Environmental Science Archives

 Urbanization and industrialization mainly contribute to the rise in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere, which has become a challengingly important issue to the stability of the global climate. This paper is an analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) solutions as the solvent of a Direct Air Capture (DAC) machine. In order to do this, a specially designed direct air capture device was built to mimic an air filtration device to feed the ambient air into the solvent chamber.  The turbidity measurements were used to quantify the CO2 absorption, with higher turbidity corresponding to a more significant carbonate precipitation, and thus, it could be used as a proxy to capture efficiency. The potential of Calcium and Sodium hydroxide as a potential solvent to capture and store ambient carbon dioxide in efficient way is investigated in the study, thus helping to contribute to reducing atmospheric CO2 lev...

 Guava is a delicious fruit loaded with essential nutrients; in addition, its leaves are equally beneficial. It contains various nutritional and bioactive compounds that offer a range of health benefits and can be used as a complement to medicines. The experiments were carried out and replicated thrice to evaluate the concentration of bioactive compounds in the dried leaves. Guava leaves were dried in shade under ambient conditions as well as using tray (50°C, 60°C and 70°C) and microwave drying (360 W, 540 W and 720 W).  To explain the drying process, nineteen available models were evaluated for the best fit. The drying data were best explained by the Page model and Verma model in shade drying; Midilli and Kuck model, as well as the Jena and Das model at 700C tray drying; Midilli and Kuck and Logarithmic model for 360 W microwave drying of Purple guava and Shweta guava, respectively. In both guava varieties, L*, a*, b* values were higher in fresh leaves in comparison to shade...

  Dead branching coral samples were collected in Nha Trang Bay to isolate benthic dinoflagellates. The identification and taxonomic observation of benthic dinoflagellates were based on cell size, shape, surface morphology, and thecal plate structure using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A total of 27 benthic dinoflagellate species belonging to 5 orders were identified from dead corals. The cell density of dinoflagellates varied spatially. During the dry season, the highest density reached 17.8 cells/cm², while in the rainy season, the highest density was 15.7 cells/cm². Five species of Gambierdiscus australes, G. carpenteri, G. caribaeus, G. polynesiensis, G. belizeanus, which are known to cause Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP), were also detected, although their cell densities were low, reaching 2.8 cells/cm² in the dry season and 0.5 cells/cm² in the rainy season.

  Aluminum (Al3+) toxicity is a significant limitation to chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) productivity in acidic soils by impairing root growth and increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Class III peroxidases are major antioxidant enzymes important for ROS scavenging; however, the structural and functional role of peroxidases in chickpea under Al³⁺ stress remains unclear. This study conducted comprehensive bioinformatics and molecular docking of the chickpea peroxidase 43 isoform X2 gene. BLASTn and BLASTx analyses confirmed that the gene encodes a peroxidase-like protein. Further comparative analysis of peroxidase 43 from nine legumes revealed a high degree of sequence conservation, especially with Medicago truncatula, Pisum sativum, and Vigna radiata. Multiple sequence alignment with phylogenetic analysis highlighted conserved motifs for the catalytic mechanism and evolutionary divergence, with Cajanus cajan having the lowest conservation. The analysis of conserved domains confi...

  Fluoride is very abundant in the Earth’s crust. Its usefulness ranges from several industries, agriculture to human health. The significance and use of fluoride in plants and human bodies vary and lack established conviction. However, with concentrations higher than the permissible limit, it poses a threat to soil quality, plants, microbes, and human health. This non-metal can often originate from various sources, posing a grave danger to different ecosystems and the health of organisms. Fluorosis caused by excessive fluoride is endemic in several nations, including India. To mitigate fluoride toxicity effects, conventional methods and now more sustainable biological defluoridation methods are gaining popularity. For decontamination, plants or/microorganisms are employed to remove pollutants such as fluoride. In this review, we analyzed the microbial remediation strategies to evaluate the potential of microbes towards improving soil health and environmental sustainability. READ M...