Myco-degradation of anthraquinone dyes by immobilized white-rot fungal consortium and toxicity assessment.

Anthraquinone (AQ) dyes widely used in textile industries cause serious environmental and health risk due to their persistence and toxicity. In this context, myco-remediation using white-rot fungal consortium (WRFC) immobilized in chitosan beads demonstrated mixture of AQ dyes (MAQD) biodegradation with enhanced dye decolorization efficiency (97.35%) within 8 h. Further, FTIR analysis confirmed structural disruption of MAQD, including aromatic ring cleavage and functional group transformation. Moreover, LCMS analysis revealed formation of several low molecular weight intermediate organic acids such as phthalic, oxalic, malonic, succinic, fumaric, malic, citric and isocitric acids, suggesting progressive degradation of MAQD and possible microbial transformation of the degradation products. The findings were also validated by SEM and TEM analysis of the chitosan beads which evidenced WRFC immobilization and ultrastructural changes on post exposure to MAQD. The decolorization data were described using a first-order kinetic model, with the highest rate constant observed at 200 ppm. Toxicity assessment of treated (using WRFC immobilized in chitosan beads) MAQD water demonstrated substantial detoxification evidenced by 80% survival of Danio rerio in acute tests, HeLa cell line maintained 84% viability even after 24 h, comet assays indicated reduced DNA damage, and Vigna radiata exhibited normal germination and growth. These findings confirm the synergistic action of enzymatic degradation and biosorption by immobilized WRFC and highlight chitosan beads as a robust carrier matrix. This eco-friendly strategy effectively reduces dye toxicity, offering a promising approach for sustainable industrial wastewater management.