DEGRADATION OF DYES AND BISPHENOL A PRESENT IN WASTEWATER USING LACCASE-IMMOBILIZED NYLON 66 MEMBRANE

Abstract

The industries pollute the environment by releasing dyes and other toxic chemicals as effluents. The reactive dyes and Bisphenol A are of major concern and should be degraded. As the demand for new approaches of water disinfection is increasing, it mandates developments in membrane technology. The development of functionalized membranes with porous support and functional polymer matrices helps in changing the structure of the membrane pore, its selectivity, and reactivity. Due to their microporous structure, which provides high surface area, and low mass-transfer resistance (pressure-driven convective flow), membranes have emerged as a favourable support material for enzyme immobilization. The physical and chemical means used presently for degrading dyes present in water are associated with environmental concerns. As an alternative, approach of bio-inspired remediation, where activity of laccase (obtained from Funalia trogii) combined with the versatile behaviour of nylon 66 polymer to prepare the membrane for degradation of Levafix blue E-RA gran, Remazol Turquoise Blue G 133, and Remazol Brilliant Blue R dyes and Bisphenol A was used. The efficacy of these laccase-immobilized membranes toward degradation of the dyes and Bisphenol A was demonstrated under a continuous flow mode. Nearly 94%, 76%, 68% and 49% of breakdown were achieved for Levafix Blue E-RA gran, Remazol Turquoise blue G 133, Remazol Brilliant Blue R dyes and Bisphenol A, respectively. The degraded products were characterized by spectroscopy and fluorometer. The immobilized laccase was active in a varied range of pH and temperature and was found to retain its activity for 3 weeks. The biodegradation by the usage of laccase is an attractive alternative for larger scale applications when compared to the usual and sometimes costly physical and/or chemical means for remediation of industrial textile effluent