Essential oil (EO) of Citrus limon fresh (LF) and lemon waste peel (LW) was extracted using the hydro distillation method. A total of 17 chemical constituents (97.02–97.26%) were identified using GC, GC-MS, and NMR techniques. Major monoterpene hydrocarbons including d-limonene (52.42–54.17%), α-terpineol (16.82–21.15%), β-pinene (6.74–9.15%) and γ-terpinene (2.16–3.59%) were further identified using 1H and 13C NMR analysis. Furthermore, extracted EOs, their synergistic combinations and major constituent (d-limonene) were evaluated for fumigant toxicity, repellence, and ovipositional inhibitory (OI) potential using without food and with food conditions against pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis and Callosobruchus maculatus. d-limonene was found to be most effective against C. chinensis and C. maculatus followed by LW oil in all the evaluated assays. EO of LW was found more effective against C. chinensis (LC50 = 2899.11 μl L−1) without food after 96 h than lemon fresh. Among synergistic combinations, LW and LF at 3:1 ratio without food reported more effective to C. chinensis (LC50 = 277.85 μl L−1) and C. maculatus (LC50 = 322.38 μl L−1) without food after 96 h. In repellent assay, EO of LW also displayed higher repellent to both species (RC50 = 430.71 to 525.56 and μl L−1). EO of LW showed higher OI (50.14 ± 3.09%) against C. chinensis at higher concentration after 24 h. EOs of LF and LW also inhibited glutathione -S-transferase and acetylcholine esterase activity in C. chinensis and C. maculatus.
Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria are common inhabitants of wastewater: we found that Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Afifella marina in eutrophic conditions only partially degraded the azo dye (50 mmol m−3), Methyl Red, but completely degraded it under specially defined conditions. The azo dye is potentially a source of both carbon and fixed nitrogen. Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Afifella marina can live heterotrophically, photoheterotrophically or photoautotrophically under anoxic conditions where they can fix N2 if no organic nitrogen or NH3 is available. If organic carbon sources are available or if NH3 is present, the cells again only partially catabolised Methyl Red. In the absence of no alternative organic carbon sources and no NH3, the cells almost completely spectroscopically decolourised Methyl Red in 4 days. In sewage ponds the ready availability of alternative organic carbon and NH3 would result in only partial removal of Methyl Red. Rhodopseudomonas cells responded to the availability of Methyl Red in N-free media, by increasing both Optimum irradiance and maximum ETR (Eopt 276.3 μmol quanta m−2 s−1; ETRmax 391.4 μmol e− g−1 BChl a s−1) compared to control cells incubated in PM media with no organic carbon source and no fixed N-source (Eopt 115.2 μmol quanta m−2 s−1; ETRmax = 153.0 μmol e− g−1 BChl a s−1. If no alternative C or N sources are available, Rhodopseudomonas embedded in alginate biobeads will completely and repeatedly break down Methyl Red. The marine Afifella readily broke down Methyl Red but again breakdown was only complete if alternative carbon and no fixed nitrogen sources were available. The toxicity of the breakdown products produced by photosynthetic bacteria from azo-dyes needs to be followed up. Photosynthetic bacterial-alginate biobeads have long lifetimes (Rhodopseudomonas ≈ 2 months, Afifella > 6 months) making them of great biotechnological potential.