Soil Chemical Analysis

Our school prides itself on providing the best opportunities for each child. The academic achievements have been and continue to be well above Western Australian and National averages, while the pastoral care programs that operate in the school teach children the specific social and emotional skills they need in order to develop and maintain friendships and a strong sense of selfworth. Students have a strong sense of pride in the school and display significant support for each other. Student success is valued, supported and celebrated by all.

Annual Report 2012 -個人別教育研究報告-

Bioplastics - typically plastics manufactured from bio-based polymers - stand to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles as part of a circular economy, in which virgin polymers are made from renewable or recycled raw materials. Carbon-neutral energy is used for production and products are reused or recycled at their end of life (EOL). In this Review, we assess the advantages and challenges of bioplastics in transitioning towards a circular economy. Compared with fossil-based plastics, bio-based plastics can have a lower carbon footprint and exhibit advantageous materials properties; moreover, they can be compatible with existing recycling streams and some offer biodegradation as an EOL scenario if performed in controlled or predictable environments. However, these benefits can have trade-offs, including negative agricultural impacts, competition with food production, unclear EOL management and higher costs. Emerging chemical and biological methods can enable the 'upcycling' of increasing volumes of heterogeneous plastic and bioplastic waste into higher-quality materials. To guide converters and consumers in their purchasing choices, existing (bio)plastic identification standards and life cycle assessment guidelines need revision and homogenization. Furthermore, clear regulation and financial incentives remain essential to scale from niche polymers to large-scale bioplastic market applications with truly sustainable impact. 

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Bioplastics for a circular economy

Environmental pollution due to heavy metals is a growing concern worldwide. Human activities such as industrial discharge, mining, smelting, hazardous solid waste disposal, etc. mainly contribute heavy metals to the soil. Persisting heavy metals in the soil can be taken up by plant tissues and can enter the biosphere and aggregate up in the trophic levels of the food web. Several physical, chemical and biological remediation techniques (in-situ as well as ex-situ) are available for the cleanup of heavy metal contaminated soil. Phytoremediation is the most sustainable (economical and eco-friendly) technique among these. Though, phytoremediation is less efficient than physical methods, it is still in the developmental stage and therefore, redirection of research activities for its commercial use is needed. This review summarizes the roles of soil chemistry, plant physiology and microbiology (plant-microbiology interaction) in assisting the phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. The limitations and future directions towards sustainable phytoremediation are also discussed in this review.

Phytoremediation: A multidisciplinary approach to clean up heavy metal contaminated soil

Understanding the molecular mechanisms for the enhanced phytoremediation of heavy metals through plant growth promoting rhizobacteria: A review.

Ionic liquid based pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for enhanced bioconversion.

Contamination of agricultural soil with heavy metals has become a serious concern worldwide. In the present study, Cr6+ resistant plant growth promoting Pseudomonas sp. (strain CPSB21) was isolated from the tannery effluent contaminated agricultural soils and evaluated for the plant growth promoting activities, oxidative stress tolerance, and Cr6+ bioremediation. Assessment of different plant growth promotion traits, such as phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid production, siderophores, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide production, revealed that the strain CPSB21 served as an efficient plant growth promoter under laboratory conditions. A pot experiment was performed using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) as a test crop. Cr6+ toxicity reduced plant growth, pigment content, N and P uptake, and Fe accumulation. However, inoculation of strain CPSB21 alleviated the Cr6+ toxicity and enhanced the plant growth parameters and nutrient uptake. Moreover, Cr toxicity had varied response on oxidative stress tolerance at graded Cr6+ concentration on both plants. An increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity and reduction in malonialdehyde (MDA) was observed on inoculation of strain CPSB21. Additionally, inoculation of CPSB21 enhanced the uptake of Cr6+ in sunflower plant, while no substantial enhancement was observed on inoculation in tomato plant.

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Potential applications of Pseudomonas sp. (strain CPSB21) to ameliorate Cr6+ stress and phytoremediation of tannery effluent contaminated agricultural soils.

The presence of heavy metals in the soil is a matter of growing concern due to their toxic and non-biodegradable nature. Lack of effectiveness of various conventional methods due to economic and technical constraints resulted in the search for an eco-friendly and cost-effective biological techniques for heavy metal removal from the environment. Until now, phytoremediation has emerged as an innovative technique to address the problem. However, the efficiency of phytoremediation process is hindered under the high metal concentration conditions. Hence, phosphate solubilizing microbes (PSM) assisted phytoremediation technique is gaining more insight as it can reduce the contamination load even under elevated metal stressed conditions. These microbes convert heavy metals into soluble and bioavailable forms, which consequently facilitate phytoremediation. Several studies have reported that the use of microbial consortium for remediation is considered more effective as compared to single strain pure culture. Therefore, this review paper focuses on the current trends in research related to PSM mediated uptake of heavy metal by plants. The efficiency of PSM consortia in enhancing the phytoremediation process has also been reviewed. Moreover, the role of phosphatase enzymes in the mineralization of organic forms of phosphate in soil is further discussed. Biosurfactant mediated bioremediation of metal polluted soils is a matter of extensive research nowadays. Hence, the recent advancement of using biosurfactants in enhanced phytoremediation of metal stressed soils is also described.

Value added phytoremediation of metal stressed soils using phosphate solubilizing microbial consortium

Implications of plant growth promoting Klebsiella sp. CPSB4 and Enterobacter sp. CPSB49 in luxuriant growth of tomato plants under chromium stress

A comparative evaluation towards the potential of Klebsiella sp. and Enterobacter sp. in plant growth promotion, oxidative stress tolerance and chromium uptake in Helianthus annuus (L.).

Pratishtha Gupta

Papers

Ionic liquid based pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for enhanced bioconversion.

Potential applications of Pseudomonas sp. (strain CPSB21) to ameliorate Cr6+ stress and phytoremediation of tannery effluent contaminated agricultural soils.

Value added phytoremediation of metal stressed soils using phosphate solubilizing microbial consortium

Implications of plant growth promoting Klebsiella sp. CPSB4 and Enterobacter sp. CPSB49 in luxuriant growth of tomato plants under chromium stress

A comparative evaluation towards the potential of Klebsiella sp. and Enterobacter sp. in plant growth promotion, oxidative stress tolerance and chromium uptake in Helianthus annuus (L.).