elsevier, 2022-04-21) Narisetty, Vivek; Narisetty, Sudheera; Jacob, Samuel; Kumar, Deepak; Leeke, Gary A.; Chandel, Anuj Kumar; Singh, Vijai; Srivastava, Vimal Chandra; Kumar, VinodSugar beet pulp (SBP) is a major byproduct from the sugar industries and consists of >20% w/w arabinose. The current work evaluated the potential of Enterobacter ludwigii assimilating pure arabinose and arabinose rich hydrolysate from SBP pellets for 2,3-butanediol (BDO) production. The hydrolysate was obtained through dilute acid pretreatment (DAP) with sulphuric acid. The process was optimized for acid and solid loading to obtain a hydrolysate free from furan derivatives. The effect of different levels of substrate (10–60 g/L) using pure arabinose was conducted in shake flask experiments, followed by co-fermentation with small amounts of glucose and SBP hydrolysate. After flask cultivations, BDO fermentations were carried-out in a bench-top bioreactor in batch and fed-batch modes using pure arabinose as well as SBP hydrolysate. The fed-batch culture led to BDO production of 42.9 and 35.5 g/L from pure arabinose and SBP hydrolysate with conversion yields of 0.31 and 0.29 g/g, respectively. Finally, BDO accumulated on pure arabinose and SBP hydrolysate were recovered using an aqueous two-phase extraction system. The recovery yield of BDO accumulated on arabinose and hydrolysate was ∼97%. The work demonstrated the feasibility of using SBP as a suitable feedstock for manufacturing BDO.Item Open Access Bioprocessing of fermentable sugars derived from water hyacinth into microbial lipids and single cell proteins by oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides NCIM 3547(Springer, 2021-10-09) Alankar, Senthilnathan Sri Laxma; Sajesh, Nithianandam; Rastogi, Shrestha; Sakhuja, Simar; Rajeswari, Gunasekaran; Kumar, Vinod; Chandel, Anuj Kumar; Jacob, SamuelIn this study, we employed microwave-acid pretreatment for water hyacinth (WH) to obtain liquid hydrolysate that contains sugars derived from holocellulosic components of biomass for further oleaginous yeast fermentation. In order to remove the inhibitors such as furans after acid treatment, detoxification of hydrolysate was done and we compared the efficiency of this step with non-detoxified hydrolysate towards capability of the Rhodosporidium toruloides NCIM 3547 (an oleaginous yeast) to produce microbial lipid and single cell protein. The results indicated that the reducing sugar concentration was found to be higher in non-detoxified hydrolysate (65.41 g/L) than detoxified one (59.18 g/L). When the non-detoxified liquid hydrolysate was supplemented with yeast extract as a complex organic source for R. toruloides, resulted in a maximum lipid yield of about 0.813 ± 0.041 (g/g) and 53.60 ± 2.68 (g/g) of single cell protein content with 0.038 g/L/d of protein productivity. Two kinetic models, hybrid Logistic-Monod and Luedeking-Piret, were employed to assess the microbial growth and the substrate utilization that were found to be in well agreement with the experimental data with a coefficient of determination (R2) value ranging from 0.95 to 0.99 thereby demonstrating the efficiency of the hydrolysate supplemented media. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis of transesterified lipids revealed the presence of various FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) and also the presence of increased levels of total saturated fatty acids (35.03%) advocates its high potential in biodiesel production. This study demonstrates the feasibility of sustainable valorization of WH-derived liquid hydrolysate towards a greener biorefinery framework.Item Open Access Bioproduction of succinic acid from xylose by engineered Yarrowia lipolytica without pH control(BMC - Springer Nature, 2020-06-27) Prabhu, Ashish Ashok; Ledesma-Amaro, Rodrigo; Lin, Carol Sze Ki; Coulon, Frederic; Thakur, Vijay Kumar; Kumar, VinodBackground Xylose is the most prevalent sugar available in hemicellulose fraction of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) and of great interest for the green economy. Unfortunately, most of the cell factories cannot inherently metabolize xylose as sole carbon source. Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional yeast that produces industrially important metabolites. The yeast is able to metabolize a large variety of substrates including both hydrophilic and hydrophobic carbon sources. However, Y. lipolytica lacks effective metabolic pathway for xylose uptake and only scarce information is available on utilization of xylose. For the economica feasibility of LCB-based biorefineries, effective utilization of both pentose and hexose sugars is obligatory. Results In the present study, succinic acid (SA) production from xylose by Y. lipolytica was examined. To this end, Y. lipolytica PSA02004 strain was engineered by overexpressing pentose pathway cassette comprising xylose reductase (XR), xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) and xylulose kinase (XK) gene. The recombinant strain exhibited a robust growth on xylose as sole carbon source and produced substantial amount of SA. The inhibition of cell growth and SA formation was observed above 60 g/L xylose concentration. The batch cultivation of the recombinant strain in a bioreactor resulted in a maximum biomass concentration of 7.3 g/L and SA titer of 11.2 