New bacterial strains isolated from Tunisian biotopes: A sustainable enzymatic approach for decolorization and detoxification of Congo Red and Malachite Green.

Seven bacterial strains, isolated from various Tunisian biotopes, were investigated for Congo Red (CR) and Malachite Green (MG) decolorization. The isolated strains underwent morphological and biochemical tests, including assessments for antibiotic sensitivity as well as biofilm formation. One selected strain, ST11, was partially identified as Paenibacillus sp. strain ST11. The newly isolated crude bacterial filtrates (NICBFs) effectively decolorized CR and MG. Specifically, six and seven NICBFs were found to be effective for degrading CR (150 mg l) and MG (50 mg l), respectively. Under non-optimized conditions, CR and MG could be decolorized up to 80% within 6-12 h. The degradation products of CR and MG, characterized by UV-visible and FT-IR techniques, demonstrated both decolorization and transformation, highlighting the role of enzymes in dye degradation. Phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity studies evaluated the impact of treated and untreated CR and MG. Some NICBFs showed promise as powerful biological tools, reducing and sometimes detoxifying CR and MG, commonly used as fertilizers. The potential applications of these NICBFs in decolorization and bioremediation of dye-rich textile effluents were explored. The screening also identified environmentally friendly, cost-effective bacterial strains adaptable to various conditions through phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity studies.