RESEARCH ARTI CLE DECOLOURIZATION STUDIES OF SYNTHETIC TEXTILE DYE USING ASPERGILLUSSPECIES UNDER STATIC AND SHAKING CONDITIONS Nandhini, R., Vaishnavi V. Koti, Vadanasundari, V. and Rangabhashiyam, S. Depar tment of Biotechnol ogy, P. R. Engineer ing College, Vall am, Thanjavur -613 403 Received 11 th August, 2012; Received in Revised from 08 th September, 2012; Accepted 29 th October, 2012; Published online 30 th November, 2012 ABSTRACT Different fungi have the potentials to decolourize complex and recalcitrant organic compounds into simpler fragments achieving complete mineralization. Optilan red dye and Indosol yellow dye belong to an important group of synthetic dye used in textile industries. They are considered as recalcitrant compound for decolourisation. In this work a batch experiment was conducted for the decolorization of optilan red dye and indosol yellow dye using Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus under static and shaking conditions. At 200mg/L of optilan red dye, 77% and 84 % decolorization was achieved with Aspergillus niger in 8 days interval at static and shaking condition. In case of A. flavus the percentage of decolourization of indosol yellow dye at 200mg/L was found to be 70% and 75%, in 8 days interval at static and shaking condition respectively.This study brings out the ability of Aspergillus species to degrade optilan red dyes and direct yellow dye and reinforces the potential of this group of fungi for the decolorization of textile effluents. Key words: Synthetic dye, Decolorization, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus. INTRODUCTION Textile dyes enhances the quality of human lifestyle on an extent[1]. Nowadays, there are more than 100,000 commercially available dyes with over 7.105 tons of dyestuff produced annually [2]. Textile industries are found in most countries and their number had been increased. Dyes include a broad spectrum of different chemical structures, primarily based on substituted aromatic and hetrocyclic groups such as aromatic amine (C6 H5-NH2), which is a suspected carcinogenic, phenyl (C6 H5-CH2) and naphthyle (NO2-OH), the only thing in common is their ability to absorb light in the visible region. A large number of dyes are azo compounds (-N-N-), which are lincked by an azo bridge[3]. In the last two decades the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and other national and international agencies imposed increasingly strict regulations on the manufacture and use of synthetic colorants. The pigment and dye industry had to develop the necessary technology to analyze and remediate pollutants in wastewater [4]. Many physical and chemical processes for colour removal have been applied including coagulation and flocculation, biosorption, photo-decomposition and ultrafiltration, oxidizing agents, membrane and electrochemical. Several industries used dyes and pigments for the coloration of their products, such as textiles, rubber, paper, plastics, leather, cosmetics, food and mineral processing industries [5] . A special problem is encountered in the application of synthetic dyes which have a complex aromatic molecular structure and are designed to be resistant to physical, chemical and *Corresponding author: rambhashiyam@gmail.com microbial fading. The textile industries operate with pure cotton fibers or cotton fibers mixed with polyester. Many dyes and other substances present in textile effluents are polluting the environment[6]. Further disposal of the dyes from the industries into the environment causes a very serious damage, since they may significantly affect the photosynthetic activity of hydrophytes by reducing light penetration and also they may be toxic to some aquatic organisms due to their recalcitrant nature[7]. Therefore, industrial effluents containing dyes must be treated before their discharge into the environment. Consequently, large quantities of dye-containing effluents are released in the environment. Such effluents discolor water bodies and increase biochemical oxygen demand of the contaminated water. In addition, anaerobic degradation products of some dyes may be carcinogenic or mutagenic [8]. Recently, microbial decolourisation involving suitable bacteria or fungi has attracted increasing interest. In contrast to the anaerobic treatment with bacteria, the decolourisation by fungi using an oxidative mechanism has the advantage of giving products that are less toxic than the initial dye. A number of biotechnological approaches have been suggested by recent research as of potential interest towards combating this pollution source in an eco –efficient manner, including the use of bacteria or fungi, often in combination with physicochemical processes [9]. Biotreatment depicts a cheaper and environmentally friendlier alternative for colour removal in textile effluents. The ecofriendly microbial decolourization and detoxification is alternative to the physical and chemical methods[10]. A wide variety of microorganisms are capable of decolourization of a wide range of dyes some of them are as bacteria: Escherichia coli NO3, Pseudomonas ISSN: 0976-3376 Asian Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 4, Issue 11, pp.080-082, November, 2012 Available Online at http://www.journalajst.com ASIAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY