Bioremediation of paper and pulp mill effluents

Abstract

<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:#767676;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Pulp and paper mill effluents pollute water, air and soil, causing a major threat to the environment. Several methods have heen attempted by various researchers throughout the world for the removal of colour from pulp and paper mill effluents. The biological colour removal process uses scveral classes of microorganisms - bacteria, algae and fungi – to degrade the polymeric lignin derived chromophoric material. White rot fungi such as <i>Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Corius versicolor, Trametes versicolor </i>etc., are efficient in decolourizing paper and pulp mill effluents. <i>Gliocladium virens</i>, a saprophytic soil fungus decolourised paper and pulp mill effluents by 42% due to the production of hemicellulase, lignin peroxidise, manganese peroxidase and laccase.</span>