MICROBIAL DECOLORIZATION OF BIOMETHANATE DISTILLERY SPENTWASH USING ASPERGILLUS NIDULANSR. RAVIKUMAR, P. MONASH, J. C. DEREK CHAN AND K. SARAVANANAbstract This paper reports the degradation and decolorization of the biomethanated distillery spent wash (BMSW) using Aspergillus nidulans. Soil nearer to the distillery site was used for the isolation of the fungus. A. nidulans was found capable of utilizing melanoidin as sole carbon source for their growth. Tests were conducted by varying the nutrient concentrations; initial pH and their influence on percentage decolourisation and COD removal of BMSW were analyzed. The result revealed that decolorization can be achieved in presence of nutrients like glucose and ammonium nitrate at a concentration 15 g/L and 3 g/L respectively. However, decolorisation was found to be maximum at pH 4 and temperature 300C respectively. During the batch process a maximum decolorization of 62.5% and degradation of 48.5% in chemical oxygen demand (COD) was achieved after 7 days of incubation at 150 rpm under optimum conditions. From Gel filtration chromatography of BMSW it was observed that higher molecular fractions of spent wash decolorized rapidly than smaller molecular weight fractions. The finding suggested that Aspergillus nidulans has the ability to degrade and decolorize the BMSW when it is supplemented with high concentration of glucose and lower concentration of ammonium nitrate.
Enter your contact information below to receive full paper.
|