g/L with the yield of 0.19 g/g. Similar results in terms of cell growth and SA production were obtained with xylose-rich hydrolysate derived from sugarcane bagasse. The fed-batch fermentation yielded biomass concentration of 11.8 g/L (OD600: 56.1) and SA titer of 22.3 g/L with a gradual decrease in pH below 4.0. Acetic acid was obtained as a main by-product in all the fermentations. Conclusion The recombinant strain displayed potential for bioconversion of xylose to SA. Further, this study provided a new insight on conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on SA production by Y. lipolytica using xylose as a sole carbon source.Item Open Access Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons by vermicomposting process bioaugmentated with indigenous bacterial consortium isolated from petroleum oily sludge(Elsevier, 2020-04-25) Koolivand, Ali; Saeedi, Reza; Coulon, Frederic; Kumar, Vinod; Villaseñor, José; Asghari, Fatemeh; Hesampoor, FaezehFinding a sound ecological-based approach for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) from petroleum oily sludge (POS) generated in oil refinery plants is still a challenge. This study investigated the removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) using bioaugmentated composting (BC) by hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria (HDB) and vermicomposting (VC) by Eisenia fetida, individually and in combination (BCVC). After isolating two native bacterial strains from POS prepared from an oil refinery plant in Iran, the degradation capability of their consortium was initially assessed in mineral Bushnell-Haas medium (MBHM). Then, the biodegradation rates of POS in the BC, VC, and BCVC treatments containing different concentrations of TPHs (5, 10, and 20 g/kg) were determined by measuring TPHs before and after the biodegradation. The results showed that the consortium degraded 20–62% of TPHs contents of Kerosene (1–5%) in the MBHM after 7 days. After 12 weeks, the TPHs removal percentages in the BC, VC, and BCVC treatments were respectively found to be 81–83, 31–49, and 85–91 indicating the synergistic effect of bacteria and worms in bioremediation of POS. The PHCs biodegradation in the BC, VC, and BCVC experiments was fitted to 1st order model kinetics. The results of toxicity tests indicated that the values of the no observed lethal concentration (NOLC) and median lethal concentration (LC50) of TPHs were 2–5 and 14.64 g/kg, respectively after 28 days of earthworm exposure. Morphological impairments such as swelling, coiling, and curling were observed when TPHs concentration was even lower than NOLC. The study verified the effectiveness of vermicomposting bioaugmentated with the indigenous bacterial consortium for POS bioremediation.Item Open Access Biovalorisation of crude glycerol and xylose into xylitol by oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2020-06-03) Prabhu, Vinayak Ashok; Thomas, Dominic J.; Ledesma-Amaro, Rodrigo; Leeke, Gary A.; Medina, Angel; Verheecke-Vaessen, Carol; Coulon, Frederic; Agrawal, Deepti; Kumar, VinodBackground Xylitol is a commercially important chemical with multiple applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. According to the US Department of Energy, xylitol is one of the top twelve platform chemicals that can be produced from biomass. The chemical method for xylitol synthesis is however, expensive and energy intensive. In contrast, the biological route using microbial cell factories offers a potential cost-effective alternative process. The bioprocess occurs under ambient conditions and makes use of biocatalysts and biomass which can be sourced from renewable carbon originating from a variety of cheap waste feedstocks. Result In this study, biotransformation of xylose to xylitol was investigated using Yarrowia lipolytica, an oleaginous yeast which was firstly grown on a glycerol/glucose for screening of co-substrate, followed by media optimisation in shake flask, scale up in bioreactor and downstream processing of xylitol. A two-step medium optimization was employed using central composite design and artificial neural network coupled with genetic algorithm. The yeast amassed a concentration of 53.2 g/L xylitol using pure glycerol (PG) and xylose with a bioconversion yield of 0.97 g/g. Similar results were obtained when PG was substituted with crude glycerol (CG) from the biodiesel industry (titer: 50.5 g/L; yield: 0.92 g/g). Even when xylose from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate was used as opposed to pure xylose, a xylitol yield of 0.54 g/g was achieved. Xylitol was successfully crystallized from PG/xylose and CG/xylose fermentation broths with a recovery of 39.5 and 35.3%, respectively. Conclusion To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time the potential of using Y. lipolytica as a microbial cell factory for xylitol synthesis from inexpensive feedstocks. The results obtained are competitive with other xylitol producing organisms.Item Open Access Bread waste valorization: a review of sustainability aspects and challenges(Frontiers, 2024-02-05) Hafyan, Rendra Hakim; Mohanarajan, Jasmithaa; Uppal, Manaal; Kumar, Vinod; Narisetty, Vivek; Maity, Sunil K.; Sadhukhan, Jhuma; Gadkari, SiddharthBread waste (BW) poses a significant environmental and economic challenge in the United Kingdom (UK), where an