Decoloración de efluentes textiles que contienen colorantes reactivos empleando extracto de alcachofa.

Introductión. Peroxidase is an enzyme known for its capability to eliminate phenolic compounds and aromatic amines in aqueous solutions. Its use has been recently proposed for discoloring textile effluents. Objective. To evaluate the effect of an artichoke extract with peroxidase activity and commercial peroxidase on the discoloration of a textile effluent and on two of the dyes within the effluent. Materials and methods. The discoloration tests were performed on a sample of the effluent that had a mixture of direct, disperse and reactive dyes from a textile company and two reactive dyes solutions. Proportions with the degrading agent 2:1 were used for all of the samples. Also, 0.1mL of hydrogen peroxide at 35% was added in order to activate the enzyme. Absorbance measurements were performed with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Results. The use of the artichoke extract favored the discoloration of the samples, producing a reduction in the absorbance between 40-60% from the beginning of the treatment. Conclusion. The use of artichoke extract and commercial peroxidase is a good alternative in the discoloration of textile effluents if compared to conventional methods, and artichoke extract is a promising alternative given its low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]