Table Of ContentExtremophiles
Wastewater and Algal Biorefinery
Editors
Pratibha Dheeran
Department of Botany
Maharaj Singh College
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sachin Kumar
Biochemical Conversion Division
Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy
Kapurthala, Punjab, India
p,
A SCIENCE PUBLISHERS BOOK
A SCIENCE PUBLISHERS BOOK
Cover credit: Dr. Anuchaya Devi, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
First edition published 2023
by CRC Press
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© 2023 Pratibha Dheeran and Sachin Kumar
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (applied for)
ISBN: 978-1-032-37080-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-37081-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-33522-1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/9781003335221
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Radiant Productions
Preface
The microorganisms dwelling into the extreme conditions not only on earth but into the extremes
of space are known as extremophiles. They have unique ability to survive under the extremes of
temperature, pH, pressure, radiations, vacuum and gravity. They can sustain in toxic wastes where
no other living organism can thrive. These extremophiles/extremotolerant organisms (bacteria
and microalgae) have tremendous potential in biomass biorefineries and waste water treatment.
The book ‘Extremophiles: Wastewater Treatment and Algal Biorefinery’ covers the applications
of extremophiles for the production of value-added products, including biofuels, extremozymes,
wastewater treatment, electricity generation, biofilms, microbial corrosion, etc., and has twelve
chapters as described below:
Chapter 1 articulates the outlook of present trends in the extraction of efficient bioenergy from
wastewater resources for sustainability concerns with special emphasis on the application of
extremophiles. A number of studies have been reported indicating the energy potential of different
kind of waste streams, since the concept of integrated wastewater biorefineries was first deciphered.
Researchers have streamlined numerous methods to bridge the shortfalls arising in realization of
integrated wastewater treatment and biorefineries.
Chapter 2 describes the potential of extremophiles in bioremediation and the treatment of different
types of wastewaters. The chapter also discusses the specific extremophiles which are being
employed for the treatment of waterbodies contaminated with specific pollutants and the specific
nature of wastewaters.
Chapter 3 highlights the application of different types of extremophiles as biocatalysts in microbial
electrochemical system (MES) and its future prospectus. This chapter covers the principle of different
MESs, microbes associated with anode and catabolic pathways (exocellular electron transfer)
responsible for microbial oxidation of the substrate. Besides, it discusses the physicochemical
factors affecting energy harvesting and challenges in MFC operation during electrogenesis.
Chapter 4 understands the promising and sustainable technical approaches which are being
employed to treat the wastewater for harnessing energy through biological route and environment
protection, and also futuristic scope for their industrial growth. Globally, scientific fraternity have
put their efforts tirelessly for the recognition and development of wastewater treatment technologies
not only for the generation of carbon-neutral, and eco-friendly energy but also for resolving the
issue of wastewater disposal that are given paramount importance to fulfil the burgeoning demands
of energy, and environment protection.
Chapter 5 discusses the various metabolic adaptations that enable the survival of extremophilic
microalgae under harsh environmental conditions and further elucidates their phylogenetic evolution
based on the16S rDNA sequences. Subsequently, the salient features of large-scale cultivation of
extremophilic microalgae are discussed. The chapter also examines the different products that can
be derived from extremophilic microalgae and the possibility of engineering them for enhanced
product recovery.
iv Extremophiles: Wastewater and Algal Biorefinery
Chapter 6 provides insight on seaweeds and their applications, different types of seaweed
degrading enzymes obtained from marine extremophiles and their applications, current research,
and developments on marine extremophiles and future prospective. The enzymes from marine
extremophiles have gained global interest due to their competence to tolerate extreme harsh
conditions of salinity, pH, temperature, pressure, etc.
Chapter 7 elaborates the various studies based on wastewater bioremediation and biofuel
production under large-scale studies for various microalgal species under adverse and challenging
environmental conditions. These microalgal strains are depicted to be halophiles (salt-loving),
alkaliphiles (survive under elevated pH levels), thermophiles (grow under high temperature),
psychrophiles (grow at low temperature), barophiles (survive under high pressure), etc., with their
growth environments and potential tolerance capacity.
Chapter 8 discusses about the morphological diversity of extremophilic microalgae, followed by
the commercially employed growth engineering systems to generate massive biomass. The chapter
highlights the significance of extremophilic algae in the biological, pharmaceutical and industrial
sector and also covers the recent developments on EPA and DHA (Omega 3-PUFAs) production,
that can reduce excess demand from fish stock.
Chapter 9 deals with a base footstep towards understanding an algal-based bioeconomy and,
consequently, helps the global energy demands.
Chapter 10 discusses and recapitulates the various applied strategies against biofilm formation,
and reduction in the economic losses caused by microbial corrosion. In recent years, various new
technologies such as bacteriophages, quorum sensing inhibitors, boosters of biofilms, plant extracts,
etc., have been proposed for the treatment of problematic biofilms in the industries.
