Exploring the potential of natural bacterial consortium to degrade mixture of dyes and textile effluent

Mixture of 8 textile dyes was degraded in nutrient broth by using natural bacterial consortium within 3.5 h at static condition. The same consortium effectively degraded textile industry effluent within 3 h. ADMI (American Dye Manufacturer’s Institute) value removal was 89% and 67% for dye mixture and industrial effluent, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature for the decolorization of dye mixture was found to be 5 and 50 °C, respectively. Significant induction of intracellular enzymes laccase, azo reductase, veratryl alcohol oxidase and DCIP (2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol) reductase suggested their active role in dye decolorization. Presence of 6 bacteria in natural consortium obtained from textile dye disposal site was confirmed by using molecular techniques, namely, T-RFLP (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) and TGGE (Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis). The products formed after decolorization of dye mixture were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, HPLC, HPTLC and GC–MS.