Efficient decolorization and detoxification of the sulfonated azo dye Reactive Orange 16 and simulated textile wastewater containing Reactive Orange 16 by the white-rot fungus Ganoderma sp. En3 isolated from the forest of Tzu-chin Mountain in China

The sulfonated azo dye Reactive Orange 16 is the commonly used representative of reactive dyes, but is hard to be degraded by some conventional treatment methods. In order to develop more efficient and more cost-effective treatment methods for degrading this recalcitrant dye, the capability of the white-rot fungus Ganoderma sp. En3 isolated by our laboratory to decolorize and detoxify Reactive Orange 16 was investigated in this study. Ganoderma sp. En3 had a strong ability to decolorize high concentrations of Reactive Orange 16 and simulated textile wastewater containing Reactive Orange 16 in submerged cultures. Decolorization of Reactive Orange 16 and its simulated dye effluents by this fungus resulted in the decrease of phytotoxicity. Ganoderma sp. En3 had strong adaptability and tolerance to high concentrations of Reactive Orange 16. Compared with some previous research, Ganoderma sp. En3 was superior to some other fungal strains reported previously in the rate and extent of decolorizing Reactive Orange 16. It was also found that the real textile wastewater could be efficiently decolorized by Ganoderma sp. En3 in submerged cultures. The crude enzyme produced by Ganoderma sp. En3 could also efficiently decolorize Reactive Orange 16 and simulated textile wastewater under in vitro conditions.