Abstract

Bioremediation using a variety of microbes for the degradation of xenobiotics seems a green solution to the problem of environmental pollution. Microbes have been gifted by nature with the ability of degrading a wide spectrum of environmental pollutants. Different fungi have the potentials to degrade complex and recalcitrant organic compounds into simpler fragments; sometimes achieving complete mineralization. In this work, we have investigated the decolorization and degradation of a triphenylmethane dye, malachite green by two fungal microorganisms,Aspergillus flavus and Alternaria solani. Both the species were able to decolorize different concentrations of malachite green (10 to 50 μM) almost completely (> 96 %) within 6 days.

Key words: Alternaria solani, Aspergillus flavus, Decolorization, degradation, malachite green.