Sarita Sachdeva

@mriu.edu.in

Professor, Biotechnology , ED & Dean Research
Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies

Sarita Sachdeva


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https://researchid.co/sarita

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Bio remediation, Water Quality Assessment, Heavy Metal Pollution , Biofuels
22

Scopus Publications

2096

Scholar Citations

16

Scholar h-index

16

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Biosorption of Heavy Metal Cadmium From Aqua Medium Using Moringa Oleifera as Nature-Based Solution
    Mehak Verma, Sarita Sachdeva
    Food Safety and Health, 2026
    Cadmium poisoning is a serious threat to human health and environmental safety. Remediation of this metal from water is crucial to ensure the availability of clean and safe water. In this study, the seeds and leaves of Moringa oleifera were employed as biosorbents for the removal of Cd from water. Various parameters such as pH, temperature, particle size, biomass dose, initial metal concentration, and metal exposure time were investigated. Statistical tools were used to examine the statistical significance of each parameter's effect investigated. The parameter such as pH affects ionization and surface binding, biomass dose controls the availability of active sites, and temperature impacts adsorption thermodynamics. SEM and EDS data indicate that the morphological and elemental analyses of the biomaterials post adsorption are clear evidence of Cd binding on biomaterial surfaces. The results of this study revealed that seeds and leaves were effective in removing Cd from water. The seeds showed an average adsorption efficiency of 91.16% for the cadmium metal ion, whereas leaves exhibited an average adsorption efficiency of 86.69%, comparatively less but noteworthy. These results clearly underscore the effectiveness of M. oleifera as a low‐cost biomaterial for the removal of Cd from water, adding to its glory as a potential medicinal plant.
  • Development of potential consortia for biotransformation of lignin and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    N. L. Radhika, Sarita Sachdeva, Manoj Kumar
    Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 2025
    Selective enrichment of lignin degrading bacterial consortia was carried out through forced laboratory adaption method from three different soil sources, viz., scrap wood site, hydrocarbon contaminated site, and composting site, using kraft lignin as sole carbon source. Sixteen morphologically different microbial strains were isolated and characterized in detail through different biochemical tests. Subsequently, 16S rRNA sequencing of all the isolates was carried out which resulted in 11 phenotypically different strains. These strains showed above 90–95% similarity with Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Breivibacillus, Paenibacillus, and Aneurinibacillus. Ligninolytic potential of each strain as well as their mixture (defined consortia) was assessed for growth on alkali lignin, decolourization of lignin mimicking dyes, and utilization of lignin metabolites. Assay of ligninolytic enzyme activity, i.e., lignin peroxidase (LiP, 7.52–8.06 U/ml), laccase (Lac, 1.21–2.02 U/ml), and dye decolorizing peroxidase (DyP, 1.24–5.23 U/ml), confirmed the lignin degradation potential of the isolates. Change in functional groups and molecular weight and other structural changes in lignin were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and pyrolysis coupled gas chromatographic (Py/GC–MS) analyses. In addition, the efficiency of isolates and their defined consortia was also established for degradation of poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (naphthalene 94–99%, phenanthrene (87–97%), anthracene (69–96%), and pyrene (63–88%) which further confirms the ability of isolates for degradation of complex aromatics. All the strains showed prominent degree of lignin depolymerization (39–54%) and their defined consortia superseded with 59% of lignin depolymerization indicating the synergistic microbial action.
  • Unveiling lignin depolymerization pathways in a bench-scale bioreactor through metagenomic analysis
    N.L. Radhika, Srikanth Sandipam, Sarita Sachdeva, Manoj Kumar, R.P. Gupta, Umish Srivastava, Debasis Bhattacharyya
    Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2025
  • Investigating the Effectiveness of Peanut Hull as Biosorbent of Lead (Pb) from Water
    Mehak Verma, Sarita Sachdeva
    Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 2025
    Lead contamination poses a major threat to health and environmental well-being. The remediation of this heavy metal from water sources is essential to safeguard health and ensure access to clean water. In this study, Peanut hull was used as a biosorbent for lead (Pb) removal from water. It focuses on optimizing various parameters important for lead removal. Statistical analysis, such as the Kruskal-Wallis test, was done to assess the significance of these parameters on lead biosorption, and an inverse variance weighting technique was employed to derive the weighted contribution of each variable for fixed Pb removal categories in the range of 80-100% and 80% (below). On analysis, it was found that factors such as pH and biomass dosage played major roles in lead removal. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), were done to find out changes in the structural and elemental characteristics of peanut hull after lead sequestration. Overall, this study highlights the potential of peanut hull as a promising biosorbent for lead removal from water, thereby offering a sustainable solution to water contamination with heavy metals.
