decolourisation of cotton bleaching effluent with wood rotting fungus

The decolourisation of cotton bleaching effluent by a wood rotting fungus was studied. It was found that fungus No. 7 could remove more than 70% of the colour (initial A400=2.0–2.4) from the effluent within 4 days under agitated conditions. The fungal mycelia could be reused for a prolonged time and the decolourisation activity of mycelial pellets was quite stable during a long period of cool storage. Many factors affecting the decolourisation process were studied, including: concentration of glucose, effluent, NH4+ and Mn(II); initial pH; temperature. The activity of manganese peroxidase (MnP) appeared to correlate well with the decolourisation rate. After the fungal treatment, an improvement in the treatability of the effluent by other microorganisms was observed.