Recent advances in textile wastewater treatment using microbial consortia

Abstract

The textile wastewaters (TWWs) are one of the major sources of environmental pollution, due to the presence of various recalcitrant dyes. It is estimated that about 300,000 t of synthetic dyes are discharged in TWWs every year worldwide. Thus, untreated or incompletely treated TWWs cause harm to aquatic and terrestrial life. To avoid the negative impacts associated to the discharge of TWWs into the natural ecosystems, effective dye remediation processes are being developed. Current methods of removing dyes from TWWs are generally regarded to be complex, expensive and energy demanding processes. Therefore, bioremediation of TWWs using microbial consortia has appeared as an emerging alternative for textile dyes removal. This chapter provides an updated literature on the application of microbial consortia in the treatment of TWWs, focusing on the mechanisms involved in dye biodegradation and the main interactions established between the consortia members and how they can influence dye removal efficiencies.