  • Occurrence, Source and Dietary Exposure of Toxic and Essential Elements in the Indian Food Basket
    Manisha Jain, Brij Mohan Sharma, Sarita Sachdeva, Jan Kuta, Rostislav Červenka, Luca Nizzetto, Praveen Kukreti, Girija K. Bharat, Paromita Chakraborty
    Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2023
  • Lignin depolymerization and biotransformation to industrially important chemicals/biofuels
    N.L. Radhika, Sarita Sachdeva, Manoj Kumar
    Fuel, 2022
  • Microbe assisted depolymerization of lignin rich waste and its conversion to gaseous biofuel
    N.L. Radhika, Sarita Sachdeva, Manoj Kumar
    Journal of Environmental Management, 2021
  • Effect of metal nanoparticles on microbial community shift and syntrophic metabolism during anaerobic digestion of Azolla microphylla
    Manpreet Kaur, Prakash.C. Sahoo, Manoj Kumar, Sarita Sachdeva, S.K. Puri
    Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2021
  • An efficient multiphase bioprocess for enhancing the renewable energy production from almond shells
    Manpreet Kaur, Manoj Kumar, Sarita Sachdeva, S.K. Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management, 2020
  • Bioremediation options for heavy metal pollution
    Meena Kapahi, Sarita Sachdeva
    Journal of Health and Pollution, 2019
    Background. Rapid industrialization and anthropogenic activities such as the unmanaged use of agro-chemicals, fossil fuel burning and dumping of sewage sludge have caused soils and waterways to be severely contaminated with heavy metals. Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment. Hence, remediation is required to avoid heavy metal leaching or mobilization into environmental segments and to facilitate their extraction.Objectives. The present work briefly outlines the environmental occurrence of heavy metals and strategies for using microorganisms for bioremediation processes as reported in the scientific literature.Methods. Databases were searched from different libraries, including Google Scholar, Medline and Scopus. Observations across studies were then compared with the standards for discharge of environmental pollutants.Discussion. Bioremediation employs microorganisms for removing heavy metals. Microorganisms have adopted different mechanisms for bioremediation. These mechanisms are unique in their specific requirements, advantages, and disadvantages, the success of which depends chiefly upon the kind of organisms and the contaminants involved in the process.Conclusions. Heavy metal pollution creates environmental stress for human beings, plants, animals and other organisms. A complete understanding of the process and various alternatives for remediation at different steps is needed to ensure effective and economic processes.Competing interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
  • A sustainable biorefinery approach for efficient conversion of aquatic weeds into bioethanol and biomethane
    Manpreet Kaur, Manoj Kumar, Dheer Singh, Sarita Sachdeva, S.K. Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management, 2019
  • An integrated approach for efficient conversion of Lemna minor to biogas
    Manpreet Kaur, Sandipam Srikanth, Manoj Kumar, Sarita Sachdeva, S.K. Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management, 2019
  • Aquatic weeds as the next generation feedstock for sustainable bioenergy production
    Manpreet Kaur, Manoj Kumar, Sarita Sachdeva, S.K. Puri
    Bioresource Technology, 2018
  • Mycoremediation potential of Pleurotus species for heavy metals: a review
    Meena Kapahi, Sarita Sachdeva
    Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 2017
  • 3-D vertically aligned few layer graphene-partially reduced graphene oxide/sulfur electrodes for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries
    D. P. Singh, N. Soin, S. Sharma, S. Basak, S. Sachdeva, S. S. Roy, H. W. Zanderbergen, J. A. McLaughlin, M. Huijben, M. Wagemaker
    Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 2017
  • Preface to the special issue section on "moving towards hydrogen economy in India: Challenges and opportunities in production, storage and usage of hydrogen energy"
    R.K. Malhotra, L.M. Das, A. Sharma, D.K. Tuli, S. Sachdeva
    International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2016
  • Rhizosphere: Its structure, bacterial diversity and significance
    Pratibha Prashar, Neera Kapoor, Sarita Sachdeva
    Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology, 2014
  • Isolation and characterization of Bacillus sp with In-vitro antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum from rhizosphere of tomato
    Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2013
  • Isolation of laccase producing Trichoderma spp. and effect of PH and temperature on its activity
    International Journal of Chemtech Research, 2013
  • Comparative anti-microbial activities of concentration-dependent, water-suspended powdered commercial zinc oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles
    ShilpaJ. Newati, VarshaM. Singh, Sarita Sachdeva, RiazA. Khan
    Journal of Bionanoscience, 2013
  • Iron oxide nanoparticles reinforced self-assembled monolayers of cysteamine for use in enzymatic biosensor development
    Nanotechnology 2010 Bio Sensors Instruments Medical Environment and Energy Technical Proceedings of the 2010 Nsti Nanotechnology Conference and Expo Nsti Nanotech 2010, 2010
  • Minimal-dose cancer chemotherapy: Anti-cancer drugs loaded nanodevices towards time, site & organ-specific releases for development of personalized nanomedicine
    Nanotechnology 2010 Bio Sensors Instruments Medical Environment and Energy Technical Proceedings of the 2010 Nsti Nanotechnology Conference and Expo Nsti Nanotech 2010, 2010

