Shashi Kant Bhatia

Konkuk University | KU · Department of Biological Engineering

NdgR, a global regulator in soil-dwelling and antibiotic-producing Streptomyces, is known to regulate branched-chain amino acid metabolism by binding to the upstream region of synthetic genes. However, its numerous and complex roles are not yet fully understood. To more fully reveal the function of NdgR, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis with...

Microbes can act as a factory for the conversion of a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources into diverse kinds of intracellular and extracellular biopolymers, including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and exopolysaccharides (EPS), under different stress conditions [...]

Petrochemical-based plastics are hardly biodegradable and a major cause of environmental pollution, and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is attracting attention as an alternative due to its similar properties. However, the cost of PHB production is high and is considered the greatest challenge for its industrialization. Here, crude glycerol was used as a...

Biomass gasification produces syngas, mainly comprised of CO and H2 along with H2S, CO2, N2, and tar compounds. Inorganic carbon present in syngas as CO and CO2 can be utilized for the production of several value-added chemicals including ethanol, higher alcohols, fuels, and hydrogen. However, chemical sequestration operates at a high temperature o...

Identification of novel, electricity-producing bacteria has garnered remarkable interest because of the various applications of electricigens in microbial fuel cell and bioelectrochemical systems. Shewanella marisflavi BBL25, an electricity-generating microorganism, uses various carbon sources and shows broader sugar utilization than the better-kno...

Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Most of the indigo currently used in industry is produced via chemical synthesis, which generates a large amount of wastewater. Therefore, several studies have recently been conducted to find ways to produce indigo eco-friendly using microorganisms. Here, we produced indigo using reco...

Coffee waste is an abundant biomass that can be converted into high value chemical products, and is used in various renewable biological processes. In this study, oil was extracted from spent coffee grounds (SCGs) and used for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production through Pseudomonas resinovorans. The oil–extracted SCGs (OESCGs) were hydrolyzed and...

Dyes are coloring agents widely used in the textile and leather industries. Synthetic dyes are the major contributor to global wastewater exhibiting toxic effects on humans, aquatic organisms, and the environment. The conventional decolorization treatments are less effective due to high dye concentration in wastewater, complex chemical structure, a...

In this study, fourteen types of biochar produced using seven biomasses at temperatures 300 °C and 600 °C were screened for phenolics (furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)) removal. Eucheuma spinosum biochar (EB-BC 600) showed higher adsorption capacity to furfural (258.94±3.2 mg/g) and HMF (222.81±2.3 mg/g). Adsorption kinetics and isotherm ex...

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable bioplastic with potential applications as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. However, efficient PHB production remains difficult. The main cost of PHB production is attributed to carbon sources; hence, finding inexpensive sources is important. Galactose is a possible substrate for polyhydroxyalk...

The management of staggering volume of food waste generated (∼1.3 billion tons) is a serious challenge. The readily available untapped food waste can be promising feedstock for setting up biorefineries and one good example is bread waste (BW). The current review emphasis on capability of BW as feedstock for sustainable production of platform and co...

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are currently used in several areas. The applications of AI and ML based models are also reported for monitoring and design of biological wastewater treatment systems (WWTS). The available information is reviewed and presented in terms of bibliometric analysis, model's description, specific app...

Phasin is a surface-binding protein of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules that is encoded by the phaP gene. As its expression increases, PHA granules become smaller, to increase their surface area, and are densely packed inside the cell, thereby increasing the PHA content. A wide range of PHA-producing bacteria have phaP genes; however, their PHA...

Lignocellulose biomass during pretreament release various copmounds, among them important one is reducing sugars, which can be utilized for the production of biofuels and some other products. Thereby, innovative greener pretreatment techniques for lignocellulosic materials have been considered to open a new door in the aspects of digestibility of t...

Hydrogen has gained attention as an alternative source of energy because of its non-polluting nature as on combustion it produces only water. Biological methods are eco-friendly and have benefits in waste management and hydrogen production simultaneously. The use of algal biomass as feedstock in dark fermentation is advantageous because of its low...

Antibiotics are powerful and reliable substances that can control microorganism growth. However, microbes employ several countermeasures to adapt to external stresses such as extreme salt concentrations and antibiotics. Among them, microbes can regulate the fatty acid composition of their cell membrane. Our previous study reported that Halomonas so...

Cancer is undeniably a major health risk factor that is growing rapidly globally despite promising medicinal and pharmaceutical development. Treatment of cancer remains an issue due to financial constrains in most of the developing countries. The majority of today’s medicines are derived from medicinal plants, as we all know. Taxol is such a plant-...

Waste activated sludge is a renewable source for biohydrogen production, whereas the presence of complex biopolymers limits the hydrolysis step during this process, and thus pretreatment is required to disintegrate the sludge biomass. In this study, the feasibility of utilizing waste activated sludge to produce biohydrogen by improving the solubili...

Biohydrogen is perceived as the versatile fuel of the future, having the ability to replace fossil fuels in many industrial and commercial sectors and offering the promise of fulfilling future renewable energy demands. Among various options available for the generation of biohydrogen, photofermentation with the help of microbes and algae is one of...

Polybutylene succinate (PBS) is a bioplastic substitute for synthetic plastics that are made from petroleum-based products such as polyethylene and polypropylene. However, the biodegradation rate of PBS is still low and similar to that of polylactic acid (PLA). Moreover, our knowledge about degrader species is limited to a few fungi and mixed conso...

Using lignocellulosic biomass is immensely beneficial for the economical production of biochemicals. However, utilizing mixed sugars from lignocellulosic biomass is challenging because of bacterial preference for specific sugar such as glucose. Although previous studies have attempted to overcome this challenge, no studies have been reported on iso...

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a bio-based, biodegradable and biocompatible plastic that has the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock for industrial fermentation to produce bioproducts such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). However, the pretreatment processes of lignocellulosic biomass lead to th...

With the ever-increasing size of anaerobic digesters (AD), the management and disposal of digestate have become a challenging task for AD operators. Anaerobic digestate is rich in nutrients and contaminants; thus, a suitable treatment is required to meet environmental legislation and protect the receiving environment. There has been a thrust among...

As a biodegradable plastic, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) has relatively poor mechanical properties, preventing its wider use. Various plasticizers have been studied to improve the mechanical properties of PHB; however, due to the slow degradation speed in the soil environment and lack of evaluation methods, studies on the degradation of PHB with plast...

With increasing interest in biohydrogen as an alternative fuel to petroleum, it is essential to identify a hyper biohydrogen producer. In the present study, Clostridium sp. YD09 was isolated from a brewery wastewater upflow anaerobic sludge blanket digestion reactor; its 16 S ribosomal RNA sequencing analysis showed 96% similarity to Clostridium be...

Biocatalysts, including live microbial cells/enzymes, have been considered a predominant and advantageous tool for effectively transforming biomass into biofuels and valued biochemicals. However, high production costs, separation, and reusability limit its practical application. Immobilization of single and multi-enzymes by employing different nano...

Sphingobium yanoikuyae BBL01 can produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The effect of side products (furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), vanillin, and acetate) produced during pretreatment of biomass was evaluated on S. yanoikuyae BBL01. It was observed that a certain concentration range (0.01-0.03%) of these compound...

The increasing interest in bioplastics, with regard to future environmental issues, has rendered research on bioplastic biodegradation highly important. However, only a few tools directly monitor the degradation of bioplastics without measuring the levels of gaseous products, such as carbon dioxide. Classical nonquantitative methods, such as clear...

A comparative study and experimental tests were conducted by using second generation biodiesel. Owing to problems being faced in the production of first-generation biodiesel using edible sources, the switch over to another reliable source is much more important. A plenty of research has been going on to mend and produce biodiesel from waste sources...

Disperser assisted homogenization is a promising mechanical based disintegration process to improve the substrate biodegradability and biogas recovery from biomass. During dispersion, the extent of liquefaction relies on the dispersion parameters and biomass properties. Hence, assessment of the optimal parameters varies with type of disperser and b...

The present study deals with the utilization of lignocellulosic hydrolysate-based carbon source for exopolysaccharide (EPS) production using newly reported marine Echinicola sediminis BBL-M-12. This bacterium produced 7.56 g L–1 and 5.32 g L–1 of EPS on supplementing 30 g L–1 glucose and 10 g L–1 xylose as the sole carbon source, respectively. Wher...

Continuous urbanization and modernization have increased the burning of fossil fuels to meet energy needs across the globe, emanating environmental pollution and depleting fossil fuels. Therefore, a shift towards sustainable and renewable energy is necessary. Several techniques to exploit biomass to yield energy are trending, with pyrolysis one of...

