Efficient removal of azo dyes by Enterococcus faecalis R1107 and its application in simulated textile effluent treatment

This study aimed to exploit the potential of Enterococcus faecalis R1107 in the bioremediation of azo dyes. The maximal decolorization of Congo Red (CR), Reactive Black 5 (RB5), and Direct Black 38 (DB38) were 90.17%, 96.82%, and 81.95%, respectively, with the bacterial treatment for 48 h. 65.57% of CR and 72.64% of RB5 could be decolorized by E. faecalis R1107 within 48 h when the concentration of azo dyes increased up to 1000 mg/L. FTIR analysis confirmed that E. faecalis R1107 could effectively break down the chemical structures of three azo dyes. E. faecalis R1107 alleviated the phytotoxicity of azo dyes and improved seed germination, which contributed to the increase in the lengths of roots, stems, and leaves of Vigna radiata seedlings. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that the gene regulatory networks in E. faecalis R1107 synergistically improved the degradation and detoxification of RB5, including the major metabolic pathways, the secondary metabolism, the transport system, the amino acid metabolic pathways, and the signal transduction systems. Simulated textile effluent (STE) was used to mimic real textile effluent to evaluate the bioremediation potential of E. faecalis R1107, and 72.79% STE can be decolorized after E. faecalis R1107 treatment for 48 h. In summary, our study demonstrated that E. faecalis R1107 might be well suitable for potential applications in the bioremediation of textile effluent.

Deciphering the mechanism of carbon sources inhibiting recolorization in the removal of refractory dye: Based on an untargeted LC-MS metabolomics approach

In this study, the biological decolorization of reactive black 5 (RB5) by Klebsiella sp. KL-1 in yeast extract (YE) medium was captured the recolorization after exposure to O₂, which induced a 15.82% reduction in decolorization efficiency. Similar result was also observed in YE + lactose medium, but not in YE + glucose/xylose media (groups YE + Glu/Xyl). Through biodegradation studies, several degradation intermediates without quinoid structure were produced in groups YE + Glu/Xyl and differential degradation pathways were deduced in diverse groups. Metabolomics analysis revealed significant variations in up-/down-regulated metabolites using RB5 and different carbon sources. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of recolorization inhibition was proposed. Elevated reducing power associated with variable metabolites (2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, 9(R)-HODE cholesteryl ester, linoleamide, oleamide) rendered additional reductive cleavage of C-N bond on naphthalene ring. This study provided a new orientation to inhibit recolorization and deepened the understanding of the molecular mechanism of carbon sources inhibiting recolorization in the removal of refractory dyes.