Chapter 11 deliberate the investigations on biotechnologically relevant attributes of extremophiles
by tapping into biofilm’s advantages. Recent biotechnological advancements have explored biofilm
formation as a natural route for immobilization.
Chapter 12 highlights the importance and potential avenues of extremophiles in industrial
applications, especially in textile processing. Textile desizing, bioscouring, degumming of textile
fibers, bleaching and wastewater treatment are some of the major areas where extremophiles and
their products can be well incorporated and such studies should be aggressively pursued.
Acknowledgements
We thank all the authors, who made painstaking contributions in the making of this book. Their
contributions brought the desired lustre to the quality of this book. Their patience and diligence
in revising the initial draft of the chapters after incorporating the comments/suggestions of the
reviewers are highly appreciated. We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of all the
reviewers for their constructive and valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of
the contributions of various authors.
Contents
Preface iii
Acknowledgements v
1. Strengthening Bioenergy-Based Economy Through Conversion of Wastewater 1
Resources: An Insight to Application of Extremophiles
Bhumica Agarwal and Lalit Kumar Singh
2. Extremophiles for Wastewater Treatment 23
Keshav Rajarshi, Karri Sudharshana and Shantonu Roy
3. Role of Extremophiles in the Microbial Electrochemical Cell: Recent Advances 43
Shreya Gavas, Prajakta Pawar, Soumya Pandit, Namita Khanna,
Abhilasha Singh Mathuriya and Ram Prasad
4. Fermentative Approaches in Wastewater Treatment for Harnessing Renewable Energy 61
Nidhi Sahni, Meenu Hans and Sachin Kumar
5. Potential of Extremophilic Algae for the Synthesis of Value-added Products 80
Aishwarya Atakkatan, Sandra Innesent, Shreya Padmesh Prajapat, Soumya Pandit
and Namita Khanna
6. Marine Extremophiles as a Source of Seaweed Polysaccharide Hydrolyzing Enzymes 115
Dhanshree Mone and Nitin Trivedi
7. Extremophilic Microalgae: The Potential Source for Wastewater Treatments 151
and Biofuel Productions
Sourav Kumar Bagchi, Reeza Patnaik, Navneet Sharma and Ramasare Prasad
8. Extremophilic Microalgae as a Potential Source of High-Value Bioproducts 167
Meenakshi Singh, Nitin Trivedi, Navonil Mal and Sanjeet Mehariya
9. Value-Added Products and Biofuels from Extremophilic Microalgae Biomass 187
Usharani K., Lakshmanaperumalsamy P. and Jayesh M.S.
10. Microbial Corrosion and It’s Current Mitigation Strategies 219
Reena Sachan, Ajay Kumar Singh, Madan Sonkar and Shiv Bharadwaj
11. Extremophile: Biofilm Behavior, Characterization and Economical Applications 243
Shashi Bhushan, Jayakrishnan U., Shaon Raychaudhuri and Halis Simesk
12. Extremophiles for Textile Industry 277
Shalini Singh, Sujata Das and Charu Khanna
Index 299
1
Strengthening Bioenergy-Based
Economy Through Conversion
of Wastewater Resources
An Insight to Application of Extremophiles
Bhumica Agarwal1,* and Lalit Kumar Singh2
1. Introduction
Economy of any developing nation is largely estimated from its net energy balance (consumption vs.
generation). According to BP Energy outlook 2019, India’s share of global primary energy demand
was estimated to jump from 6% in 2019 to 11% by 2040, most of which will be met through coal,
resulting in doubling of CO gas emission. Envisioning unexceptionally high demand for primary
2
energy coupled with fluctuating crude oil prices, commercial scale production of third generation
biofuels is the priority of Government of India as well as across the globe.
Indian Biofuel Policy 2018 dictates a bioethanol-gasoline blending target of 10 and 20% by
year 2022 and 2030, respectively (India Biofuels Annual 2019). As for biodiesel blending, no near-
term target has been defined, scrapping the previously set aim of 20% blend procured from Jatropha
(Jatropha curcas) as the most suitable inedible oilseed owing to numerous agronomic and economic
constraints. Despite immense advances in biorefinery technologies, factors such as costs and reliable
supply of feedstocks, energy intensive process and generation and disposal of secondary byproducts
renders commercial-scale biorefinery operations economically unfeasible.
Chemical and thermochemical processes have always been the choice methods for synthesis
of biofuel (Barnard et al. 2010). Microbial routes are preferred over chemical catalysis owing to no
or little requirement of extreme process conditions, thus decreased expenditure. Although, use of
these biological agents often augment some additional processing steps in lieu of their sensitivity,
thus adding to overall process complexity. However, increasing use of a class of microorganisms
namely extremophiles, has evolved as a green solution. Extremophiles, as the name suggests,
refer to the organisms capable of surviving in one or more extreme environmental conditions of
1 Water Testing Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jagti-181221, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
2 Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Technology, Harcourt Butler Technical University,
Kanpur-208002, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA.
* Corresponding author: [email protected]
