Arghya Bhattacharya
@viatris.com
Assistant Manager, Global medical services
Viatris
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
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Scopus Publications
Farah Naaz, Sumita Dhali, Saptarshi Dey, Arghya Bhattacharya, Poonam Choudhary, K. Pant and Anushree Malik
Saurabh Samuchiwal, Megha Mathur, Arghya Bhattacharya, Shweta Kalia, Rahul Vasantrao Khandare, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Farah Naaz, Saurabh Samuchiwal, Vivek Dalvi, Arghya Bhattacharya, Kamal Kishore Pant, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Pushpendar Kumar, Arghya Bhattacharya, Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, Anushree Malik, and Virendra Kumar Vijay
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
The present work is first of its kind to attempt on year-round biogas production utilizing microalgal biomass from lake water. The analyses showed that the lake water contain ample nutrients (TAN: 3.6–16; TDP: 4.88–20.38 and NO 3 -N: 0.3–19.63 mg L −1 ) to support microalgal growth, with an average biomass concentration of ≈ 2.0 g L −1 , throughout the year. Significant correlation ( p < 0.05) was observed between microalgal biomass and nutrient concentration in the lake water. Further, co-digestion studies in the pilot-scale plant (0.5 m 3 ) showed good performance with a volumetric and specific biogas yield in the range of 0.45 to 0.65 m 3 day −1 and 0.72 to 1.04 m 3 kg −1 VS fed day −1 respectively, during the summer. However, during winters, the volumetric and specific biogas yield were found to be in the range of 0.06 and 0.21 m 3 day −1 and 0.096–0.336 m 3 kg −1 VS fed day −1 , respectively, with an average 55–65% CH 4 . Detailed analyses of digestate indicated long-term stability of the pilot-scale process. This study established the feasibility of utilizing waste algal biomass from eutrophic lake water for year-round biogas production. Graphical abstract
Farah Naaz, Arghya Bhattacharya, Megha Mathur, Farhat Bano, Kamal K. Pant, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Shweta Kalia, Arghya Bhattacharya, Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Desizing process in textile industry produces large volume of starch effluent. This carbon-rich waste can be used for resource recovery, such as the production of industrially useful enzymes. The present work assesses the usability of starch effluent from textile industry as an additional carbon source for enhanced production of α-amylase during solid-state fermentation (SSF) of agro-wastes by Trichoderma reesei. A significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in α-amylase activity (25.48 ± 1.12 U mL-1) was observed with supplementation of starch effluent in SSF. Partial purification of α-amylase by 80% ammonium sulphate precipitation produced a yield of 58.39% enzyme with purification fold of 1.89. The enzyme was thermally stable at 40 °C with 90% residual activity after 5 h and 70% residual activity at 50 °C after 3 h. Using Michaelis-Menten kinetics analysis, the estimated Km and Vmax values for the partially purified α-amylase were found to be 2.55 mg mL-1 and 53.47 U mg-1, respectively. For the rapid assessment of the industrial application, desizing of the fabric was attempted. The cotton fabric was efficiently desized using α-amylase (at a concentration of 1% on the weight of fabric basis) at 80 °C. The present work demonstrates starch effluent from desizing process as a resource for the production of amylase. The amylase can further be used in the desizing process. With in-depth research, the work may lead to the development of a closed-loop, waste-recycling process for the textile industry.
Maimona Saeed, Noshin Ilyas, Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Sheeraz, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Arghya Bhattacharya
Elsevier BV
Saurabh Samuchiwal, Arghya Bhattacharya, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Abstract An on-site anaerobic biological reactor integrated with activated carbon filter (ACF) and ultra-filtration (UF) unit termed as AN-ACF-UF process was used for the decolourization of textile effluent at the industrial premises. The anaerobic reactor containing a microbial consortium enriched from the industrial effluent using a patented method was fed with a mixed inlet consisting of dye and pre-treatment range (PTR) effluents in a ratio of 70:30 (v/v). The PTR effluent consists of effluent generated from desizing, bleaching, scouring, and mercerization process. The anaerobic unit was run in a continuous mode for 32 d with a hydraulic retention time of 2 d. The treated effluent from the anaerobic unit was fed into the ACF unit at 0.7 ml/min. Finally, the outlet from the ACF unit was fed into the UF unit. Daily variations were observed in the inlet effluent with chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour (hazen value) in the range of 1950–2450 mg/L, and 2500–3100 hazen, respectively. The AN-ACF-UF process was effective in decolourizing 91 ± 3 % of the colour in textile effluent mixture. Germination test with the treated effluent on Vigna radiata did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05) between control (92 ± 1 % germination) and treated effluent group (83 ± 1 % germination). The recovered salt contained high concentration of sodium salt (349.70 mg/g of salt). Integration of this process with the existing industrial ETP (Effluent treatment plant) would enable the industry to partially recover the cost of dyeing and achieve a zero liquid discharge system.
