ISOLATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF SOIL BORNE FUNGI TO DECOLORIZE BROMOTHYMOL BLUE AND METHYLENE BLUE [JENIFFER SYLVIA D]

The waste generated during the process and operation of the dyes, contains inorganic and organic contaminant leading to the hazard to ecosystem and biodiversity causing impact on the environment. The physico-chemical treatment does not remove the color and dye compound concentration. The decolorization of the dye takes place either by adsorption on the microbial biomass or and enzymatic degradation. As soil with leaf litter are rich in lignin degrading organisms 4 different soil samples containing leaf litter were analyzed for potential microbes for the decolourization of Dyes. The decolorization of dyes was studied in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium, while a fixed amount of dye solution (0.5%) in each case was used in culture medium. The decolorization of dyes was observed by the change in original colour and visual disappearance of colour from the treated Petri plates.Physico-chemicalparameters like carbon source, temperature, and pH are optimized for the decolorizationprocess by changing one parameter at a time. Four isolates showed dye decolorization and one isolate was found to be laccase producing organism. The study has confirmed the potential of the above isolates in the decolorization of dyes such as Methylene Blue and Bromothymol Blue and opened scope for future analysis of their performance in the treatment of textile effluent.