DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v26i5.252

Keywords: Anthraquinone; biosorption; biodegradation; phytoremediation; toxicity

Abstract

Anthraquinone dyes such as Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) has a toxic characteristic due to its aromatic structure and known as the second largest dye used in the textile industry. This study aimed to investigate the remediation potential of various aquatic plants towards anthraquinone dye. In this study, RBBR dye was treated with Pistia sp., Eichhornia sp., and Salvinia sp.. The optimisation studies were carried out using different pH value (5, 7, and 9), fresh biomass (20, 40, and 60 g), and dye concentration (10, 20, 30 m/L). Findings after optimisation demonstrated that 60 g of fresh biomass, 10 mg/L of initial dye concentration, and pH 7 were the favourable conditions of Pistia sp. in degrading RBBR dye. The UV-Vis analysis showed a significant difference (p-value <0.05) in the absorption spectra before and after treatments, indicating the breakdown of the dye molecules. FTIR analysis demonstrated the difference between the peak numbers of functional groups before and after the root of Pistia sp. plants were exposed to dye. Besides, the plant cell analysis showed the accumulation of RBBR dye in the plant cell. Meanwhile, the phytotoxicity test showed that the germination of Vigna radiata with the treated water sample was higher compared to the untreated RBBR dye. This study revealed that Pistia sp. exhibited the highest efficiency in degrading RBBR dye, with 93.4% decolourisation efficiency.