Fungi-powered bioreactor cleans dye-polluted waters, boosts environmental sustainability.
A new bioreactor system was developed to remove dyes using fungi. The system has two phases: in the first phase, fungi are immobilized in plastic cartridges filled with wheat bran to decolorize dyes at 28°C. In the second phase, enzymes from the fungi are used to further decolorize dyes at 50°C. Argentinean strains of Trametes versicolor were able to decolorize two different dyes, with the highest rates achieved by strain BAFC 2234. When both dyes were used together, significant decolorization was observed after 100 minutes in the first phase and even more after 240 minutes in the second phase. The system allows for continuous use in non-sterile conditions, making it a cost-effective and scalable solution for dye removal from effluents.