IIT Bombay researchers have fabricated a carbon-based nanostructure that is capable of simultaneously adsorbing with very high efficiency four heavy metals — arsenic, chromium, cadmium and mercury — from wastewater. The nanostructure can be recycled and reused multiple times. Simultaneously removing heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, cadmium and mercury from waste water with very … Continue reading IIT Bombay team removes heavy metals from water with greater efficiency
Pollution
IIT Jodhpur fabricates a highly sensitive device for lead detection
Researchers at IIT Jodhpur have fabricated a portable sensor for detecting lead in water. It can detect lead even when present at extremely low concentration of 0.018 ppb, much lower than the WHO limit of 5 ppb for drinking water. A highly sensitive, portable device that can detect the presence of lead in water even … Continue reading IIT Jodhpur fabricates a highly sensitive device for lead detection
IISER Pune synthesises a photocatalyst to degrade organic pollutants
IISER Pune researchers have converted the highly unstable perovskite into a ultra-stable photocatalyst that can decompose toxic organic pollutants commonly present in water. The photocatalyst was synthesised by encapsulating nanocrystals of organic-inorganic perovskite inside a metal-organic framework (MOF). Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune have successfully converted the highly … Continue reading IISER Pune synthesises a photocatalyst to degrade organic pollutants
IIT Madras finds an eco-friendly way to degrade plastics
IIT Madras researchers have demonstrated an eco-friendly way to degrade a few types of plastics. All that is required to degrade the plastics into molecules is continuous stirring of the plastic in water containing glucose and metal ions for about 15 days at 70 degree C. Three years ago researchers from the Indian Institute of … Continue reading IIT Madras finds an eco-friendly way to degrade plastics
CLRI’s biocatalyst cuts effluent discharge during leather processing
A novel biocatalyst developed by researchers at CLRI, Chennai speeds up the leather processing time at the pre-tanning stage, cuts chromium usage, and achieves three-fold reduction in water usage thus reducing waste discharge. A novel amylase-based biocatalyst developed by researchers at the Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI), Chennai helps in the processing leather in an … Continue reading CLRI’s biocatalyst cuts effluent discharge during leather processing
Toxic mercury in fish increases with ocean warming, overfishing
Based on data and modelling, researchers from Harvard University have found that the amount of toxic mercury (methylmercury) in fish higher in the food chain can change due to two reasons — ocean warming and dietary shifts due to overfishing by humans. Despite a decrease in seawater concentration of methylmercury since the late 1990s, the … Continue reading Toxic mercury in fish increases with ocean warming, overfishing
IISER Mohali finds zebrafish use landmarks for navigation
IISER Mohali researchers have found that zebrafish did overcome the challenges posed by reduced visibility in turbid waters after a month of acclimatisation. They show zebrafish use visual cues to navigate to foraging sites especially when turbidity is high and visibility is low. Turbid to extremely turbid water conditions are quite common in areas where … Continue reading IISER Mohali finds zebrafish use landmarks for navigation
Cutting down tailpipe emissions with e-vehicles
At nearly 55%, electricity generation in India is primarily through coal. So like in the case of the U.S and China, net reduction in carbon emission will not be much even when if there is large-scale adoption of electric vehicles in India. Still, cities and towns using electric vehicles in large numbers will see a reduction … Continue reading Cutting down tailpipe emissions with e-vehicles
IIT Bombay’s bacteria preferentially degrade aromatic compounds
IIT Bombay researchers have used a unique strain of bacterium isolated from soil contaminated with petroleum products to selectively remove toxic aromatic pollutants from the environment. The bacteria devour aromatic compounds and organic acid even when glucose is available. The peculiar order of food preference comes from the suppression of glucose utilisation at a molecular … Continue reading IIT Bombay’s bacteria preferentially degrade aromatic compounds
IIT Guwahati’s chitosan-based gel selectively removes oil or water
Researchers at IIT Guwahati have chemically modified the chitosan to make it selectively remove either oil or water phase from an oil-water mixture. In a first, they made it possible to switch liquid repellence of the material from extremely water-repelling to extremely oil-repelling and vice versa. A natural biopolymer, chitosan (a kind of polysaccharide obtained from … Continue reading IIT Guwahati’s chitosan-based gel selectively removes oil or water
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