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Biosorption of Heavy Metal Cadmium From Aqua Medium Using Moringa Oleifera as Nature‐Based Solution
    M Verma, S Sachdeva
    Food Safety and Health 4 (1), 180-195 , 2026
    2026
  • Development of potential consortia for biotransformation of lignin and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 15 (21), 27963-27978 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 7
  • Unveiling lignin depolymerization pathways in a bench-scale bioreactor through metagenomic analysis
    NL Radhika, S Sandipam, S Sachdeva, M Kumar, RP Gupta, U Srivastava, ...
    Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 13 (5), 117522 , 2025
    2025
  • Investigating the effectiveness of Peanut hull as biosorbent of Lead (Pb) from water
    M Verma, S Sachdeva
    Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 24 (2), 1-10 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Investigating the Effectiveness of Peanut Hull as Biosorbent of Lead (Pb) from Water
    M Verma, S Sachdeva
    Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 24 (2), B4239-. , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • Occurrence, source and dietary exposure of toxic and essential elements in the Indian food basket
    M Jain, BM Sharma, S Sachdeva, J Kuta, R Červenka, L Nizzetto, ...
    Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 85 (4), 466-484 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 6
  • Lignin depolymerization and biotransformation to industrially important chemicals/biofuels
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Fuel 312, 122935 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 101
  • Bio-pesticide oil formulation
    N DIDWANIA, S SACHDEVA, A Sharma
    US Patent App. 17/290,629 , 2022
    2022
  • Microbe assisted depolymerization of lignin rich waste and its conversion to gaseous biofuel
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Journal of environmental management 300, 113684 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 21
  • Effect of metal nanoparticles on microbial community shift and syntrophic metabolism during anaerobic digestion of Azolla microphylla
    M Kaur, PC Sahoo, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 9 (5), 105841 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 31
  • Block-2 Antigen-Antibody
    S Nanda, S Sachdeva, N Manzoor
    Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi , 2021
    2021
  • BZYEL-142 Immunology: Laboratory
    SG Varmani, S Sachdeva, IK Singh
    Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi , 2021
    2021
  • Block-2 The Physical Basis of Heredity
    S Sachdeva, A Shourie, A Bahuguna, AK Bali
    Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi , 2021
    2021
  • Unit-7 Antibodies
    N Kapoor, S Sachdeva, S Nanda
    Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi , 2021
    2021
  • Unit-5 Structural Abnormalities in Chromosomes and Their Effects
    S Sachdeva
    Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi , 2021
    2021
  • An efficient multiphase bioprocess for enhancing the renewable energy production from almond shells
    M Kaur, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 203, 112235 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 44
  • Bioremediation options for heavy metal pollution
    M Kapahi, S Sachdeva
    Journal of health & pollution 9 (24), 191203 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 496
  • A sustainable biorefinery approach for efficient conversion of aquatic weeds into bioethanol and biomethane
    M Kaur, M Kumar, D Singh, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 187, 133-147 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 64
  • An integrated approach for efficient conversion of Lemna minor to biogas
    M Kaur, S Srikanth, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 180, 25-35 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 45
  • Aquatic weeds as the next generation feedstock for sustainable bioenergy production
    M Kaur, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Bioresource Technology 251, 390-402 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 182