estimated 20 million slices of bread are wasted daily. BW contains polysaccharides with great potential for its valorization into building block chemicals. While BW valorization holds tremendous promise, it is an emerging field with low technology readiness levels (TRLs), necessitating careful consideration of sustainability and commercial-scale utilization. This review offers a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability aspects of BW valorization, encompassing economic, environmental, and social factors. The primary objective of this review article is to enhance our understanding of the potential benefits and challenges associated with this approach. Incorporating circular bioeconomy principles into BW valorization is crucial for addressing global issues stemming from food waste and environmental degradation. The review investigates the role of BW-based biorefineries in promoting the circular bioeconomy concept. This study concludes by discussing the challenges and opportunities of BW valorization and waste reduction, along with proposing potential strategies to tackle these challenges.Item Open Access Bread waste – a potential feedstock for sustainable circular biorefineries(Elsevier, 2022-12-21) Kumar, Vinod; Brancoli, Pedro; Narisetty, Vivek; Wallace, Stephen; Charalampopoulos, Dimitris; Kumar Dubey, Brajesh; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Bhatnagar, Amit; Bhatia, Shashi Kant; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J.The management of staggering volume of food waste generated (∼1.3 billion tons) is a serious challenge. The readily available untapped food waste can be promising feedstock for setting up biorefineries and one good example is bread waste (BW). The current review emphasis on capability of BW as feedstock for sustainable production of platform and commercially important chemicals. It describes the availability of BW (>100 million tons) to serve as a feedstock for sustainable biorefineries followed by examples of platform chemicals which have been produced using BW including ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid and 2,3-butanediol through biological route. The BW-based production of these metabolites is compared against 1G and 2G (lignocellulosic biomass) feedstocks. The review also discusses logistic and supply chain challenges associated with use of BW as feedstock. Towards the end, it is concluded with a discussion on life cycle analysis of BW-based production and comparison with other feedstocks.Item Open Access Carbon emissions and decarbonisation: the role and relevance of fermentation industry in chemical sector(Elsevier, 2023-10-07) Agrawal, Deepti; Awani, Kelvin; Nabavi, Seyed Ali; Balan, Venkatesh; Jin, Mingjie; Aminabhavi, Tejraj M.; Dubey, Kashyap Kumar; Kumar, VinodFermentation industry is emerging as sustainable technological alternative to cater the production of various chemical building blocks which are commercially manufactured by petrochemical route. The primary reason for this major transition is global commitment towards decarbonisation of chemical sector, as their conventional fossil-based routes pose serious environmental threat. For instance, in 2022, the direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emission during synthesis of primary chemicals accounted for ∼ 920 Mt. CO2 is one of the prominent greenhouse gases (GHG’s), contributing majorly towards global warming effect and drastic climate change. Fermentation industry largely thrives on exploiting fermentable and organic carbon derived from edible and/or non-edible biomass and transforming them to valorised products using microbial cell factories. Therefore, the production of bio-based chemicals via this route is often associated with low or zero-carbon footprint, resulting in either carbon neutral or carbon negative products. This review focuses on different types of fermentative processes and their impact on carbon release and decarbonisation. It further discusses the relevance and contribution of fermentation industry as well as biological processes to provide a sustainable solution towards decarbonisation of chemical sector. Further, it showcases the advantages of some commercial proven and/or pipeline bio-based products over their conventional competitor fossil-based products, especially from an environmental viewpoint. Finally, advantages of biogenic CO2 from fermentation industry over other sources and CO2 removal from fermentation as a platform for carbon offsetting are covered.Item Open Access Cellulose-based smart materials: Novel synthesis techniques, properties, and applications in energy storage and conversion devices(Wiley, 2024-05-25) Bishnoi, Pariksha; Siwal, Samarjeet Singh; Kumar, Vinod; Thakur, Vijay KumarThere has been a significant scope toward the cutting-edge investigations in hierarchical carbon nanostructured electrodes originating from cellulosic materials, such as cellulose nanofibers, available from natural cellulose and bacterial cellulose. Elements of energy storage systems (ESSs) are typically established upon inorganic/metal mixtures, carbonaceous implications, and petroleum-derived hydrocarbon chemicals. However, these conventional substances may need help fulfilling the ever-increasing needs of ESSs. Nanocellulose has grown significantly as an impressive 1D element due to its natural