Decolourization, degradation and removal of heavy metals of textile effluent with the help of mixed bacterial consortium

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of mixed bacterial consortium in decolourization, degradation and removal of heavy metals from textile effluent. The bacterial strains,used as consortium, were isolated from textile effluent and were comprised of <em>Enterobacter asburiae</em> and <em>E. cloacae</em>. This bacterial consortium (0.1 g/100 mL bacterial consortium biomass) efficiently decolorized (up to 98%) the effluent under aerobic condition within 10 min, at pH 1.67 and 32^oC. Ultraviolet (UV) visible analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study and colourless bacterial cells indicate the capacity of bacterial consortium to decolorize the textile effluent through biodegradation instead of adsorption on the surface. Cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity studies also signify the lesser toxicity of textile effluent after the treatment with bacterial consortium. Thus the present bacterial consortium can be successfully employed for decolourization, biodegradation and metals removal from acidic textile effluents.