GOA – Scientists at India’s National Institute of Oceanography say they have identified a bacterium derived from marine sponges that can be used to break down potentially hazardous textile dyes in wastewater.
While using bacteria to break down textile dyes in wastewater is not new, the researchers isolated the bacteria Yangia Pacifica from inter-tidal rocks off the coast of Goa and investigated its potential to break down azo dyes in an aqueous environment. The first time this organism has been used to perform this analysis.
While the bacteria were found to successfully decolourise water samples contaminated with azo dyes, there are some concerns that the breakdown products of azo dyes may well be far more hazardous than the dyes themselves.
