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Decolourisation and degradation of textile dyes using a
sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) – biodigester microflora
co-culture
Chamunorwa Aloius Togo*, Cecil Clifford Zvandada
Mutambanengwe and Christopher George Whiteley
Department of biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology,
Rhodes University, Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140,
South
Africa.
*Corresponding author: Email:
chamunorwat@yahoo.com.
Tel:
+27 46 603 8441. Fax: +27 46 6223 984.
Accepted 12 November, 2007 |
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Successful decolourisation and degradation of textile dyes
was achieved in a biosulphidogenic batch reactor using
biodigester sludge from a local municipality waste treatment
plant as a source of carbon and microflora that augmented a
sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) consortium. Orange II (O
II) was decolourised by 95
% within one day (24 h) producing
1-amino-2-naphthol and stoichiometric quantities of
sulphanilic acid. The latter was degraded steadily (from ≈
290 to 43 µM) over 20 days while 1-amino-2-naphthol
disappeared from the reactor within two days. Other azo
dyes, Reactive black 5 (RB 5), Reactive red 120 (RR 120),
Remazol Brilliant violet 5R (RBV 5R), an anthraquinone dye
Reactive blue 2 (RB 2) and an industrial azo dye mixture (Da
Gama Textiles, King Williams Town, South Africa) were
successfully degraded with the exception of Amido black 10B
(AB 10B). The Orange II degrading cultures were freeze dried
to investigate the feasibility of commercialising a powdered
mixed starter culture for textile effluent bioremediation,
but this decreased the dye degrading efficiency. Therefore
bioremediation of textile effluent with sludge and SRB can
concomitantly treat two wastes while providing a cheaper
alternative of the carbon source.
. However, the fate of more aromatic amines
needs to be investigated before full commercialisation of
the process.
Key words:
Bioremediation, textile effluent, 1-amino-2-naphthol,
sulphanilic acid, sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), azo dye,
biosulphidogenic. |
