Methylene blue removal by entrapment of Trichoderma viride into sodium alginate-polyvinyl alcohol-bentonite beads

Methylene blue (MB) is a synthetic dye in the textile industry, but it has been reported to pose some environmental and human problems, necessitating the development of an effective treatment to remove its waste. One such technique was microorganism immobilization, which limits the movement of microorganisms. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the removal of methylene blue by immobilizing filamentous fungus Trichoderma viride into sodium alginate (SA)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-bentonite beads. The process was conducted using free cell and immobilization methods, both with an initial MB concentration of 100 mg/L Furthermore, the immobilization was composed of SA-PVA-Bentonite beads in a 2:4:1 ratio. The results showed that immobilization produced the highest decolorization percentage of 95.72%, while that of the free cell was 55.36 % within 7 days of incubation under static conditions. The synthesized beads were characterized by SEM, which showed that the fungal cell was trapped inside and at the surface. Additionally, the reusability test indicated that the beads can be used forup to four cycles for MB removal. Considering these results, T. viride immobilized in SA-PVA-Bentonite matrix was effectively decolorized MB and could be used as an alternative method for removing pollutant waste.