Decolorization of textile dyes by edible white rot fungi

Properly disposing of wastewater-containing textile dyes has long been a problem for the textile industry. An innovative method, biodegradation, can degrade certain dyes more efficiently and in a more environmentally-friendly method than the commonly used physicochemical treatments. Fungus is one of the materials capable of biodegradation without requiring further processing. In this study, we tested the edible fungi, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus eryngii, and Pleurotus ostreatus, to see if they can used for a biodegradation of dyes. The textile dyes were applied into the suspension of these fungi for a biodegradation test, and the absorbance changes were recorded. After a reaction of one and a half hours, aniline blue dye and Congo red dye demonstrate the greatest degradation, reaching a biodegradation rate of 67.39–67.5% and 58.1–63.2%, respectively. Even the methylene blue dye that had the lowest degradation reached a biodegradation rate of 24.7–33.6%. These results show the fungi’s capability to decolorize the dyes, presenting a potential method for biodegrading textile pollution and the possibility of using natural products to reduce polluted wastewater.