Agricultural waste as a source of peroxidase for wastewater treatment: Insight in kinetics and process parameters optimization for anthraquinone dye removal

Abstract The number of different technologies available for colored wastewater treatment shows the vastness of the issue. Finding the most feasible one, yet taking into account the cost, the efficiency and eco-friendliness is like searching needle in a haystack. Here, we have taken the eco-friendliness to a level above, using one bio-waste material for treatment of another waste. Potato peel and soybean hull are agroindustrial waste that is at the same time abundant source of potent enzymes such as peroxidases that can be used in oxidation reactions. In this study, the anthraquinone dye Acid Violet 109 is used as a model for simulation of colored wastewater and for oxidation by peroxidase from two bio-waste sources: potato peel and soybean hull. The operational conditions were optimized and a kinetic study was performed in order to obtain detailed information about the behavior of the enzymes when faced with extreme substrate concentration. Under the optimal conditions, 72.78 ± 3.13% and 66.12 ± 2.51% biodegradation was achieved with potato peel peroxidase, and soybean hull, respectively. As most of the industrial wastewater treatments require higher temperatures, both soybean hull and potato peel peroxidase were subjected to and proved to be able to operate at significantly higher temperatures up to 70°C.