Eco-Friendly Approaches to Azo Dye Removal: The Role of Microbial Azo-Reductases.

Abstract

Environmental pollution from synthetic dyes is a serious conflict that threatens both aquatic ecosystems and human health. This review explores how indigenous microorganisms help in breaking down these azo dyes and highlights their potential as affordable and eco-friendly solutions in tackling problems caused by the discharge of untreated effluents. Synthetic dyes are widely used in industries like textiles, paper, and food, but their discharge into the environment has led to notable ecological problems. Traditional wastewater methods lack in effectively removing these harmful substances, which is also quite costly. As a result, there is a growing interest in using biological methods that involve bacteria, fungi, and algae to handle this problem. This review is based on how azo dyes are degraded by the microorganisms, especially by azo-reductases, and how various environmental factors like temperature, pH, and nutrient levels can affect the activity of these microbes. In addition to this, the modern computational tools and statistical methods, such as response surface methodology and artificial neural networks, aiding in optimising the dye degradation process, are discussed. Even though the biological method holds promising potential, there are still some challenges, which include scaling up the processes to handle larger volumes of wastewater, meeting various regulatory requirements, and increasing public awareness about the importance of this issue. In future perspectives, research must focus on enhancing bioremediation techniques by involving genetic engineering and fostering collaboration across different fields of study. So as a result, the development of more sustainable solutions for treating wastewater arises, which ultimately helps to decrease the environmental impact of industries that depend largely on dyes.