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Mine reclamation through phytoremediation phytoremediation of hexavalent chromium from
mine-overburden dump and revegetation of barren land at OMC mines, South Kaliapani,
Odisha, India

Chromite mine overburden areas are degraded land with undertaken during rainy season of each year (2019, 2020,
low fertility and productivity. The high slopy overburden 2021) to facilitate the successful establishment of plants.
land makes the site more difficult to plant the saplings. Regular watering and fertilization/biochar treatments
To achieve the success, plant saplings/slips of suitable were planned and undertaken to protect the plants from
species were raised in the experimental garden of the extreme heat and water deficit situations. The project
Bioremediation lab of CSIR-IMMT, BBSR. In the project, targets to cover 10 hectares of mine overburden area for
about five hectares of mine overburden area were planted phytoremediation studies and its success will establish a
with Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and Vetiver leading platform for revegetation strategies in chromite
(Chrysopogon zizaniodes), Palmarosa (Cymbopogon and other mining areas. The photographs are given below
martini) and Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) species reflecting the site and operation under the project
in the first two years. The plantation activities were

Biomaterials biodegradable polyxydroxyalkanoate based polymers from marine and
wastewater bacteria
Through a Government of Odisha sponsored project, there polymer quality were compared to the standard reference
is ongoing research on bio-based and biodegradable plastic culture of Cupriavidus oxalaticus. The GC-MS profile of
like material - Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers. The the polymers produced by the consortia of bacteria was
cost of production in the current industrial process is high also compared to the commercially purchased homo-
due to several factors including the cost of carbon source polymer of 3-hydroxybutanoic acid (PHB) which shows a
for microbial growth and polymer production in pure peak at R 3.970. We found that the polymers produced
t
cultures of microbes. We aimed to mass culture bacteria in by C. oxalaticus shows the presence of methyl esters of
a consortium on natural waste substrates to find a cheaper 3-hydroxybutyrate at R 3.747 and in the case of marine
t
alternative source of substrates for bacterial growth ex- microbial consortia it is at R 3.740.
t
situ. We compared it to the plastic film produced by the The GC-MS profile of the “Control” commercially available
same bacterial consortium in a well-defined minerals pure PHB polymer (A) compared with the polymer
salts medium. A consortium of marine bacteria and produced by C. oxalaticus (B) and marine microbial
wastewater bacteria was developed to maximize PHA consortia (C):
production on food waste substrates. Their growth and

A

ANNUAL REPORT 2021-22 75