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New Type Biomembrane: Transport and Biodegradation of Reactive Textile Dye

Summary

Researchers developed an innovative biodegradable membrane containing mushroom fungus (Morchella esculenta) to clean textile dye-contaminated water. The membrane uses natural fungal enzymes called laccase to break down harmful dyes while also absorbing them, achieving 98.6% dye removal in 60 hours. This eco-friendly approach eliminates the need for toxic chemicals used in traditional water treatment and can be reused multiple times, making it promising for industrial textile wastewater treatment.

Background

Textile industry wastewater containing reactive dyes presents significant environmental challenges due to the dyes’ resistance to degradation. Traditional physicochemical treatment methods are costly and not universally applicable. Biodegradation using ligninolytic fungi is considered an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative for dye removal.

Objective

To develop a novel eco-green biomembrane (EgBM) that combines polymer inclusion membrane technology with fungal enzyme capability to transport and biodegrade reactive textile dyes. The study aimed to optimize membrane composition and evaluate its effectiveness in dye removal through both biosorption and biodegradation mechanisms.

Results

The optimized EgBM achieved 98.6% ± 0.8 decolorization in 60 hours, with 83.2% ± 0.6 biodegradation by laccase enzymes and 15.4% ± 0.1 biosorption on fungal mycelium. Optimal dye concentration was 3.0 mg/L, and double pellet configuration performed better than single pellet. Immobilized cells showed superior performance and stability compared to free fungal cells.

Conclusion

The novel EgBM successfully combines the physical properties of polymer inclusion membranes with the degradative potential of fungal laccase enzymes, overcoming toxicity issues associated with traditional chemical carriers. The system demonstrates significant potential for industrial-scale application in textile wastewater treatment, with advantages including reusability, stability, and reduced environmental contamination risk.
  • Published in:ACS Omega,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMID: 32391468, DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b04433
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