Keywords
Luffa cilyndrica
dye removal efficiency
Lentinus sp
wastewater
laccase
peroxidase
How to Cite
Abstract
Industrial textile effluents containing azo dyes pose a major environmental challenge due to their persistence and toxicity. This study evaluated the capacity of a native white-rot fungus (Lentinus sp.) to treat a real textile effluent polluted with an azo dye (Red 40) in a packed-bed bioreactor. Fungal biomass was immobilized on low-cost lignocellulosic supports (Luffa cylindrica), and pine sawdust was added as a biological inducer to stimulate ligninolytic enzyme production. Treatment conditions were first optimized in Erlenmeyer flasks (0.15 L), achieving 94.0 ± 0.1 % decolorization. Under scaled-up conditions (6 L, 30 ◦C, 12-day hydraulic retention time, batch mode, no agitation), the system removed 61.5 ± 0.2 % of dye color and reduced chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 99.0 ± 0.3 %. Enzymatic assays revealed manganese peroxidase activity, while laccase was not detected. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis confirmed structural modifications of the dye through azo bond cleavage. These findings demonstrate the potential of native ligninolytic fungi as sustainable and cost-effective biotechnological tools to treat azo dye-polluted industrial effluents, supporting their applicability at larger scales.
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