An ever increase in the utilization of water for domestic and industrial activities resulted in the depletion of fresh water. Water is being used in huge quantities for manufacturing and other activities. The toxic pollutants used in the industries get mixed with water and result in the degradation of water quality. Textile industries are considered as one of the major industries that release a huge quantity of wastewater. The dye used in the textile industries is not completely utilized in the dyeing process and gets mixed with water and reaches the environment. Caulerpa scalpelliformis, a novel sorbent, was used for the preparation of biochar and successive removal of dyes in a continuous operation. The operating conditions, namely, biochar bed depth, dye flow rate, and initial dye concentration, were investigated, and the experimental result was validated with the mathematical models.

The present study aims to analyze the potential of mealworms (Tenebrio Monitor) used for the biodepolymerization of waste papers, plastics and polystyrenes. The various influencing factors were analyzed such as: temperature, light intensity, moisture content and energy sources. The study was conducted with two types of feeding cases that the first was, the waste papers, plastics and polystyrene were fed with oats (Avena sativa) and the above wastes were added directly to the mealworms without any additional energy sources. A similar weight of 100gms of all three wastes has been added with above two mentioned feeding cases to the mealworms. The study was conducted in a larval stage of mealworms for a period of nearly 30 days and 100 mealworms were used for each and every combination of feeding cases. Mealworms have biodepolymerized 40% of the plastic waste and polystyrene within the period of 10-12 days. Based on the obtained results, it has been found that the gut microbiota and enzymes are the responsible for the biodepolymerization and biodegradation of plastic, polystyrene and paper waste respectively. The present study reveals that mealworms have the potential to survive even after intake of polymer substances, this leads to new pathway for the sustainable management of polymer waste and paper waste.

The aim of this present study is to investigate the indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort (TC) of the class and faculty rooms at a college in Hyderabad, India. The concentrations of air pollution at class and faculty rooms available across four floors were determined with the help of indoor air quality monitoring equipment. The measurements were conducted continuously in the indoor and outdoor environment for 07 months with the variation in two different seasons such as monsoon and winter. The collected data were analyzed and compared with the Indian green building code (IGBC). Different parameters such as temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon mono-oxide (CO), oxygen (O2), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), and particulate matter (PM 2.5 & 10) were analyzed. The mean concentrations of PM 2.5 in all four floors were slightly above the IGBC standards in monsoon seasons and higher in winter seasons. Indoor PM 10 was higher as per IGBC in the winter season as compared with that in monsoon season. TVOC, CO, and CO2 showed significantly higher in class and faculty rooms of all the four floors in both seasons. The predicted mean vote (PMV) index shows a significantly cold when compared with the thermal sensation scale which can accelerate the respiratory tract infectious diseases. Each floor shows different concentration levels of all the above-mentioned IAQ parameters. A questionnaire was developed, and a survey was conducted to analyze the comfort indices and responsible conditions for dissatisfactory factors. The results obtained from the daily monitoring parameters were compared with the survey questionnaire. The inferences were developed based on the PM 2.5 & 10 and CO2 concentration levels. Based on the obtained inferences and as per the IGBC standards specific suggestions were given to alter the building physiology.

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