Azo dyes bioconversion by mixed culture under various conditions

The transformation of the azo dye Schwarz GRS under anoxic and anaerobic conditions in batch reactor was investigated. The initial dye concentrations varied from 10 to 100 mg/l and the tests were carried either in presence or absence of a carbon source (glucose). It was found that dye bioconversion was closely related to the glucose consumption. The degradation rates under anaerobic conditions were much higher than the rates under anoxic conditions and they grew with the increasing of the initial dye concentration. This suggests that the process of transformation of Schwarz GRS is a first order reaction The highest biotransformation rate obtained was 542mumol/g.d under anaerobic conditions in presence of glucose.