Abstract
Several vegetables and vegetable residues were used as sources of enzymes capable to discolor indigo carmine (IC), completely or partially. Complete discoloration was achieved with aqueous extracts of green pea seeds and peels of green pea, cucumber, and kohlrabi, as well as spring onion leaves. The source of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), pH, time, and aeration is fundamental for the discoloration process catalyzed by PPO. The PPO present in the aqueous extract of green pea seeds was able to degrade 3,000 ppm of IC at a pH of 7.6 and magnetic stirring at 1,800 rpm in about 36 h. In addition, at 1,800 rpm and a pH of 7.6, this extract discolored 300 ppm of IC in 1:40 h; in the presence of 10% NaCl, the discoloration was complete in 5:50 h, whereas it was completed in 4:30 h with 5% NaCl and 2% laundry soap.
Highlights
The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries, due to the large amounts of water and the great quantity of unused dyes and other chemicals released in wastewaters
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential of aqueous extracts of some vegetables and vegetable residues as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) sources to discolor indigo carmine (IC)
Several vegetables and vegetable residues were selected to achieve the discoloration of IC
Summary
The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries, due to the large amounts of water and the great quantity of unused dyes and other chemicals released in wastewaters. Previous studies have shown that textile dyes are toxic to flora and fauna and that their partial degradation products are mutagenic and carcinogenic [1] They present a potential health hazard to all forms of life [2]. Phytoremediation is valuable to remove or destroy contaminants, because plants can be used to decontaminate soils, industrial sites, brownfields, sediments, and water containing metals and/or organic compounds. It is a lowcost, environmentally friendly technology for the extraction, degradation, or fixation of the contaminants [6, 7]. The advantages of the selected biological materials are that they are inexpensive and accessible; BioMed Research International in addition, some of the residues of the selected vegetables such as peels and leaves are considered waste
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