BelSU scientists proposed an effective and low-cost method to purify water of dyes

According to the researchers, serious damage to the environment can be caused by dyes residues contained in the wastewater produced by textile, food, paper, printing, leather and cosmetic industries. The toxic dyes reduce water clarity, interfere with photosynthesis and, as a result, destroy aquatic plants.

The team of scientists from Department of General Chemistry of Belgorod State University set a goal to develop the most effective and low-cost method of dyes destruction during wastewater treatment. Pham Thi Chin, a young scientist from Institute of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biology, took part in the study, which was supervised by the Head of Department of General Chemistry, Professor Olga Lebedeva and carried out and in the framework of the World-Class REC “Innovative Solutions in Agri-Business”. The laboratory experiment aimed at destruction of bromophenol blue (BFS) dye by hydrogen peroxide combined with plant enzyme – horseradish peroxidase. The BFS dye was chosen as an indicative model of an organic pollutant of complex mixtures containing atoms of halogen, sulfur and stable aromatic structures.

The enzymatic method of wastewater treatment proposed by BelSU scientists has become an alternative to expensive biodegradation – destruction of substances by microorganisms, fungi and algae.