Enhanced decolorization and biodegradation of textile azo dye Scarlet R by using developed microbial consortium-GR

A developed consortium-GR, consisting of Proteus vulgaris NCIM-2027 (PV) and Micrococcus glutamicus NCIM-2168 (MG), completely decolorized an azo dye Scarlet R under static anoxic condition with an average decolorization rate of 16,666 μg h^-1; which is much faster than that of the pure cultures (PV, 3571 μg h^-1; MG, 2500 μg h^-1). Consortium-GR gave best decolorization performance with nearly complete mineralization of Scarlet R (over 90% TOC and COD reduction) within 3 h, much shorter relative to the individual strains. Induction in the riboflavin reductase and NADH-DCIP reductase was observed in the consortium, suggesting the involvement of these enzymes during the fast decolorization process. The FTIR and GC-MS analysis showed that 1,4-benzenediamine was formed during decolorization/degradation of Scarlet R by consortium-GR. Phytotoxicity studies revealed no toxicity of the biodegraded products of Scarlet R by consortium-GR. In addition, consortium-GR applied for mixture of industrial dyes showed 88% decolorization under static condition with significant reduction in TOC (62%) and COD (68%) within 72 h, suggesting potential application of this microbial consortium in bioremediation of dye-containing wastewater.