Pichia kudriavzevii yeast as biocatalizer in Reactive Black 5

ABSTRACT Yeasts have been showing good results in the biodegradation of industrial dyes, becoming an environmentally safe and cost-effective alternative for the treatment of effluents containing industrial dyes. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the discoloration of the Reactive Black 5 (RB5) azo dye by the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii SD5. Two experimental designs were employed to optimize the discoloration parameters by means of Central Composite Design (CCD) 23, totalizing 17 trials each, at 150 rpm for 24 h. The studied independent variables were pH, temperature, and concentration of the dye and the outcome parameter was the rate of decolorization (%). Furthermore, the toxicity bioassays of the supernatant after 16 and 24 h of the culture were carried out using lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa) and the microcrustacean Artemia salina. Results showed that P. kudriavzevii SD5 is a multi-stress tolerant yeast, being capable to degrade high concentrations of RB5 at 45° C. However, only the temperature showed statistical significance (p < 0.05) for dye discoloration. Toxicity bioassays demonstrated that toxicity decreased after 24 h of culture and the absorbance profile of the supernatant pointed to a degradative mechanism of discoloration.