Potential of Thallophytes in Degradation of Dyes in Industrial Effluents

Abstract

Diverse groups of microorganisms have inhabited this earth, which use different types of sources for energy and growth. Industries revolutionize the lifestyle of humankind, which affects negatively the ecosystem. Synthetic dyes impart fabulous colors to cloth, food, paper, and cosmetics. Due to their xenobiotic nature, they are mostly insurmountable for degradation and also toxic. Most of them are washed off during the various processes and mixed in the industrial effluents. Microorganisms have enzymatic system for the decolorization of dyes or simply they can adsorb them on their surface. Several genera of algae, bacteria, and fungi have developed a system to use these unwanted compounds in the water. They can also biotransform or degrade them into non-toxic products. Degradation of the dyes depends upon their toxicity and chemical structure and the type of strain used. Some species were found to be efficient against a variety of dyes at a high concentration level. The present review describes the diversity of three genera Chlorella, Pseudomonas, and Aspergillus of thallophytes for the degradation and decolorization of various dyes in industrial effluents and also the use of integrated approach of different consortia or other treatments for their application in wastewater treatment plants.