Bioremediation of Azo Dyes Using Fungi

Color is the main attraction of any fabric. No matter how excellent its constitution, if unsuitably colored it is bound to be a failure as a commercial fabric. Use of synthetic dyes has an adverse effect on all forms of life. Presence of sulphur, naphthol, vat dyes, nitrates, acetic acid, soaps, enzymes chromium compounds and heavy metals like copper, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, and cobalt and certain auxiliary chemicals all collectively make the textile effluent highly toxic.Decolorization of textile dyes using fungi viz., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium sp, Mucor sp, Trichoderma, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, and Penicillium were isolated from the soil samples collected from textile industries in Arni. These isolates were tested for decolorization of textile dyes such as Remazol Red and Remazol Black. The results showed that all the eight fungal species were found to be effective in decolorization of textile dyes. Among the isolates Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus were found to be more effective against decolorization of Remazol Red and Remazol Black respectively. This study concluded that the bioremediation process is ideal to reduce dyes toxicity with low-cost and environmentally friendly