MUMBAI, India, Sept. 22 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202611092615 A) filed by Dr. Gooty Jaffer Mohiddin; and Arifullah Mohammed on July 30, 2026, for Biodegradable Hydrogel Encapsulated Microbial Beads For Long-Term Soil Bioremediation.
Inventors include Dr. Gooty Jaffer Mohiddin; and Arifullah Mohammed.
The application for the patent was published on September 18, 2026, under issue no. 38/2026.
Abstract: Abstract The present invention discloses biodegradable hydrogel encapsulated microbial beads for long-term soil bioremediation. The invention comprises pollutant- degrading microbial consortia immobilized within a biodegradable composite hydrogel matrix containing sodium alginate, chitosan, gelatin, cellulose nanofibers, biochar nanoparticles, lignin particles, nutrient additives, and calcium-mediated crosslinking agents. The hydrogel protects microorganisms from environmental stress, enhances microbial viability, and enables sustained release of active microbial cells over 90–180 days. The encapsulated system effectively degrades petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, phenols, textile dyes, pharmaceutical residues, and other persistent contaminants while reducing the bioavailability of selected heavy metals. The hydrogel matrix further incorporates humic substances, molasses, amino acids, and trace minerals to improve microbial survival and metabolic activity under diverse soil conditions. The biodegradable beads exhibit high encapsulation efficiency, excellent mechanical stability, prolonged storage life, and gradual degradation without generating harmful residues. Experimental evaluations demonstrate enhanced microbial survival, improved pollutant degradation efficiency, increased soil microbial biomass, improved organic carbon content, and restoration of soil health compared with free microbial inoculation. The invention is suitable for remediation of contaminated agricultural lands, industrial sites, mining areas, petroleum spill zones, municipal landfills, and environmentally degraded ecosystems, providing an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and scalable technology for sustainable long-term soil restoration.
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