INDIGO CARMINE DEGRADATION IN SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR WITH ASPERGILLUS NIGER AN 400 IN THE TREATMENT OF IN NATURA WASTEWATER

Abstract

The textile industry is an important industrial sector. However, it produces large amounts of wastewater containing high concentration of mutagenic and carcinogenic dyes that need to be removed prior to final disposition there of on the environment. In this research, Aspergillus niger AN 400 was immobilized in aerobic reactor operated in sequencing batch by adding glucose as cossubstrate for treatment of textile industry wastewater diluted, containing Indigo Carmine (17 mg / L) and concentration of dissolved organic matter in 3492 mg COD / L. The average stain removal was 97% at a wavelength of the chromophore of which only 6% occurred by adsorption of the dye on the material support; 57% average removal of dissolved organic matter; 82.5% ammonia nitrogen and 80% nitrate, resulting in the average concentration in the final effluent of 14.12 mg /L and 0.23 mg / L, respectively. The system was capable of good removal of nitrogen and Indigo Carmine, further optimization of its operation is necessary in order to increase the efficiency of removal of organic matter especially the by-products formed from degradation of the dye.

Keywords: Indigo carmine, fungal degradation, sequencing batch reactor.