Urbanization and pollution are the major issues of the current time own to the exhaustive consumption of fossil fuels which have a detrimental effect on the nation's economies and air quality due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and shortage of energy reserves. Algae, an autotrophic organism provides a green substitute for energy as well as commer...

Hydrotalcite-like anionic clays (HTs) also known as Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been developed as multifunctional materials in numerous applications related to catalysis, adsorption, and ion-exchange processes. These materials constitute an important class of ionic lamellar solid clays of Brucite-like structure which comprise of consecuti...

Biohydrogen is a clean and efficient source of energy produced easily by anaerobic systems. Therefore, the discovery of novel and efficient production methods and utilization of inexpensive starting material are crucial for economical biohydrogen production. In this study, novel hydrogen producing bacterial strain Clostridium sp. SH25 was screened...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes severe infections and poses a global healthcare challenge. The utilization of novel molecules which confer synergistical effects to existing MRSA-directed antibiotics is one of the well-accepted strategies in lieu of de novo development of new antibiotics. Thymol is a key component of the es...

The global market for fuel pellets (FPs) has been steadily growing because of a shift to coal substitutes. However, sustainability and the availability of biomass are the main issues. Various kinds of bio-wastes can be valorized through cutting-edge technologies. In the coffee industry, a valuable organic waste called spent coffee grounds (SCGs) is...

Bread is Europe's most wasted food, and the second most wasted food after potatoes in UK. Bread waste (BW) is a clean source of high-quality fermentable sugars. In this study, the potential of Enterobacter ludwigii to accumulate 2,3-butanediol (BDO) from BW was evaluated. Initially, the optimal inoculum size and yeast extract concentration were det...

The evolving multidrug resistance in microbes with increasing antibiotic pollution is becoming a severe global crisis. Recent developments on antibiotic remediations by biochar are promising. Advancements in biochar engineering enhanced biochar remediation efficiency to another level through developing new interactions and bonding abilities with an...

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an evolving technology that can convert waste with high moisture and low energy content to electricity, heat, hydrogen and other synthetic fuels more efficiently. The lee side is that the HTL process produces enormous amounts of wastewaters (HTWW), having high organic and nutrient load. The discharge of the HTWW w...

The global cannabis (Cannabis sativa) market was 17.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach up to 40.6 billion by 2024. Canada is the 2nd nation to legalize cannabis with a massive sale of $246.9 million in the year 2021. Waste cannabis biomass is managed using disposal strategies (i.e., incineration, aerobic/anaerobic digestion, composting, and...

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), a bioplastic consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons, was developed to overcome the shortcomings of aliphatic and aromatic polyesters. Many studies report the use of PBAT as a blending material for improving properties of other bioplastics. However, there are few studies on micr...

Algae is considered as a promising third-generation biofuel feedstock. Macroalgae is an efficient source of biomass for biohydrogen production. Biohydrogen (H2) is believed as a sustainable and clean energy carrier with high-energy yield. The pretreatment is essential to enhance the hydrolytic process during dark fermentation. During pretreatment,...

Excessive generation of wastewater is a matter of concern around the globe. Wastewater treatment utilizing a microalgae-mediated process is considered an eco-friendly and sustainable method of wastewater treatment. However, low biomass productivity, costly harvesting process, and energy extensive cultivation process are the major bottleneck. The us...

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a potential substitute for plastics derived from fossil fuels, owing to its biodegradable and biocompatible properties. Lignocellulosic biomass could be used to reduce PHB production costs; however, the co-utilization of sugars, such as glucose and xylose, without catabolite repression is a difficult problem to be solve...

Groundwater is considered as the primary source of water for the majority of the world's population. The preponderance of the nation's drinking water, as well as agricultural and industrial water, comes from groundwater. Groundwater level is becoming increasingly challenging to replenish due to climate change. Fertilizer application and improper pr...

Worldwide demand for antibiotics and pharmaceutical products is continuously increasing for the control of disease and improvement of human health. Poor management and partial metabolism of these compounds result in the pollution of aquatic systems, leading to hazardous effects on flora, fauna, and ecosystems. In the past decade, the importance of...

