Sustainable approach for the treatment of dye-containing wastewater – a critical review

Bioremediation technologies for remediation of dyes from wastewater

The colored dyes are extensively applied in diverse industrial setups such as textiles, paper, leather, and cosmetics. The unutilized dyes are released in the waste and pose a serious menace to the environment, ecological balance, and human health. Because of their chemical nature, they are extremely resistant to common methods of treatment and often persist in the aquatic environment. A sustainable and eco-friendly approach for treating dye-contaminated wastewater is "bioremediation." This manuscript aims to discuss the exclusive role of diversified microorganisms and plants, immobilized microbial cells/enzymes, microbial consortia, nanomaterials, and combination approaches in the bioremediation of dyes. It also provides a comprehensive understanding of different bio-remedial technologies used to remove dyes from wastewater. In addition, the underlying mechanisms affecting the efficacy of bio-remedial technologies, the latest breakthroughs, challenges, and potential solutions in scaling up, and prospects in this area are also explored. We also detail the noteworthiness of genetic engineering in different bioremediation technologies to solve the issues associated with dye contamination in wastewater and its removal from the environment.