availability, eco-friendliness, recyclability, structural identity, simple transformation, and dimensional durability. Here, in this review article, we have discussed the role and overview of cellulose-based hydrogels in ESSs. Additionally, the extraction sources and solvents used for dissolution have been discussed in detail. Finally, the properties (such as self-healing, transparency, strength and swelling behavior), and applications (such as flexible batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, flexible supercapacitors and carbon-based derived from cellulose) in energy storage devices and conclusion with existing challenges have been updated with recent findings.Item Open Access Cellulosic biomass-based sustainable hydrogels for wastewater remediation: Chemistry and prospective(Elsevier, 2021-10-03) Thakur, Sourbh; Verma, Ankit; Kumar, Vinod; Yang, Xiao Jin; Krishnamurthy, Satheesh; Coulon, Frederic; Thakur, Vijay KumarDespite several technological improvements and achievements, wastewater treatment remains a serious issue internationally. Toxins in wastewater pose a significant threat to human health if left untreated. Due to macro-porous structure and different surface functionalization, cellulose biomass-based hydrogel is the most traditional adsorbent for removing harmful ions from wastewater. Recently, the introduction of several new cellulose derived materials have demonstrated their competitiveness in the removal of harmful ions. Numerous exceptional qualities better define this promising material, including high mechanical strength, large surface area and chemical inertness. This paper discusses the development status, preparation and modification methods of cellulose composites created by various materials (graphene, fly ash, graphene oxide and bentonite) which evaluates the research development and existing challenges in water treatment.Item Open Access Comparative assessment of sugarcane bagacillo and bagasse at lab-scale for production of sugars and green chemicals via biochemical platform(Springer, 2022-06-08) Baral, Pratibha; Jana, Arijit; Kumar, Vinod; Agrawal, DeeptiThe sugarcane-driven industry can exemplify sustainable waste management by valorizing its lignocellulosic streams and boosting the rural economy by product diversification. In this aspect, bagacillo is a promising yet untapped carbonaceous feedstock, representing fine fraction of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) with low bulk density. It is used either as a filter aid for juice clarification, when added to mud or mixed with bagasse for cogeneration. This study explores bagacillo for the production of sugars and green chemicals using biochemical platform, with SCB as the benchmark. Its NaOH pretreatment preserved > 90 and > 70% glucan and xylan in solid fraction. Fed-batch hydrolysis with Cellic CTec3 at 1-kg scale liberated 167.4 ± 1.87 and 183.53 ± 1.23 g L−1 monomeric sugars in filtrates of bagacillo and SCB, respectively, in 48 h. Its high-ash content reduced glucan conversion yields by 16%, and led to glucan under-estimation in residual biomass during mass balance closure. Irrespective of feedstock type, within 18 h Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 180 and Pachysolen tannophilus MTCC 1077 produced ~ 5% (v/v) ethanol from 1.5L glucose-rich filtrates, with a ~ 18-fold enhancement in biomass accumulation. However, when Bacillus coagulans NCIM 5648 was assessed for high-temperature 2G lactic acid production, the obtained titer from bagacillo-derived hydrolysate (33.6 ± 1.23 g L−1) was lower than SCB (43.38 ± 1.89 g L−1). The present study demonstrated that bagacillo is an equally amenable bioresource as ~ 506 g fermentable sugar was extracted from 1-kg raw biomass and its glucose-rich fraction showed feasibility for microbial transformation to bio-based platform chemicals.Item Open Access Comparative highly efficient production of β-glucan by Lasiodiplodia theobromae CCT 3966 and its multiscale characterization(MDPI, 2021-06-07) Ascencio, Jesús J.; Philippini, Rafael R.; Gomes, Fabricio M.; Pereira, Félix M.; Silva, Silvio S. da; Kumar, Vinod; Chandel, Anuj K.Lasiodiplodan, a (1→6)-β-d-glucan, is an exopolysaccharide with high commercial value and many applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Current industrial production of β-glucans from crops is mostly by chemical routes generating hazardous and toxic waste. Therefore, alternative sustainable and eco-friendly pathways are highly desirable. Here, we have studied the lasiodiplodan production from sugarcane bagasse (SCB), a major lignocellulosic agricultural residue, by Lasiodiplodia theobromae CCT 3966. Lasiodiplodan accumulated on SCB hydrolysate (carbon source) supplemented with soybean bran or rice bran (nitrogen source) was 16.2 [6.8 × 103 Da] and 22.0 [7.6 × 103 Da] g/L, respectively. Lasiodiplodan showed high purity, low solubility, pseudoplastic behavior and was composed of glucose units. Moreover, the exopolysaccharides were substantially amorphous with moderate thermal stability and similar degradation temperatures. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the highest production of SCB-based lasiodiplodan to date. L. theobromae, as a microbial cell factory, demonstrated the commercial potential for the sustainable production of lasiodiplodan from renewable biomass feedstock.