Chapter 12 - Latest innovations in bacterial degradation of textile azo dyes

Abstract

The textile industry, one of the oldest and largest employers in India, plays a major role in the economic development and progress of developing countries worldwide. Discharge of toxic effluents from these industries is an immense threat to the aquatic systems on which plants, animals, and humans are inevitably dependent. To resolve this devastating threat, recalcitrant synthetic compounds such as azo dyes need to be treated and degraded to safeguard water bodies. This chapter critically summarizes bacterial degradation of azo dyes in comparison to other currently available state-of-the-art systems/technologies/methodologies. In particular, the updating of recent studies in the bacterial degradation of azo dyes is focused upon in order to fill the knowledge gap in this field. In addition, the current understanding in choosing the adapted and nonadapted strains for biotechnological applications is discussed. Briefly, the importance of computational and systems biology approach in enhancing bacterial azo dye degradation, an unconventional yet pioneering alternative, is advocated.