Adsorption of colour from a bleach plant effluent using biomass and cell wall fractions from <i>Rhizomucor pusillus</i>

Abstract

Abstract Relatively high decolourisation of bleach plant effluent (41%–48%) could be attained in short treatment times using biomass of Rhizomucor pusillus , a mucoralean fungus. Cell wall fractions (alkali‐resistant, residual and chitosan fractions) extracted from the R pusillus biomass appeared to be mainly responsible for the adsorption of chromophores from bleach plant effluent by this fungus. The alkali‐resistant fraction removed 34% of the colour from bleach plant effluent. Although the residual and chitosan fractions represented only about 12% of the total dry biomass, they removed more colour from bleach plant effluent (41%) than did the intact biomass (39%). The chitosan and residual cell wall fractions, mainly composed of chitin and/or chitosan, seem to be involved in the mechanism of colour removal from bleach plant effluent by R pusillus . © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry