Pradnya A. Joshi and Kirti J. Mhatre
Carbol fuchsin and Malachite green dyes are extensively used in textile dyeing, paper, printing and other industries. Textile effluent released from industries is a complex mixture of many polluting substances including dyes and must be treated before discharged into environment because of their recalcitrant nature and potential toxicity to animals and humans. Biological treatment offers a cheaper and environment friendly alternative to dye decolorization and wastewater reutilization in industrial process. In the present studies bacteria were isolated from textile effluent and dyes decolorization assay were performed in the basal nutrient medium. The most efficient bacterial isolate was used for further optimization studies. The morphological and biochemical studies revealed the isolated organism as Enterococcus spp. The strain showed 100% and 92% decolorization of the Malachite green and Carbol fuchsin (0.02g/L) respectively within 24 h. The optimum pH and temperature for the decolorization was 7.0 and 370C respectively. Phytotoxicity study demonstrated no toxicity of the biodegraded product. The results suggest that the isolated Enterococcus spp. can be a useful tool to treat waste water containing dyes
