Removal of Azo Dye Reactive Red 120 by Mixed Bacterial Culture

Lucija Sangaleti, Felicita Briški, Heideimarie Matanić and Zlata Jurić

Laboratory of Industrial Ecology, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology University of Zagreb, CROATIA

Article history:
Received  May 4, 1994
Accepted February 28, 1995

Summary:
Azo dyes belong lo the largest group of marketed colourants. Removal of dyes from effluents is the major environmental problem because certain aromatic compounds carrying HSO₃ groups resist biodegradation or are incompletely degraded. In the present study microbial removal of azo dye Reactive Red 120 from aqueous solution was investigated. Mixed bacterial culture previously aerobically grown in the presence of this dye was used in static culture experiments. It was found that some ecological factors affected dye decolourisation. The fastest dye removal was obtained at 28 ºC, pH = 6.8 with 0.20 volume fraction of culture inoculum and by addition 0.1 volume fraction of nutrient broth.