Rice Husk-Cellulose-Based Agricultural Waste Enhances the Degradation of Synthetic Dyes Using Multiple...

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Bioremediation technologies
• Industrial biotechnology

Background:

• Synthetic dyes, particularly azo dyes like Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Orange (MO), pose significant environmental and health risks due to their high discharge concentrations from the textile industry.
• Conventional physical and chemical dye removal methods have limitations, driving the need for more efficient and sustainable alternatives.
• Microbial degradation presents a promising eco-friendly solution for decolorization and bioremediation of industrial effluents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of enzyme-producing extremophilic bacteria, specifically *Bacillus* FW2 isolated from food waste leachate, for decolorizing and bioremediating synthetic azo dyes.
• To screen and assay bacterial enzymes crucial for breaking azo bonds in textile dyes.
• To evaluate the degradation efficiency of Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Orange (MO) using rice husk as a substrate.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and screening of extremophilic bacteria (*Bacillus* FW2) from food waste leachate.
• Enzyme production screening and activity assays to identify dye-degrading capabilities.
• Degradation experiments using rice husk as a substrate to determine removal efficiencies of MB and MO under optimized conditions (120 rpm, 40 °C).

Main Results:

• *Bacillus* sp. FW2 demonstrated significant decolorization capabilities for synthetic dyes.
• Complete removal of Methyl Orange (MO) was achieved within 20 hours using rice husks.
• Approximately 99.8% degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) was observed within 24 hours, and 98.9% removal for a combination of MB + MO under optimized conditions.

Conclusions:

• Extremophilic *Bacillus* sp. strains show high potential for efficient decolorization and bioremediation of synthetic azo dyes.
• The use of rice husk as a substrate enhances the degradation efficiency of these bacterial strains.
• These findings suggest the feasibility of applying *Bacillus* sp. for large-scale industrial dye degradation and wastewater treatment.