Ongoing Research

The consumption of energy and freshwater has been extensively increasing to fulfill the demand for global urbanization and modernization. This is leading to the generation of huge amounts of wastewater and the deterioration of fossil fuels. We tried to develop an innovative low-cost earthen membrane-based lab-scale bio-electrochemical system to overcome these challenges. This system has a dual chamber design with two chambers one chamber aerobic and another anaerobic. Electrodes placed in both chambers were connected using a connecting wire. This arrangement has led to the generation of bioelectricity during the oxidation of organic matter from domestic and textile wastewater. This 4-litres setup has proven to remove ~80-90% of chemical oxygen demand removal and 100% removal of colors from dye wastewater in 24 hours. The system shows promising potential for treating both industrial and domestic wastewater. By incorporating automation and digitization, this system could be scaled for real-world applications.

Heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics constitute a critical suite of emerging contaminants that exert profound ecological and human health risks due to their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and complex physicochemical behavior. Accurate detection and quantification across environmental matrices—including aquatic, sedimentary, and biological systems—are pivotal for elucidating their spatial distribution and ecological burden. Recent advancements underscore the significance of contaminant interactions, notably the sorption affinity of microplastics for heavy metals and pesticide residues, which modulates their environmental fate, enhances their mobility, and amplifies their bioavailability and toxicity. These vector-mediated processes contribute to the formation of complex, multi-pollutant assemblages with synergistic or additive toxicological effects. Comprehensive elucidation of fate and transport mechanisms—mediated by parameters such as particle morphology, surface functionalization, environmental gradients, and biotic interactions—is imperative for accurately deciphering the contaminant persistence and flux across compartments. Furthermore, the development of integrated remediation strategies, encompassing physicochemical removal, advanced oxidation processes, and microbial bioremediation, remains critical for mitigating the environmental and health impacts of these pollutants. An interdisciplinary approach integrating advanced analytical techniques, mechanistic interaction studies, and remediation frameworks is essential for strengthening risk assessment protocols and informing evidence-based strategies for the sustainable management of emerging environmental contaminants.  

Our research focuses on the sustainable microbial production of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) using probiotic Lactobacillus strains via agro-residues valorization. We screened multiple probiotic strains for their GABA production potential in synthetic MRS medium and observed enhanced GABA yields by adding monosodium glutamate (MSG). Agro-residues such as molasses, orange pulp waste, and soy-based substrates were successfully utilized as low-cost carbon sources, supporting agro-waste valorization-based bioprocess development. Further, process optimization using Box–Behnken design (BBD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) showed significant improvement in GABA production with agro-residues-based modified medium, which is comparable to synthetic medium-based GABA yield. We are further working on devising GABA purification and upscaling strategies. This work aims to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), by promoting the valorization of agricultural waste and SDG 3(Good Health and Well-being) by contributing to functional food and nutraceutical research. Our approach has the potential to integrate microbial biotechnology with sustainability, offering a sustainable and economically viable platform for industrial GABA production with positive environmental and societal impacts.   

Diabetes is prevailing in pandemic proportions, as nearly half a billion population is affected by diabetes worldwide. The expenditure on diabetes healthcare is estimated to grow to $845 billion by 2045. However, identifying an efficient drug for completely curing diabetes and its complications is still unattainable. Given these challenges, we have discussed the range of storage molecules and pigments derived from microalgae, macroalgae, and cyanobacteria and explored their promising potential as antidiabetic drugs. Further, in silico studies have also been investigated for elucidating plausible molecular mechanisms of the most promising algal compounds. It is noteworthy that the chemical synthesis of bulky compounds is a cumbersome and less efficient process, whereas naturally occurring bulky compounds have complex stereospecific ornamentation of chemical groups executed by the number of stereospecific enzymes. On the other hand, growing algae in controlled conditions is an easy method to get various algal metabolites with a diverse array of chemical structures exhibiting pleiotropic antidiabetic activities. It highlights the promising potential of algal metabolites to treat diabetes by targeting a variety of molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes.   

Repetitious manufacturing, usage and irresponsible disposal trigger the breakdown of primary and secondary plastics, ending up in aquatic, terrestrial, and pristine locations like arctic tundra due to their diaphanous property. Owing to their origin, size, interaction with other contaminants, and chemical behavior they can be very idiosyncratic; they not only accumulate in the ecosystem, imparting chemical alterations but also are being consumed by the aquatic and terrestrial animals leading to hazardous consequences. Washing machine wastewater significantly contribute to the global microplastic load. For the past few years, microplastics (MP) and microfibers (MF) have been contaminants of grave concern pertaining to their deleterious nature against human, marine, and ecosystem health and grabbed the attention of environmental researchers. The work sums up the their types and characterization strategies, along with the biological removal strategies of these plastics and fibers highlighting the enzymatic pathways regulating their eradication. Additionally, there are several research gaps in the biological remediation of these particles, which can be explored further to develop distinct, lucrative and ecologically reliable technologies for combating this mammoth (ironically) environmental adulterants.  

Modern life is meticulously linked with the existence of fossil fuels, which consistently suffices the energy requirements of an ever-increasing world population. The exploitation of these finite resources contributes exhaustively to elevated global warming as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels derived from renewable energy sources could be a sustainable alternative to overcome this challenge, especially when emanated from microorganisms. Microalgae have cemented their place in the long run of various competitors to produce biofuels, due to their multifarious advantages. Understanding the need for microalgal biofuels, our lab is focused on enhancing lipid productivity, complemented with the enhanced biomass content in the microalgal strain, Scenedesmus sp. The group has ventured onto the application of various strategies (short-term and long-term) to assess the impact of multifarious stress components onto the biochemical composition of the microalgae in order to attain the sustainable accumulation of biofuel precursors.