Farah Naaz, Arghya Bhattacharya, Kamal Kishore Pant, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Abstract Disposal of metal contaminated biomass after bioremediation poses challenges due to non-availability of suitable techniques. In the present study, an attached algal biofilm reactor (ABR) of 3 L capacity was used for remediating six heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd) from a metal mix and subsequently the biomass after bioremediation was hydrothermally liquefied to see the fate of the heavy metals. The algal biofilm was a consortium of Phormidium and Chlorella which was able to remove between 50–90 % of the heavy metals after 6 d. The metal removal trend followed the order Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd. Hydrothermal liquefaction of the metal contaminated biomass was done at 230 °C of temperature, 27 bar of pressure, water to biomass ratio of 4, K2CO3 as catalyst and holding time of 20 min under N2 environment in a high temperature pressure reactor. The biocrude obtained in presence of metals had a HHV of 20 MJ kg−1 compared with 19.32 MJ kg−1 in control (without metal). The heavy metal analysis of the solid and aqueous fraction showed that >70 % of the metals had partitioned into the solid fraction whereas
Arghya Bhattacharya, Deepak Gola, Priyadarshini Dey, and Anushree Malik
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
In the present study, Aspergillus fumigatus (Genbank accession no. KX365202), was used for heavy metal removal in a hexa-metal system containing mixture of six heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn). The total concentration of the heavy metals was kept at 30 mg L −1 . The experimental sets were designed based on the relative abundance of the heavy metals present in the wastewater of Delhi-NCR region. Toxicity of the heavy metals to the fungus varied with different metal combinations. Combination of Pb and Cr proved to be most toxic followed by that of Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni. Biomass production of 2.90 g L −1 was found in control whereas the combination Pb and Cr produced the lowest biomass (1.59 g L −1 ). In the presence of six metals, heavy metal removal pattern was Ni = Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn > Cr. SEM studies showed broken fungal hyphae in presence of hexa-metal stress. TEM–EDX studies showed that among the six heavy metals, Cu, Pb and Cd were adsorbed on the cell surface whereas Ni, Cr and Zn were accumulated inside as well outside of the cell. This system could be useful in treating water with multiple heavy metal contaminants. Combination of six heavy metals used to test toxicity effect on fungus Metal removal pattern in presence of six metal followed order Ni = Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn > Cr Combination of Pb and Cr produced lowest biomass proving toxic to the fungus Hexa metal stress caused broken hyphae in fungus Heavy metals partitioned by either adsorbing on the surface or going intracellular Present study approximates natural conditions containing mixtures of heavy metals
Saptarshi Dey, Arghya Bhattacharya, Pushpendar Kumar, and Anushree Malik
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
A novel microbubble assisted photobioreactor has been reported for high-rate online CO2capture and co-optimized for application in enhanced microalgal growth, CO2bio-fixation and increased production of microalgal lipids for 4thgeneration biofuels.
Poonam Choudhary, Paula Peixoto Assemany, Farah Naaz, Arghya Bhattacharya, Jackeline de Siqueira Castro, Eduardo de Aguiar do Couto Couto, Maria Lúcia Calijuri, Kamal Kishore Pant, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Microalgae are recognized as a potential source of biomass for obtaining bioenergy. However, the lack of studies towards economic viability and environmental sustainability of the entire production chain limits its large-scale application. The use of wastewaters economizes natural resources used for algal biomass cultivation. However, desirable biomass characteristics for a good fuel may be impaired when wastewaters are used, namely low lipid content and high ash and protein contents. Thus, the choice of wastewaters with more favorable characteristics may be one way of obtaining a more balanced macromolecular composition of the algal biomass and therefore, a more suitable feedstock for the desired energetic route. The exploration of biorefinery concept and the use of wastewaters as culture medium are considered as the main strategic tools in the search of this viability. Considering the economics of overall process, direct utilization of wet biomass using hydrothermal liquefaction or hydrothermal carbonization and anaerobic digestion is recommended. Among the explored routes, anaerobic digestion is the most studied process. However, some main challenges remain as little explored, such as a low energy pretreatment and suitable and large-scale reactors for algal biomass digestion. On the other hand, thermochemical conversion routes offer better valorization of the algal biomass but have higher costs. A biorefinery combining anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal carbonization and hydrothermal liquefaction processes would provide the maximum possible output from the biomass depending on its characteristics. Therefore, the choice must be made in an integrated way, aiming at optimizing the quality of the final product to be obtained. Life cycle assessment studies are critical for scaling up of any algal biomass valorization technique for sustainability. Although there are limitations, suitable integrations of these processes would enable to make an economically feasible process which require further study.
