Acid Blue 161: Decolorization and Toxicity Analysis After Microbiological Treatment

ABSTRACT Concern for the incorrect disposal of potentially toxic substances in aquatic environments is growing due to adverse effects caused to the organisms exposed to them. Synthetic azo dyes are part of this group of substances, and increasingly, researchers seek alternatives able to degrade and remove these molecules to prevent their discharge to the environment. Thus, this study sought to examine the dye removal capacity Acid Blue 161 by biosorption and biodegradation from filamentous fungi Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus and perform acute toxicity tests with Lactuca sativa organisms and Artemia salina . The biossorption treatment resulted in 46 % decolorization of the solutions and reducing the toxicity of the means for both organisms tested. While the biodegradation study resulted in 84 % decolorization at the end of treatment. The resulting solution of such treatment did not show toxicity to the larvae of A. salina and the L. sativa seeds were increased by 40 % in the inhibition of root growth of seedlings. FTIR studies indicated the presence of amines in the middle, which justifies the increase in toxicity to seedlings, since these compounds are potentially toxic to a variety of organisms.