Screening of Dye Degrading Bacteria from Textile Effluents

The textile industry in India is one of the oldest industries. It provides direct employment to nearly thirty million people. Wastewater from textile industries are a complex mixture of many polluting substances such as organochlorine based pesticides, heavy metals, pigments and dyes. This study deals about the biodegradation of Reactive yellow 81, which is a commercially important dye, with a wide range of applications across the textile and leather industries. Decolourisation was assessed as color disappearance during bacterial growth. Textile effluent samples were collected from different dyeing units near Salem. Seventeen isolates were isolated. Using plate assay method the decolourisation activity of bacteria was detected. Among the seventeen isolates seven organisms showed the decolourisation activity and they are Bacillus sp 1, Staphylococcus, Kurthia, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Sulfidobacillus, Bacillus Sp.