Reactive dyes constitute the largest and most versatile class of synthetic dyes used in the textile industries. During processing unused dyes liberated in the industrial wastewater indirectly in natural water bodies. Such dyes containing wastewater is pose a threat to the environment. Application of microbial consortium to decolorize the textile dyes is efficient method and provides an eco-friendly option for remediation of dyes contaminants. Dye degrading bacteria were isolated from textile effluent. Out of 12, two isolates identified as Citrobacter diversus and Acinetobacter lwoffii exhibited more than 80% decolorization while their consortium showed 92.5% and 94.8% decolorization of Reactive Orange HE2R and Reactive Red HE7B dyes respectively. Consortium showed highest decolorization in presence of glucose as a carbon source and could tolerate the dyes concentration upto 0.06 g/L with pH 7.0 at 37 °C. FTIR analysis of decolorized medium confirms the degradation of dyes. Consortium was able to decolorize textile effluent efficiently and also resulted in significant reduction of BOD and COD values of effluent sample. These results suggest the use of consortium in in situ treatment of textile effluent.

Keywords: Bioremediation; Consortium; Reactive Dyes; Textile Effluent;