Phytodegradation of textile dyes by Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) from aqueous dye solutions

In this study, the removal of textile dyes, namely Red RB and Black B from their respective aqueous solutions have been studied using the Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Batch type experiments were done using the hydrophytes and its dye removal capacity was observed. The used plant material after the experiment was subjected to GC-MS analysis for determining the phytochemical components. The remaining waste material was subjected for composting and the compost produced was characterized in terms of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total carbon, Total Phosphorus, pH, EC and C: N ratio. The above mentioned experiments have proved the efficiency of Eichhornia crassipes to remove the color and degrade the dye by about 95% with Red RB and 99.5% with black B. The phytochemical component analysis indicates the increased production of Hexadecanoic acid, which may be a promising result, but the reduction in phytol content records a significant reduction in the chlorophyll content.