Aerobic decolourization of two reactive azo dyes under varying carbon and nitrogen source by Bacillus cereus

Bacillus cereus isolated from dye industrial waste, that is, effluent and soil samples was screened for its ability to decolourize two reactive azo dye – cibacron black PSG  and cibacron red P4B under aerobic conditions at pH 7 and incubated at 35°C over a five day period. Different carbon and nitrogen sources were used for the decolourization study. B. cereus was able to decolourize cibacron red P4B by (81%) using the combination of ammonium nitrate and sucrose, while it decolourizes cibacron black PSG by (75%) using yeast extract and lactose.   Key words: Bioremediation, decolourization, textile dye, Bacillus cereus.