Toxic effects of selected textile dyes on elemental composition, photosynthetic pigments, protein content and growth of a freshwater Chlorophycean alga Chlorella vulgaris.

Abstract

Toxicity of three textile dyes-Optilan yellow, Drimarene blue and Lanasyn brown, was evaluated in a green alga Chlorella vulgaris. The unialgal populations of the alga showed a concentration-dependent decrease in specific growth rate and pigments after exposure to graded concentrations of above dyes. The elemental profile (C, H, N, S) of the treated and untreated cells showed a change which was evident from a significant decrease in the quantity of elements after exposure to the dyes. The observations provide convincing evidence that the textile dyes inhibited the growth, pigment and elemental composition of the algal cells. The findings of the present investigation will contribute to gaining a better understanding of the impacts of textile dyes on ecologically important aquatic organisms.