Potential of combined fungal and bacterial treatment for color removal in textile wastewater

Abstract

Low efficiency of dye removal by mixed bacterial communities and high rates of dye decolorization by white-rot fungi suggest a combination of both processes to be an option of treatment of textile wastewaters containing dyes and high concentrations of organics. Bacteria were able to remove mono-azo dye but not other chemically different dyes whereas decolorization rates using Irpex lacteus mostly exceeded 90% within less than one week irrespective of dye structure. Decolorization rates for industrial textile wastewaters containing 2-3 different dyes by fungal trickling filters (FTF) attained 91%, 86%, 35% within 5-12 d. Sequential two-step application of FTF and bacterial reactors resulted in efficient decolorization in 1st step (various single dyes, 94-99% within 5 d; wastewater I, 90% within 7 d) and TOC reduction of 95-97% in the two steps. Large potential of combined use of white-rot fungi and traditional bacterial treatment systems for bioremediation of textile wastewaters was demonstrated.