Biodegradation of Textile Dyes using Indigenous Bacterial Strains isolated from Contaminated Soil

Economical and eco-friendly approaches are essential for degrading dye-contaminated wastewater from various industries. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of two bacterial strains, Brevibacillus sp. and Pseudomonas sp., capable of efficiently degrading Reactive Blue 19 (RB-19). Eight bacterial strains were initially isolated from textile dye-contaminated soil. Among them, the most efficient isolate was further tested on five other dyes, and it demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency for RB-19. Morphological, enzymatic, and molecular analyses, including 16S rRNA sequencing, confirmed the identity of these isolates. The degradation efficiency of RB-19 by these strains was characterized as a function of dye concentration, pH, temperature, and nutrient availability. Under optimal conditions, most of the RB-19 was degraded within 24 hours. The biodegradation data were analyzed statistically to validate the results.