The existing study deals with adsorptive removal of the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A and toxic azo dye solvent black-3 from single and binary solutions. These two contaminants are commonly used as an additive in the synthetic plastic industries. Among the tested twenty pristine and modified biochars, the pristine pinecone biochar produ...

The hydrogen (H2) economy has been recognized globally from a socio-economic, and environmental viewpoint. Hydrogen can be produced using technologies such as electrolysis, thermochemical, photoelectrochemical, and biological methods. Biological methods help in waste management and energy production simultaneously. To make the biohydrogen process e...

The first case of coronavirus illness was discovered in Wuhan, China, in January 2020 and quickly spread worldwide within the next couple of months. The condition was initially only linked with respiratory disorders. After the evolution of various variants of the SARS-CoV-2, the critical impact of the virus spread to multiple organs and soon, neuro...

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid act as a major neurotransmitter inhibitor in the nervous system of mammals. It also used as a precursor of bioplastics synthesis such as N-methylpyrolidone and polyamide 4. Chemical-based synthesis methods have many environmental-related issues, so efforts have been made to develop bi...

Quantum dots (QDs) are getting special attention due to their commendable optical properties and applications. Conventional metal-based QDs have toxicity and non-biodegradability issues, thus it becomes necessary to search for renewable precursor molecules for QDs synthesis. In recent years, biomass-based carbon rich QDs (CQDs) have been introduced...

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and their derivatives are biopolymers that have the potential of replacing petroleum-based plastics and can be produced and degraded via bacterial metabolism. However, there are only a few studies on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production using lactate, one of the major waste organic acids that could be implemented in the...

Advanced biorefineries aiming to utilize all major components of biomass to produce a wide spectrum of bioproducts and fuel are seen to play a key role in implementing a biobased economy. However, due to the low technology readiness levels, it is critical to assess the commercial feasibility and economic competitiveness of these biorefinery approac...

The major shortcomings that reduce the efficiency of disperser mediated disintegration (DMD) of water hyacinth biomass (WHB) (Eichornia crassipes) are: energy intensification, aggregation of biomass and binding of lignin to...

Microorganisms including actinomycetes, archaea, bacteria, fungi, yeast, and microalgae are an auspicious source of vital bioactive compounds. In this review, the existing research regarding antimicrobial molecules from microorganisms is summarized. The potential antimicrobial compounds from actinomycetes, particularly Streptomyces spp.; archaea; f...

Having the advantage of eco-friendly decomposition, bioplastics could be used to replace petroleum-based plastics. In particular, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is one of the most commercialized bioplastics, however, necessitating the introduction of PHB-degrading bacteria for its effective disposal. In this study, Microbulbifer sp. SOL66 (94.18% 16...

Cellulosic ethanol production has received global attention to use as transportation fuels with gasoline blending virtue of carbon benefits and decarbonization. However, due to changing feedstock composition, natural resistance, and a lack of cost-effective pretreatment and downstream processing, contemporary cellulosic ethanol biorefineries are fa...

Microalgae have been recognized as one of the most efficient microorganisms to remediate industrial effluents. Among microalgae diatoms are silica shelled unicellular eukaryotes, found in all types of water bodies and flourish very well even in wastewater. They have their silica cell wall made up of nano arrayed pores arranged in a similar fashion....

Ever since bioplastics were introduced to a wide range of industries globally, disposal of the used bioplastics has become an inseparable issue with their application. Unlike petroleum-based plastics, bioplastics can be completely decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in a relatively short time, which is an advantage. However,...

Biologists and engineers are making tremendous efforts in contributing to a sustainable and green society. To this end, there is an increase in interest towards waste management cum valorisation. Lignocellulosic...

L-pipecolic acid (L-PA) is a key chiral intermediate in the synthesis of many important drugs. However, there is a lack of research on the efficient extraction and purification process for L-PA. Here, eleven different organic solvents were evaluated for selective extraction of L-PA by physical extraction. Among these solvents, methyl ethyl ketone (...

Glucosamine (Gln) is a universal amino sugar, present in animals, plants, and microbes as a major component of various structural polymers, i.e. chitin, chitosan, and peptidoglycans. Besides structural applications, several experimental and clinical trials have shown its tremendous applications in the health sector especially in the case of cancer,...

In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and rising global population, there is always a need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of human kind. Biosurfactant is one of the latest explored microbial biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, co...