title: [Azo dyes, their environmental effects, and defining a strategy for their biodegradation and detoxification].
abstract: Intense industrial development has been accompanied by the production of wastewaters of very complex content, which pose a serious hazard to the environment, put at risk sustainable development, and call for new treatment technologies that would more effectively address the issue. One particular challenge in terms of science and technology is how to biodegrade xenobiotics such as azo dyes, which practically do not degrade under natural environmental conditions. These compounds tend to bioaccumulate in the environment, and have allergenic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic properties for humans. Removal of azo dyes from effluents is mostly based on physical-chemical methods. These methods are often very costly and limited, as they accumulate concentrated sludge, which also poses a significant secondary disposal problem, or produce toxic end-products. Biotechnological approach may offer alternative, lowcost biological treatment systems that can completely biodegrade and detoxify even the hard-to-biodegrade azo dyes.
authors.affiliation: HIPALAB d.o.o., Zagreb, Hrvatska. ivana.gudelj@hipalab.hr
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gudelj
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hrenović
authors.forename: Tibela Landeka
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Dragičević
authors.forename: Frane
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delaš
authors.forename: Vice
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soljan
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gudelj
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018505:Waste Management; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; D007220:Industrial Waste