Bioremediation and Decolorization of Distillery Effluent by Aspergillus niger and A Novel Fungal Strain Curvularia andropogonis.

Distillery effluent leads to an environmental pollution due to its high BOD, COD, TSS, TDS, heavy metals (Iron, Zinc, Copper, Lead and Manganese), low pH along with melanoidin, a color compound generally produced by “Millard reaction” and when discharged in a river or ground results in impairment of ecological balance. These discharge into water bodies, sombre the aquatic life in consonance with decrease in the quality of water and irrigation land. Discharge of effluent (spent wash) into the environment is hazardous and has high pollution potential. In the present study efforts has been made to bioremediate the distillery waste with two fungi namely Aspergillus niger and Curvularia andropogonis and check the bioremedial efficiency (decolorize and reduce COD) of the selected strains and therefore provide a environment friendly and less expensive method which involves the natural processes resulting in the efficient conversion of hazardous compounds into innocuous products. Among these two fungal strains Aspergillus niger showed the highest decolorization i.e. 67.7% when cultivated at 30°C on 8^th day in 5% spent wash with 1% glucose and the pH found to be is approximately 4.0. In addition this strain reduced COD upto 86.5%. However, without carbon supplement, the decolorization and reduction in COD were 49.13% and 74.36%, respectively which shows that the presence of extra carbon source increase the efficiency of fungal strains. Similar results for color are observed with another strain (Curvularia andropogonis) maximum reduction was 46.98% on day 3 when additional carbon source provided. But in contrast to A. niger this strain show 88.35% reduction in COD on 11^th day in absence of additional carbon source. During the present study first time we are reporting and promoteing Curvularia andropogonis for its bioremedial efficiency.