1. Main thrust of activities

Realising the tremendous potential of biotechnology to offer unique, efficient, ecofriendly and economically viable options for waste treatment in situ and degradation of hazardous toxic waste into relatively less harmful or harmless byproducts, the Department of Biotechnology has given a major thrust to programmes for ecorestoration of degraded ecosystems, mining spoil dumps, development of biosensors for detection of pollutants , treatment of industrial effluents, use of molecular markers for characterisation of biodiversity. The programme has been conceived and steered by distinguished scientists who chaired the task force on Environmental Biotechnology and Biodiversity Conservation over the last several years - Late Prof. T. N. Khoshoo, Prof. P. Khanna, Prof. Madhav Gadgil and Prof. Raghavendra Gadagkar comprising eminent scientists in the field. In addition to the distinguished members of the task force, inputs from a large number of scientists and experts from user industry are also obtained.

2. Achievements

During the period of review, 65 projects were sanctioned. 45 projects have been completed and 50 are ongoing. The major areas supported include industrial effluent treatment particularly dye industry, paper and pulp industry, distillery , tannery, electroplating, oil refineries etc., use of isozymes and molecular markers such as RAPD, RFLP for characterisation of biodiversity, ecorestoration of degraded lands and mine spoil dumps.

The Department has made concerted efforts to develop network programmes based on the need of users. Attempts are being made to convert research leads from ongoing and completed projects into technologies and demonstrate these at the site of user industries. Emphasis is being laid on involvement of user industry from the beginning so that the process can be validated on site resulting in smooth transfer of technology. Technologies standardised at lab scale are being upscaled and transferred to the industry for large scale exploitation. Efforts are made to identify priority areas and a no. of brain storming sessions were convened to formulate integrated R&D proposals in gap areas. Details of brain storming sessions held are given below:

• Degradation of pesticides held at ITRC Lucknow on May, 1999

• Biodegradation of Textile and Dye Industry wastewater treatment at Sardar Patel University, Anand on 19th July, 2001

• Conservation and Genetic Enhancement of Cryptogamic Plants for Pollution abatement on 28-29^th December, 2001 at NBRI, Lucknow

• Metabolic Engineering for Environmental amelioration on 8-9^th April, 2002 at Thapar Institute, Patiala

The major achievements during this period are:

 (a) Network programmes on pesticide degradation

Three network programmes on degradation of chloro and nitro pesticides in contaminated soils and stocks of banned pesticides involving 4 research institutions each have been supported. Programmes cover isolation and characterisation of microorganisms capable of degrading DDT and its residues, development of suitable probes for tracking the organisms used for remediation of contaminated sites and development of bench scale reactor for biological treatment of pesticide waste and date expired pesticides.

(b) Programmes for conservation and use of lower plants as indicators of pollution

Five projects on biosystematics and conservation studies of liverworts, genetic diversity of ferns, lichens and their use as indicators of pollution have been supported.

(c) Programmes on molecular biology for environmental amelioration

Six projects on characterisation and molecular analysis of polyaromatic hydrocarbon degrading pathways, genetic engineering for improved heavy metal tolerance, cloning and characterization of metal resistant genes have been supported.

(d) Industrial Effluent Treatment

3. Microbial Treatment of Cassava Starch Factory Waste Water

Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram has standardized technology for degradation of starch factory waste water. Three microbial isolates from cassava processing wastewaters which were found to reduce cyanide by 81-84%, 50-59% and 71-83% respectively during an incubation period of 24-96 hours were successfully immobilized on various supports. The wastewater from cassava starch factories when treated anaerobically generated biogas at various stages of hydraulic retention time (HRT). The gas produced was in a range of 26 litres and 17 litres during HRT from 20 days to 1 day when the feed volume of waste water was increased from 20% to 100% and the volume of fresh cowdung slurry was reduced from 40% to nil. The anaerobically treated waste water was further aerated for 16 hours and the resultant BOD, COD and cyanide levels were brought to acceptable levels.

* Paper and Pulp Mill Effluent Treatment

GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology has developed a pilot scale technology 100 Litres for treatment of paper and pulp mill effluent.

* Dye Industry Effluent Treatment

Rajasthan University, Jaipur has developed an efficient phytoremediation technology for degradation of reactive azodyes in waste water from textile dyeing industries. The technology has been demonstrated at the site of Shyam dyeing company in Sanganer. A common effluent treatment plant for treatment of waste from 3 units has been set up which has capacity to treat 35000 litre per day of textile wastewater.

Sardar Patel University, Anand has developed bench scale sequential anaerobic –aerobic treatment system consisting of anaerobic upflow film bioreactor and fluidized bed bioreactor for treatment of reactive dye industry effluent.

