Effluents from leather and textile industries are difficult for treatment owing to its recalcitrant nature. Since the volume of effluent generated are high, a robust and active microbial consortia is required for effective treatment. The focus in the present study is the calorimetric traceability of the metabolic behaviors of mixed microbial consortia, while it grows and degrades recalcitrant substance such as an azo dye acid blue 113. The consortium exhibited a syntrophic division of substrate and was effective in degrading dye up to 0.8 g/l. Notably, it was able to degrade 93.7% of the azo dye in 12-16 h whereas its monocultures required 48-72 h to reach 82.1%. The products of biodegradation were analyzed and the chemical pathway substantiated using chemical thermodynamic and energy release patterns. MTT assay confirmed that emanates are eco-friendly. Heat profile pattern and bioenergetics provide fundamental data for a feasible application in commercial level. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.