Inorganic polyphosphate accumulation by Cunninghamella elegans (UCP 542) and its influence in the decolorization of textile azo dye Orange II

The inappropriate disposal of dyes in wastewater constitutes an environmental problem and can cause damage to the ecosystem. Alternative treatments have been reported that employ fungi that are particularly effective in the decolorization of textile effluents. In these methods, the biomass can be used for industrial removal of dyes by biosorption. The current study has investigated the accumulation of polyphosphate (poly P) in the fungus Cunninghamella elegans UCP 542 and evaluated the capacity of the inactivated biomass, obtained from 144 h of incubation, to decolorize the dye Orange II. The results suggest the transport of the inorganic phosphorus, as demonstrated through the cellular bioaccumulation. The biochemical and physiological aspects of bioaccumulation in the poly P form were related to the process of removal of the color of Orange II, with the reduction of 60 % of the dye solution.