Deepak Gola, Arghya Bhattacharya, Priyadarshini Dey, Anushree Malik, and Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad
Blacksmith Institute
Background. Industries such as electroplating, mining and battery production are major sources of heavy metal-rich waste entering nearby water bodies. Irrigation with heavy metal contaminated water can deteriorate soil quality as well as agricultural produce and have further toxic effects on human health. Objectives. The objective of the present study was to estimate the concentration of hazardous heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb), as well as physico-chemical variables (pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen) at sampling locations along the Najafgarh and Loha mandi drains in Delhi, National Capital Region, India. Methods. The present study evaluated the quality of wastewater from the Najafgarh and Loha mandi drains, which are used for irrigational purposes in the Delhi region. Drain water quality was monitored for a period of 2 years for physico-chemical variables (pH, chemical oxygen demand, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen) as well as heavy metal concentrations (Cr, Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb). The two-year monitoring period (July 2012–March 2014) was chosen to represent three seasons: pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon. Results. Varied concentrations of multiple heavy metals were found due to the extensive discharge of untreated industrial effluents into the drain water. Punjabi Bagh of Najafgarh drain was the most contaminated sampling site with the maximum concentration of Zn (12.040 ± 0.361 mg L−1), followed by Cr (2.436 ± 0.073mg L−1) and Cu (2.617 ± 0.078 mg L−1). Conclusions. Consumption of heavy metal-contaminated agricultural products can cause deleterious human health effects, leading to further health problems. The presence of multi-heavy metal ions above the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) permissible limits indicated that drain water was not suitable for irrigational purposes, and adequate measures are required to remove the heavy metal load from drain water. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Farah Naaz, Arghya Bhattacharya, Kamal K. Pant, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Abstract Real-time studies highlighting the actual bottlenecks of microalgae-based biofuels are needed to overcome the limitations of assumption-based approach. In the present study, an algal consortium consisting of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Phormidium, was cultivated in municipal wastewater under outdoor conditions in a pilot scale (100 L) attached biofilm reactor during January-February 2018. No energy was used to maintain the cultivation conditions (temperature, light intensity/duration). After 6 days of hydraulic retention time, the consortium showed 53–87% reduction in the nutrients’ concentrations of the selected wastewater. Consistent biomass productivity of 3.48 ± 0.44 g m−2 d−1 was observed, and its biochemical composition showed that it was rich in lipids (35.20 ± 0.63% of total solids). The wastewater grown algal biomass was subjected to anaerobic digestion at 37 °C for 30 days and hydrothermal liquefaction at 27 bars and 230 °C for 20 min to produce biomethane or biocrude, respectively. On performing the biomethane potential assay, a cumulative biomethane production of 346.59 ± 5 mL g−1 VS was observed. The theoretical methane production and stoichiometric methane potential calculated for the biomass was 504 mL g−1 VS and 591 mL g−1 VS, respectively, showing a digestibility of 58.5%. Hydrothermal liquefaction of the wastewater grown biomass gave biocrude yield of 43 ± 2% (dried biomass basis) rich in aldehydes/ketones/fatty acids. Net energy ratios for the two processes were compared. Net energy ratio for algal cultivation integrated with anaerobic digestion was found to be 0.007 and for that with hydrothermal liquefaction was found to be 0.08, proving it to be a more energy efficient process.