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Rhizosphere: its structure, bacterial diversity and significance
    P Prashar, N Kapoor, S Sachdeva
    Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 13 (1), 63-77 , 2014
    2014
    Citations: 544
  • Bioremediation options for heavy metal pollution
    M Kapahi, S Sachdeva
    Journal of health & pollution 9 (24), 191203 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 496
  • Mycoremediation potential of Pleurotus species for heavy metals: a review
    M Kapahi, S Sachdeva
    Bioresources and bioprocessing 4 (1), 32 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 193
  • Aquatic weeds as the next generation feedstock for sustainable bioenergy production
    M Kaur, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Bioresource Technology 251, 390-402 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 182
  • Isolation of laccase producing Trichoderma spp. and effect of pH and temperature on its activity
    K Kalra, R Chauhan, M Shavez, S Sachdeva
    Int. J. Chem. Environ. Technol 5 (5), 2229-2235 , 2013
    2013
    Citations: 138
  • Lignin depolymerization and biotransformation to industrially important chemicals/biofuels
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Fuel 312, 122935 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 101
  • A sustainable biorefinery approach for efficient conversion of aquatic weeds into bioethanol and biomethane
    M Kaur, M Kumar, D Singh, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 187, 133-147 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 64
  • Biocontrol of plant pathogens using plant growth promoting bacteria
    P Prashar, N Kapoor, S Sachdeva
    Sustainable Agriculture Reviews: Volume 12, 319-360 , 2013
    2013
    Citations: 49
  • An integrated approach for efficient conversion of Lemna minor to biogas
    M Kaur, S Srikanth, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 180, 25-35 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 45
  • An efficient multiphase bioprocess for enhancing the renewable energy production from almond shells
    M Kaur, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Energy Conversion and Management 203, 112235 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 44
  • Isolation and Characterization of Bacillus sp with In-vitro Antagonistic Activity against Fusarium oxysporum from Rhizosphere of Tomato
    P Prashar, N Kapoor, S Sachdeva
    JKUAT , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 43
  • Cadmium toxicity and its phytoremediation: A review
    A Sharma, S Sachdeva
    International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research 6 (9), 395-405 , 2015
    2015
    Citations: 34
  • Effect of metal nanoparticles on microbial community shift and syntrophic metabolism during anaerobic digestion of Azolla microphylla
    M Kaur, PC Sahoo, M Kumar, S Sachdeva, SK Puri
    Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 9 (5), 105841 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 31
  • Chronic toxic effects of cadmium and copper, and their combination on some enzymological and biochemical parameters in Channa punctatus
    KV Sastry, S Sachdeva, P Rathee
    Journal of Environmental Biology 18 (3), 291-303 , 1997
    1997
    Citations: 28
  • Azolla: role in phytoremediation of heavy metals
    S Sachdeva, A Sharma
    Int J Eng Sci 1 (2277), 9698 , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 26
  • Microbe assisted depolymerization of lignin rich waste and its conversion to gaseous biofuel
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Journal of environmental management 300, 113684 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 21
  • Isolation and Characterization of Bacillus sp with
    P Prashar, N Kapoor, S Sachdeva
    vitro , 2013
    2013
    Citations: 9
  • Effect of water-borne cadmium and copper on the blood of the fish Channa punctatus
    KV Sastry, S Sachdeva
    Environment and ecology. Kalyani 12 (2), 291-297 , 1994
    1994
    Citations: 9
  • Mycoremediation Potential of Pleurotus Species for Heavy Metals: A Review-Bioresources and Bioprocessing
    M Kapahi, S Sachdeva
    SpringerOpen , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 8
  • Development of potential consortia for biotransformation of lignin and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    NL Radhika, S Sachdeva, M Kumar
    Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 15 (21), 27963-27978 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 7

GRANT DETAILS

RESEARCH PROJECTS:
• Project Title: Engagement as State Implementation Support Agency (SISA) to support in Jal Jeevan Mission(JJM) with contract value of INR Rs 47,52,000/- fromPublic Health Engineering Department(PHED) State Government, Haryana, Memo No 13419 dated 28th September 2021 to 2022.(Tendor No: 2021_HRY-178043_1).
• Project Title: Engagement of District Implementation Partner to support in implementation of Atal Bhujal Yojna Atal 06 Faridabad & Cluster 07 Palwal) with contract value of INR Rs 7.73 Crores from Irrigation and WR Department, State Government, Haryana, 11th August 2021 to 2025.
• Project Title: “Hydro Geological Survey for Aquifer Monitoring in Barmer Area, Rajasthan” with contract value of INR Rs 2.28 Crores, from Cairns Oil & Gas Vedanta Limited in order to evaluate that the abstraction of deep saline aquifer is not impacting the available fresh water resource in the area. ( Contract No 4600008827, Block RJ-ON -90/1) 1st july,2021 to 24.
• Project Title: “Eco Next Talent Hunt For Eco Smart Youth Leadership And Competence Development Of Young Change Makers Based On Eco Eureka And E3 Next Training In Rural And Urban Haryana” with project outlay of by NCSTC,DST, New Delhi,February,2019-22.
• Project Title:” Solid Waste Treatment and Management at village Rakhigarhi in District Hissar” with project outlay of Rs 20 lakhs, funded by Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development(ITRHD), New Delh, with mandate to s

STARTUP

START-UP- COMPANY
Founder Director of a Startup Company entitled M/s Tricho Agronica Pvt. Ltd, which finds its origin to research being translated to commercial venture. It is in concern to development of economical and organic bioformulation (Bioelixir) which is a remedy for Bull’s eye pathogen at low cost. This will not only promote biodynamic agriculture but will also encourage ecofriendly sustainable lifestyle and is also committed for consolidating efforts towards organic agriculture and A novel eco-friendly solution against fungal pathogens in Tomato’, funded Rs 172 Lacs by Indian Oil Startup Scheme (IOSUS), 2017.