Combined Anaerobic-Aerobic Bacterial Degradation of Dyes

Wastewaters from the dye baths of a non-formal textile-dyeing unit containing C.I. Acid Orange 7 and C.I. Reactive Red 2 were subjected to degradation in a sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatment process based on mixed culture of bacteria. The technical samples of the dyestuffs and the dye bath wastes were treated in an anaerobic reactor, using an adapted mixed culture of anaerobic microorganisms. The dyestuffs were biotransformed into colourless substituted amine metabolites in the reactor. The biotransformation was assisted by co-metabolic process. The amine metabolites did not undergo further degradation in the anaerobic reactor. The effluent from the anaerobic reactor was treated in an aerobic rotating biological contactor and the amine metabolites were found to undergo complete mineralization. This two stage treatment resulted in 94% elimination of dissolved organic carbon. In addition, 85% of organic nitrogen was converted into nitrate in the aerobic reactor during nitrification process.