Institute Publications

Assessment of heavy metal enrichment, ecological risk with in-situ phyco-remediation approach: A regional study from Odisha's coastal creeks, India

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Assessment of heavy metal enrichment, ecological risk with in-situ phyco-remediation approach: A regional study from Odisha's coastal creeks, India Mishra, D.; Patra, S.; Kumar, M.; Kumar, S. D.; Sathish, R.; Dhal, N.K. Increasingly, coastal creeks are vulnerable to heavy metal (HM) pollution, while their ecological risks and remediation potential remain poorly understood. This work investigated HM pollution, ecological risks, and bioaccumulation potential of indigenous marine macroalgae (seaweed), Chaetomorpha linum, in two contrasting creeks, Jatadhar Muhan Creek (JMC) and Haripur Creek (HC), along Odisha's coast, India. Accumulation potential was assessed using geochemical indices, including enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), ecological risk factor (E-r(i)), and potential ecological risk index (PERI), while CCME and NOAA sediment quality guidelines were employed to evaluate ecological risks. Most studied elements showed low to moderate levels of pollution, with significant enrichments and high ecological risks mainly caused by Cd and Pb. The dominant element, Cd, ranged from moderate to extreme pollution (2.35 <= Igeo <= 6.62) with very high enrichments (EF up to 1311.3) at HC. Although PLI values (<1) indicated low pollution, elevated EF and Cdeg values indicated anthropogenic stress. Field observations documented naturally abundant seaweed and bioaccumulation metrics (BAF, MAI) to determine the uptake efficiency of bioavailable metals under ambient conditions. The presence of C. linum with high metal uptake capacity suggests its potential as a passive, nature-based solution. These region-specific findings support integrating ecological risk assessment (ERA) with biological indicators for sustainable management of tropical coastal creeks.

Role of critical parameters on the rheology and pipeline transportation of concentrated non-Newtonian iron ore slurry

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Role of critical parameters on the rheology and pipeline transportation of concentrated non-Newtonian iron ore slurry Prasad, V; Dubey, A. Achieving optimal flow characteristics while handling a complex slurry system in the pipeline needs greater attention. This study aims to demonstrate the role of iron ore concentration and size distribution on slurry rheology and their subsequent effect on slurry pipeline transportation. The concentrated iron ore slurries are sheared in the shear rate range between 0.1 - 500 s-1, where the experimental data is well-represented by the Bingham-plastic model. The model parameters are employed to calculate pressure drop and energy consumption. A thorough investigation through rheomicroscopy analysis reinforces the validity of the rheological hypothesis. The rheological analysis reveals the yieldpseudoplastic flow behaviour of iron ore slurries irrespective of particle concentrations and coarse particle addition. The slurry containing iron ore fines contributes to an increase in viscosity, mitigated by introducing coarse particles. Rheomicroscopy suggests that the viscosity reduction is attributed to the obstruction of floc formation and disintegration of the slurry structure. The pressure drop and energy consumption escalate with increasing slurry velocity regardless of pipe diameters. However, these entities decrease by including coarse iron ore particles in slurries. This work advocates optimizing rheology to reduce pipeline transportation costs while handling bulk iron ore with minimum environmental repercussions.

Synergistic effects of in-situ TiB2 on grain structure and strength of Al-4.5Cu alloys

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Synergistic effects of in-situ TiB2 on grain structure and strength of Al-4.5Cu alloys Mozammil, S.; Giri, S. R.; Pahari, S. In-situ Al-4.5 wt%Cu-xTiB2 (x = 3-12 wt%) composites were synthesized to achieve simultaneous microstructural refinement and mechanical strengthening. Multi-scale characterization reveals that TiB2 forms uniformly within the Aluminium matrix without parasitic phases, while effectively modifying the morphology and distribution of Al2Cu precipitates. Increasing TiB2 content results in pronounced grain refinement, enhanced highangle grain boundary fraction, and texture randomization, supported by EBSD and TEM analyses. Sub-micron TiB2 particulates with clean interfaces generate dense dislocation networks and promote heterogeneous nucleation, activating synergistic strengthening via grain refinement, Orowan looping, precipitation hardening, and load transfer. Tensile testing shows a substantial improvement in yield and ultimate strengths, particularly after T6 aging, with optimum strength-ductility balance achieved at 6-9 wt% TiB2. These findings demonstrate an efficient pathway for tailoring high-performance Al-Cu matrix composites for lightweight structural applications.

Multifunctional Superwetting Sea-Urchin-Mimetic Nanosheet-Based Interface for Remote Oil-Water Separation

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Multifunctional Superwetting Sea-Urchin-Mimetic Nanosheet-Based Interface for Remote Oil-Water Separation Ghadei, S. K.; Bhaskaran, M.; Sriram, S.; Sakthivel, R.; Rahman, M. A. Rapid and large-scale oil spill remediation remains an urgent environmental and technological challenge. Here, we present a transformative, multifunctional bio-inspired platform for on-site, remotely actuated, and contactless oil-water separation that integrates an advanced membrane with electronics deployment. Here, we present a sea-urchin-mimetic, fluorine/silane-free composite that enables remote, on-site oil-water separation through molecular-level modulation of surface energy and hierarchical roughness through micro/nano structures. The architecture integrates oleic acid-functionalized barium carbonate (FBC) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets, where FBC introduces polar-nonpolar asymmetry and spine-like protrusions, while rGO contributes ultra-low surface energy and electron-delocalized reinforcement. This dual design stabilizes a metastable Cassie-Baxter state by coupling air entrapment with pi-pi-driven energy minimization at the solid-liquid interface, resulting in extreme water repellency (WCA > 150 degrees) and instantaneous oil affinity (OCA approximate to 0 degrees). The coating exhibits exceptional corrosion inhibition (>90%) in simulated seawater, self-cleaning against complex biofluids and beverages, and high-capacity oil uptake (15-65 g/g) with >97% efficiency and recyclability after repeated use. Integrated into a dolphin-inspired, Wi-Fi-controlled mini-bot system, this material enables remotely controlled, contactless oil recovery, establishing a new paradigm in adaptive, non-messy, hazard-free oil-spill remediation in contaminated zones.