Deepak Gola, Arghya Bhattacharya, Anushree Malik, and Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad
Elsevier BV
Arghya Bhattacharya, Megha Mathur, Pushpendar Kumar, and Anushree Malik
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
BackgroundAlgal harvesting is a major cost which increases biofuel production cost. Algal biofuels are widely studied as third-generation biofuel. However, they are yet not viable because of its high production cost which is majorly contributed by energy-intensive biomass harvesting techniques. Biological harvesting method like fungal-assisted harvesting of microalgae is highly efficient but poses a challenge due to its slow kinetics and poorly understood mechanism.ResultsIn this study, we investigate Aspergillus fumigatus–Chlorella pyrenoidosa attachment resulting in a harvesting efficiency of 90% within 4 h. To pinpoint the role of extracellular metabolite, several experiments were performed by eliminating the C. pyrenoidosa or A. fumigatus spent medium from the C. pyrenoidosa–A. fumigatus mixture. In the absence of A. fumigatus spent medium, the harvesting efficiency dropped to 20% compared to > 90% in the control, which was regained after addition of A. fumigatus spent medium. Different treatments of A. fumigatus spent medium showed drop in harvesting efficiency after periodate treatment (≤ 20%) and methanol–chloroform extraction (≤ 20%), indicating the role of sugar-like moiety. HR-LC–MS (high-resolution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) results confirmed the presence of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc) and glucose in the spent medium. When GlcNAc was used as a replacement of A. fumigatus spent medium for harvesting studies, the harvesting process was significantly faster (p < 0.05) till 4 h compared to that with glucose. Further experiments indicated that metabolically active A. fumigatus produced GlcNAc from glucose. Concanavalin A staining and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) analysis of A. fumigatus spent medium- as well as GlcNAc-incubated C. pyrenoidosa cells suggested the presence of GlcNAc on its cell surface indicated by dark red dots and GlcNAc-specific peaks, while no such characteristic dots or peaks were observed in normal C. pyrenoidosa cells. HR-TEM (High-resolution Transmission electron microscopy) showed the formation of serrated edges on the C. pyrenoidosa cell surface after treatment with A. fumigatus spent medium or GlcNAc, while Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed an increase in roughness of the C. pyrenoidosa cells surface upon incubation with A. fumigatus spent medium.ConclusionsResults strongly suggest that GlcNAc present in A. fumigatus spent medium induces surface changes in C. pyrenoidosa cells that mediate the attachment to A. fumigatus hyphae. Thus, this study provides a better understanding of the A. fumigatus-assisted C. pyrenoidosa harvesting process.
Arghya Bhattacharya, Anushree Malik, and Hitendra K. Malik
Elsevier BV
Fungal assisted algal harvesting is an attractive option for separating algae from bulk media. Although numerous studies have been reported in the recent time, no workable mathematical model has been developed for the same. In the present study, a mathematical model has been developed for fungal-assisted algal harvesting which shows that the process is not a second order process unlike other flocculation models. The process is also dependent on the radius of the algal cells and fungal pellets. Moreover, the flocculation process is affected by the velocity gradient of the system. The model was validated using different experiments viz. different fungal-algal ratio, variation in rpm, different algal strains, algae grown in different wastewaters and finally in a 10L photobioreactor. The proposed model is found to be in agreement with the experimental results along with r2>0.90 in most of the cases.
Megha Mathur, Arghya Bhattacharya, and Anushree Malik
Springer International Publishing
Increasing population and severe energy crisis has confronted into an ill-shaped economy worldwide. The need of this hour is to research upon new alternative technology, which not only fulfils the energy requisites but also look after the cost-effectiveness and environmental safety. Biofuel production, from several organic substrates or biomass, is one such technology which has recently gained importance. Algae are simple micro-organisms which have been proved to be a highly potent feedstock for biofuel production at lab-scale conditions. However, the pilot scale and commercial scale utilization of this high value organism is not very feasible as highly stable suspensions of algae do not permit easy separation or its concentration/dewatering. These separation techniques are either successful only at low scale or require high energy inputs for large scale separation, which is very much uneconomical. This paper reviews several approaches of algal harvesting and its advancements for reducing the process cost as well as increasing the biomass yield.
Arghya Bhattacharya, Megha Mathur, Pushpendar Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier BV
Abstract A method for rapid flocculation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells with Aspergillus fumigatus pellets was developed. The process could flocculate 99% algal cells within 3 h. In order to identify the critical parameters, apart from the flocculation conditions (different fungal-algal ratios, flocculation temperature and agitation), the effect of cultivation time and various pretreatments (autoclaving, Cycloheximide exposure) for A. fumigatus was also investigated. Results revealed that 24 h old fungal pellets flocculated at 38 °C and 1:5 fungal-algal ratio showed the best flocculation efficiency. The cell viability assay showed that a viable and metabolically active fungal pellet is a prerequisite for flocculation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies confirmed that in addition to viability, an intact and undamaged hyphae is also required for algal attachment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data of the algal-fungal pellets compared to that of algae and fungi showed the involvement of specific groups in the interaction. Sharp decrease in peak intensity at 1024 cm− 1 for the algal-fungal pellets indicated the role of C-N groups in the flocculation process. The lipid content of the harvested algal fungal pellet was similar to the algal and fungal partners. Finally, this method was tested on wastewater grown algae, where 95% flocculation was achieved within 3.5 h. The algal-fungal pellets (1650 μm diameter) could be easily separated from the treated water. Hence, this process could serve as an alternative for concentrating microalgal cultures for biofuel production in a cost effective way. This report reveals critical parameters and new insights on algal-fungal flocculation apart from providing a rapid and feasible algal harvesting technique.
