The present study focused on the evaluation of a nonspecific synergistic effect of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in combination with biosurfactants against environmental bacteria and fungi. The AgNPs were synthesized in the culture supernatants of the biosurfactant producer Bacillus subtilis grown in brewery effluent, molasses or Luria-Bertani media. Antibacterial activities were tested...

Hardwood KP bleaching effluents, before (influent) and after (effluent) biological treatment, were characterized and compared to identify the main bio-recalcitrant organic compounds in the effluent. The results indicate that biological treatment reduces CODcr and BOD5 by 67% and 88%, respectively. However, various bio-recalcitrant organic compounds were still retained in the biologically-treate...

The majority of pulp and paper mills now biotreat their combined effluents using activated sludge. On the assumption that their wood-based effluents have negligible fixed N, and that activated-sludge microorganisms will not fix significant N, these mills routinely spend large amounts adding ammonia or urea to their aeration tanks (bioreactors) to permit normal biomass growth. N(2) fixation in s...

Pulp and paper industrial effluent is rich in recalcitrant compounds and causes pollution. For the treatment of such compounds activated sludge process is frequently used in which F/M ratio is kept low. This treatment results in effective biochemical oxygen demand removal but other waste water parameters are not reduced effectively due to lack of dissolve oxygen. In the present study sequential...

The growing concern over the pollution caused by the rapid industrialization has posed a serious problem forcing researchers around the world to seek alternative eco-friendly technologies. The situation has been met with suitable regulatory steps in the developed western countries where public awareness coupled with stringent government regulations have stimulated the paper and pulp industry to...

Distilleries produce vast amounts of contaminated effluents which if disposed to the water bodies will pose environmental problems hence need to treat this effluent. A membrane bioreactor with Pseudomonas fluorescens as a decolorizing micro-organism was employed for treatment of distillery effluent over 10 days. The effluent pH changed from being acidic (4.2-5.0) to neutral (7.3-8.0). The efflu...

Actinomycetes are known to produce an extensive range of bioactive compounds as well as variety of enzymes having multiple biotechnological applications. They are an important source of lignocellulose hydrolyzing enzymes and constitute considerable proportion of the soil or aquatic micro-flora responsible for degradation of biomass in natural environment. Presently, most of the commercially exp...