ABSTRACT

Bioremediation has been recognized as a environment friendly and less expensive method which involves the natural processes resulting in the efficient conversion of hazardous compounds into innocuous products.  This technique involves suitable microbes undergoing various physical and chemical reactions in the polluted water system and during the microbial metabolism, the pollutants are degraded and removed.  Recently microbial bioremediation has emerged as an alternative technique to such traditional chemical treatments. Sugar industries consume large quantities of water for various processes and discharge equally large volumes of waste waters containing variety of pollutants and coloring matter.  In the present study attempt has been made to bring about the bioremediation of sugar mill effluent collected from the Cheyyiar Cooperative Sugar mill Ltd. Thiruvannamalai District and were tested for the individual bioremedial efficiency of native fungi present.  Three fungi namely Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp and Fusarium sp were identified and selected for this bioremedial studies.  All the three were known to bring about bioremediation which had been confirmed by measuring the % of reduction potential in pH, EC, TDS, OD, BOD, COD and increase in fungal growth. Maximum degrading potential has been observed in the case of Aspergillus niger i.e. pH(-38.63%), EC(18.76%), TDS(18.74%), BOD(47.62%) and COD(44.68%) among all.  

Keywords : Sugar mill Effluent; Bioremediation; Fungi.