Deepak Gola, Priyadarshini Dey, Arghya Bhattacharya, Abhishek Mishra, Anushree Malik, Maneesh Namburath, and Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad
Elsevier BV
Towards the development of a potential remediation technology for multiple heavy metals [Zn(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI) and Ni(II)] from contaminated water, present study examined the growth kinetics and heavy metal removal ability of Beauveria bassiana in individual and multi metals. The specific growth rate of B. bassiana varied from 0.025h(-1) to 0.039h(-1) in presence of individual/multi heavy metals. FTIR analysis indicated the involvement of different surface functional groups in biosorption of different metals, while cellular changes in fungus was reflected by various microscopic (SEM, AFM and TEM) analysis. TEM studies proved removal of heavy metals via sorption and accumulation processes, whereas AFM studies revealed increase in cell surface roughness in fungal cells exposed to heavy metals. Present study delivers first report on the mechanism of bioremediation of heavy metals when present individually as well as multi metal mixture by entomopathogenic fungi.
Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, Arghya Bhattacharya, Pushpendar Kumar, Anushree Malik, and Virendra Kumar Vijay
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
A novel fungi mediated method for simultaneous bioflocculation and pretreatment of algae, to improve the methane yield, is revealed.
Arghya Bhattacharya, Priyadarshini Dey, Deepak Gola, Abhishek Mishra, Anushree Malik, and Neelam Patel
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
The present study assessed the quality of Yamuna River and the Najafgarh drain water for irrigational purposes in the Delhi region in terms of spatial variations in the physicochemical characteristics as well as heavy metal concentrations. The monitoring was done for the period July 2012–August 2013 representing pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon sessions and considering six physicochemical parameters. Heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, zinc, and lead have been found in the river due to rampant discharge of industrial effluents into the river. The mean metal concentrations in the 15 sampling sites were in the range of (mg L−1) 0.02–0.64 (Cu), 0–0.42 (Cr), 0.13–2.22(Zn), 0.03–0.27 (Pb), 0–0.07 (Cd), and 0.01–0.13 (Ni). Multivariate statistics (PCA and HCA) were used to identify the possible sources of metal contamination and to examine the spatial changes in the Yamuna River as well as in the Najafgarh drain. This study reveals the occurrence of mean Cd concentration above the safe limit at Palla, Christian Ashram and Jagatpur of the Yamuna river while Punjabi Bagh of the Najafgarh drain necessitate treatment in terms of heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn before it could be rendered useful for irrigation.
Poonam Choudhary, Arghya Bhattacharya, Sanjeev K. Prajapati, Prachi Kaushik, and Anushree Malik
Elsevier
Abstract This chapter discusses the potential of wastewater as a nutrient source for microalgae cultivation. Different cultivation systems can be utilized for the dual purposes of wastewater treatment and algal biomass production. Furthermore, biomass production enhancement through CO2 supplementation using waste CO2 streams is considered. Once the biomass is produced, it could be converted into biomethane through anaerobic digestion (AD). A closed-loop approach is an interesting way to reuse the algal digestate obtained from AD processes for microalgal cultivation. This minimizes the environmental impacts from the disposal of slurry and simultaneously offsets the nutrient requirements for microalgal cultivation. The technoeconomic feasibility can be understood using lifecycle assessment tools for exploiting the concept on a commercial scale.
Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati, Arghya Bhattacharya, Anushree Malik, and V.K. Vijay
Elsevier BV
Abstract In the present study, two fungal strains were tested for production of crude enzyme using sugarcane bagasse. The fungal crude enzymes were tested for algal biomass pretreatment. The visual observations along with the microscopic (phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy) analysis and automated cell counter imaging modes involving sytox green staining confirmed the efficient action of fungal crude enzyme on algal cells. Furthermore, upon quantitative analysis, it was observed that 20% dose (v/v) of Aspergillus lentulus crude enzyme (AL2) had a significant pretreatment effect on Chroococcus sp. biomass. AL2 resulted in nearly 100% cell death of Chroococcus sp. within 48 h incubation at 30 °C. Additionally, up to 44% and 46% of total sugar and COD of biomass, respectively, were also solubilised with the action of AL2. As the investigated method showed good capabilities in solubilising the algal biomass, it holds great application potential for algal biofuel production where algal biomass pretreatment is required. However, further attempts are needed to optimize the process parameters of investigated pre-treatment process in order to make it feasible and widely acceptable.