A Practical Guide to Environmental Biotechnology

This textbook provides practical guidelines on conducting experiments across the entire spectrum of environmental biotechnology. It opens with general information on laboratory safety, rules and regulations, as well as a description of various equipment commonly used in environmental laboratories. It then discusses in detail the major experiments in basic and advanced environmental studies, including the analysis of water and soil samples; the isolation, culture, and biochemical characterization of microbes; and plant tissue culture techniques and nutrient analyses. Each chapter features detailed method sections and easy-to-follow protocols, and offers guidance on calculations and formulas, as well as illustrative flow charts to assist with troubleshooting for each experiment. Given its scope, the book is an invaluable aid for laboratory researchers studying environmental biotechnology, and a rich source of information and advice for advanced undergraduates and graduates in the fields of environmental science and biotechnology.

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra, M.Sc. Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor at Dongguk University, Republic of Korea. He has 14 years of research and teaching experience in the field of food, pharmacological and nanobiotechnology, and he has published more than 140 papers in various national and international, peer-reviewed journals, as well as 30 book chapters and 11 books.    

Dr. Gitishree Das, M.Sc. Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor at Dongguk University, Republic of Korea. She has 10 years of research experience in the field of rice molecular biology, plant breeding, endophytic bacteria and green nanotechnology, and 3 years of teaching experience. Her current research focuses on the biosynthesis of nanoparticles using food waste and plant materials and their applications in the biomedical and agricultural fields. She has published roughly 70 research articles in respected international and national reputed journals, 16 book chapters and 6 books.            

 Dr. Swagat Kumar Das, B.Pharm., M.Tech., Ph.D., is currently a lecturer at the Department of Biotechnology at the College of Engineering and Technology, an autonomous and constituent College of Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, India. He teaches, medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology, upstream and downstream process engineering, bioprocess engineering, and intellectual property rights at B.Tech and M.Tech level. He has more than 8 years of teaching and research experience, and has published more than 25 research and review papers along with a number of book chapters and 2 books.

Prof. Hrudayanath Thatoi, M.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D., is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Biotechnology, North Orissa University, Odisha, India. His has 30 years of teaching and research experience, and his interests include medicinal plants, bioremediation, biodiversity, ethnopharmacology and mangrove biology. Prof. Thatoi has publisher more than 200 research papers in various respected national and International journals, as well as 30 book chapters and 10 books.