Degradation of azo dyes by algae.

The degradation of azo dyes by algae was evaluated and it was found that certain algae can degrade a number of azo dyes to some extent. The reduction rate appears to be related to the molecular structure of the dyes and the species of algae used. The azo reductase of algae is responsible for degrading azo dyes into aromatic amine by breaking the azo linkage. The aromatic amine is then subjected to further metabolism by algae. It is proposed in this paper that in stabilization ponds, algae can play a direct role in the degradation of azo dyes, rather than only providing oxygen for bacterial growth.