Applications of microbe-plant-chemistry approach to address Bio Energy & Bio Remediation needs

Dr. Alok Adhelya and Dr. R.K. Sharma

Green Chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce of eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The aspects of green chemistry are based on twelve basic principles. When these principles are merged with the fact that a plenty of living organisms (plant and or microbes) have the capability to withstand hazardous material and can manipulate the same into non-hazardous and or economical materials, a new area of research “microbe-plant-chemistry” is evolved.

In a collaboration study between Delhi University and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a range of Cr accumulator plants and microbes are grown in Cr rich tannery effluent (phytoextraction), using least amount of nutrient resources, hervested and finally digested them with minimal use of energy to bring the accumulated Cr into solution (biomining). The Cr rich solution is then passed through a specially designed reusable Cr specific resin compounds to adsorb maximum amount of Cr from the solution (green chemistry). Cr impregnated resin is then washed with specific quantity of eluent to recover Cr in pure form. The process performed 99% recovery of Cr from parent materials (cost effective). Thus, there is an urgent need to proliferate such microbe-plant-chemistry approach in a broader way to save environment and its resources.