For the first time, we report in situ exfoliated titanate nanosheet-supported silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) toward environmental sustainability through rapid catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol (4-NP), organic dyes for decoloration, as well as by inhibiting the growth of microbes. The ternary nanocomposite hydrogel has been synthesized through stabilization of an anionically charged titanate sheet by threedimensional amino-functionalized chemically cross-linked amylopectin for proper growth and stabilization of AgNPs. Here, titanate nanosheets act as an excellent solid support for proper fabrication of AgNPs that could restrict its agglomeration and rapid leaching of AgNPs from the ternary nanocomposite hydrogel. The structural confirmation as well as the stability of titanate nanosheets along with AgNPs have been studied using various characterization techniques. The preparaed nanocomposite hydrogel demonstrates excellent catalytic efficacy and recycling ability toward rapid reduction of toxic 4-NP and decoloration of organic dyes. Notably, the complete reduction of 4-NP could be accomplished within 16 s using 5 mg of as synthesized cl-AP/exf.LT-AgNPs in the presence of excess NaBH 4 . The excellent catalytic efficiency of the ternary nanocomposite hydrogel arises from the synergistic effects of cross-linked amylopectin stabilized titanate nanosheets and in situ fabrication of AgNPs. Moreover, the strong bactericidal activity (3.2 mg/mL for 10 7 cells/mL of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis) of the ternary nanocomposite hydrogel would overcome the limitations for removal of water-soluble organic pollutants and microbial contaminants owing to future perspective on environmental sustainability.
The current scenario in renewable energy is focused on development of alternate and sustainable energy sources, amongst which microalgae stands as one of the promising feedstock for biofuel production. It is well known that microalgae generate much larger amounts of biofuels in a shorter time than other sources based on plant seeds. However, the greatest challenge in a transition to algae-based biofuel production is the various other complications involved in microalgal cultivation, its harvesting, concentration, drying and lipid extraction. Several green microalgae accumulate lipids, especially triacylglycerols (TAGs), which are main precursors in the production of lipid. The various aspects on metabolic pathway analysis of an oleaginous microalgae i.e., Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have elucidated some novel metabolically important genes and this enhances the lipid production in this microalgae. Adding to it, various other aspects in metabolic engineering using OptFlux and effectual bioprocess design also gives an interactive snapshot of enhancing lipid production which ultimately improvises the oil yield. This article reviews the current status of microalgal based technologies for biofuel production, bioreactor process design, flux analysis and it also provides various strategies to increase lipids accumulation via metabolic engineering.
Exploring the efficiency of algae to produce remarkable products can be directly benefitted by studying its mechanism at systems level. Recent advents in biotechnology like flux balance analysis (FBA), genomics and in silico proteomics minimize the wet lab exertion. It is understood that FBA predicts the metabolic products, metabolic pathways and alternative pathway to maximize the desired product, and these are key components for microalgae bio-engineering. This review encompasses recent transgenesis techniques and metabolic engineering strategies applied to different microalgae for improving different traits. Further it also throws light on RNAi and riboswitch engineering based methods which may be advantageous for high throughput microalgal research. A valid and optimally designed microalga can be developed where every engineering strategies meet each other successfully and will definitely fulfill the market needs. It is also to be noted that Omics (viz. genetic and metabolic manipulation with bioinformatics) should be integrated to develop a strain which could prove to be a futuristic solution for sustainable development for energy.
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