* Oilzapper Technology for Bioremediation of Crude Oil Spills & Treatment of Oily Sludge

Oilzapper technology developed by TERI, New Delhi for crude oil spill treatment and oily sludge degradation has been demonstrated at a no. of refineries viz., Barauni Refinery , Bihar, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Kandla Terminal , Gujarat, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.,Mumbai, Maharashtra, Digboi Refinery , Assam, Guwahati Refinery ,Assam, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Panipat ,Haryana and Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Kanpur , U.P and Rajkot Terminal, Gujarat, Mathura Refinery ,Mathura , Uttar Pradesh, Oil India Ltd., Duliajan , Assam, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd., Jorhat , Assam and Reliance Refinery, Jamnagar , Gujarat and more than 11,610 tonnes of sludge has been treated using oilzapper. The technology has been transferred to M/s Sriram Biotech Ltd., Hyderabad and M/s Bharat Petroleum Chemicals Ltd., Mumbai.

* Microbial Desulphurisation of Fossil Fuels and Biogas

NEERI, Nagpur, has developed a chemo biochemical process for desulphurisation of gaseous stream containing hydrogen sulphide and successfully demonstrated at pilot scale with a capacity of 100 Nm³/hr at Vam Organic Chemicals Ltd., Gajraula to assess the techno economic feasibility of the developed process for large scale application. The process has also been demonstrated at Mathura Refinery.

(e) Biosensor / Biosurfactant / Bioscrubber

* Biosensor for Detection of Pesticide Residues

Visva Bharti University, Shantiniketan has developed a biosensor for detection and estimation of organophosphates such as Metacid 50 and carbamate residues in the environment. The sensor is designed and constructed on the ability of these two pesticides to inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AchE), an essential enzyme responsible for normal neural transmission. The biosensor is simple, portable and capable of providing rapid data in the field for measurement of trace concentration of these pesticide residues. The biosensor is like a pH paper which changes colour according to the level of contamination. Greater intensity of the yellow colour denotes lower level of contamination while lesser and lesser intensity means higher level of contamination

* Detection of Pathogens in Drinking Water

NEERI, Nagpur has developed a user friendly colour based detection system for E.coli (upto 500 cells) in drinking water. Efforts are being made to increase the sensitivity of this test by reducing pathogen load and extending the test to Salmonella and Vibrio.

* Biosurfactants from Wastes

NEERI, Nagpur has isolated two biosurfactant-producing microorganisms from oil-contaminated soils and standardized the technology for cost-effective production of biosurfactants from low cost substrates such as distillery and whey waste without any additional source of carbon. It is an ecofriendly substitute for synthetic surfactants.

* Bioscrubber’ for Removal of Odours from Industrial Emissions

NEERI, Nagpur has isolated & characterised microbial cultures capable of degrading different odorants in industrial emissions and used for biotransformation of odorants into secondary products or to carbon dioxide and water. A pilot plant is being set up at M/s Jubilant Organosys Ltd. (JOL), Bhartiagram.

4. Details of patents filed / granted 

From the DBT supported projects, 12 patents have been filed, details are given below :

Four patents on process for preparation of biocatalyst for elimination of DDT residues from industrial effluent, soil and contaminated sites, enhanced degradation of DDT and microbial formulation for degradation of HCH by CFTRI, Mysore.

One Indian Patent on improved process for simultaneous production of biogas mainly containig methane and biofertilizer using high rate biomethanation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent has been filed by Centre for Biochemical Technology, Delhi now known as IGBD.

Two Indian patents on production of pollution free gaseous fuel and development of high rate and yield hydrogen production process filed by IIT, Kharagpur.

One Indian patent on biodegradation of oil refinery waste filed by TERI, New Delhi.

Two Indian patent on process for preparation of biosurfactant for recovery of oil and biosurfactant from distillery waste filed by NEERI, Nagpur.

One Indian patent on a novel odour monitoring unit by NEERI, Nagpur

One Indian patent on biosensor for detection of pesticide residues filed by Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan.

5. New initiatives for the 10^th Plan

• National facility on conservation of endangered animal species like tiger, lion etc. is being established at CCMB, Hyderabad jointly supported by DBT, CSIR and Ministry of Environment and Forests.

• Formulation of programmes for ecorestoration of water bodies such as lakes.

• Formulation of integrated proposals for multi location demonstration of ecorestoration technology for restoration of degraded lands, mine spoil dumps, hill slope stabilisation.

• Formulation of integrated proposals for tannery and distillery effluent treatment.