Biodegradation potential of pure and mixed bacterial cultures for removal of 4-nitroaniline from textile dye wastewater

Environmentally toxic aromatic amines including nitroanilines are commonly generated in dye contaminated wastewater in which azo dyes undergo degradation under anaerobic conditions. The aim of this study was to develop a process for biological treatment of 4-nitroaniline. Three bacteria identified as Acinetobacter sp., Citrobacter freundii and Klebsiella oxytoca were isolated from enrichment cultures of activated sludge on 4-nitroaniline, after which the isolates and the mixed culture were studied to determine optimal conditions for biodegradation. HPLC analyses showed the mixed culture was capable of complete removal of 100 μmol/L of 4-nitroaniline within 72 h under aerobic conditions. There was an inverse linear relationship (R² = 0.96) between the rate of degradation (V) and 4-nitraoaniline concentrations S] over 100-1000 μmol/L. The bacterial culture was also capable of decolorizing structurally different azo dyes (Acid Red-88, Reactive Black-5, Direct Red-81, and Disperse Orange-3) and also degraded nitrobenzene. Our findings show that enrichment cultures from activated sludge can be effective for the removal of dyes and their toxic intermediates, and that treatment may best be accomplished using an anaerobic-aerobic process.