Textile Industry Effluent Research Articles

Phytoremediation potentials of Eichhornia crassipes for nutrients and organic pollutants from textile wastewater

We used live water hyacinth (WH, Eichornnia crassipes) to purify effluents from textile factories and monitored changes in the physicochemical properties, organic pollutants, and WH biomass. Although the water plant could not thrive in the highly polluted effluents after eight weeks, it achieved 55, 91, 53, 84, 96, 53, and 55% removal efficiency for total Kjeldahl-N (tK-N), NH3–N, organic-N, PO4 3–, SO4 2–, Cl–, and hardness, respectively. Likewise, the biomass growth showed a positive and strong correlation with NH3-N (0.998), tK-N (0.956), organic-N (0.923), pH (0.853), and EC (0.712). In contrast, chemical oxygen demand and total oil and grease (TOG) evinced negative and strong correlations of −0.994 and −0.807, respectively. Further, Cl– correlated mildly (–0.38), while alkalinity (0.154) and water hardness (–0.296) were less influential on the biomass growth. From the removal models, an average of 312 ± 7.7 g of WH would ensure 100% remediation of the nutrients in 29.2 ± 2.5 days. Except for organic-N, the removal kinetics generally favors pseudo-first-order, suggesting the sorbates' concentration and contact time as the limiting factors. Conclusively, WH is a phytoremediator of high potentials for industrial textile effluents, provided the effluents are conditioned at optimum concentration before contact with mature WH of sufficient biomass weight. Novelty statement Eichhornia crassipes was used for simultaneous removal of nutrients and organics from textile effluents. The influence of the macrophte's biomass weight and maturity on the remediation process were examined. Also, the limiting parameters that govern the remediation process were investigated via statistical correlation and kinetic study.

Visible light mediated photocatalytic dye degradation using Ag2O/AgO-TiO2 nanocomposite synthesized by extracellular bacterial mediated synthesis - An eco-friendly approach for pollution abatement

A large quantity of dyes released with textile industry effluents has raised a lot of concern due to their harmful and toxic effect on the ecosystem. The present study reports a novel method for the synthesis of visible light active photocatalyst by a bacterial based synthesis approach for the degradation of dyes. Ag2O/AgO-TiO2 nanocomposite particles with an average crystallite size of 38 nm, containing rutile TiO2 were synthesized using the cell free supernatant of the culture broth of Alcaligenes aquatilis. The particles were spherical, distinct with average particle size of 39.6 nm. The particles were found to be visible light active with the band gap energy value of 1.5 eV and photocatalytically active in the degradation of Reactive Blue 220 (RB 220). Around 96% of 100 ppm dye could be degraded in 90 min under visible light irradiation using the biosynthesized Ag2O/AgO-TiO2 nanocomposites. The biosynthesized nanocomposite exhibited good solar photocatalytic activity not only in the degradation of RB 220, but also in degrading the azo dyes, such as Acid Yellow 17 and Methyl Orange. The activity of biosynthesized nanocomposite was found to be better than that of Bio-TiO2. These results demonstrated an eco-friendly, potentially economical and greener method for the synthesis of Ag2O/AgO-TiO2 nanocomposites, with involvement of minimum technical challenges in terms of downstream processing and less energy consumption, with a broad scope of application in solar light mediated photocatalytic treatment of waste water.

Evaluation of textile dye degrading potential of ligninolytic bacterial consortia

Elimination of synthetic azo dyes of textile industrial effluents still being a great challenge worldwide as it engenders several hazardous effects in the ecosystem. Bioremediation technology has remarkable potential to approach this kind of problem due to its environmentally friendly and economical nature. Ligninolytic enzyme systems seem to have shown great potential to degrade a variety of recalcitrant pollutants and xenobiotic compounds including dyes. This study aimed to isolate and identify ligninolytic bacterial consortium from Western Ghats foothill soil with the potential to degrade azo dyes. Nine ligninolytic bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples. All the strains were able to decolorize a mixture of azo dyes (DR 23, DB 15 and DY 12). Three potential strains with maximum dye decolorizing efficiency were selected and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies. The influence of bacterial monocultures and mixed cultures in the dye decolorization was studied with the selected strains. Three monocultures and four mixed cultures were developed and studied for their ability to decolorize MSM containing 200mg/l of azo dye mixture. The ligninolytic bacterial consortium WGC-D was found to be more effective which decolorized up to 75% of dye. The mechanism of dye decolorization was assessed by spectral studies. The changes in the UV spectrum of bacterial consortium treated and untreated samples validated that the mechanism of the decolorization process was biodegradation. The consortium removes 89% of COD and 84% of color from textile industrial effluent. The results reveal that the ligninolytic bacterial consortium could be useful as a candidate in the secondary screening process in the textile dye effluent treatment in industries.

Adsorption of chemical oxygen demand from textile industrial wastewater through locally prepared bentonite adsorbent

The rapid expansion of industrialization has a significant contribution to the economic development of many nations. But, the untreated discharge from the textile factory is severely impacting freshwater and public health. Therefore, this study was aimed to prepare activated bentonite for removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from textile industrial wastewater, and the optimization process was studied using design expert software version 11. The activation of the bentonite was performed using diluted sulfuric acid and followed by a thermal process. Adsorbent characterization was carried out using the proximate analysis (moisture content), bulk density, BET method of specific surface area, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The COD and pH of textile industrial effluent were 569 ± 23 mg/L and pH 6 ± 0.3, respectively. The specific surface area of modified bentonite was found to be 265 m2/g. Maximum COD removal of 76.5% was recorded at the optimum condition of contact time 120 min., pH 10, and adsorbent dosage 2 g, whereas the maximum predicted COD removal was 76.0%. COD removal was highly influenced by the adsorbent dose described by the regression analysis (R2 = 0.98). Increasing the adsorption factors and interaction effects resulted in increasing the COD removal and vice versa, but the interaction effect between the pH and adsorbent dose was inversely proportional to COD removal. Generally, the adsorption results were encouraging and modified bentonite is a promising candidate to be implemented for organic matter removal from textile industrial wastewater.

Physico-chemical Assessment and Analysis of Hazardous OrganicSubstances from Textile Industrial Effluents from Sachin and Kadodara,GIDC, Surat, India.

Surat GIDC, Gujarat is one of the largest producers in textile industry in India. The ever growing demand is fulfilled by very fast supplying process, this leads to bad practices during textiles operations which causes water pollution in this region. Since Surat is closer to the Arabian Sea, the polluted water is passed in to the sea through various water channels therefore, it is necessary to identify and characterize hazardous substances from these effluents. For this study samples were collected from two important textile industry clusters viz. Sachin and Kadodara, GIDC, Surat and stored by following standard sampling procedures. Physico-chemical parameters such as pH, Chloride, Sulphate, Electrical Conductance, Total Dissolve Solid, COD and BOD were determined. Solvent extraction method was employed to prepare samples for the detection of organic substances by FTIR and GC/MS techniques. FTIR confirmed the presence of various functionalities related to organic origin and GC/MS technique revealed the presence of linear, cyclic and polycyclic aliphatic and aromatic organic compounds in the collected samples with high toxicity. Physico-chemical parameters were used for the statistical analysis of water samples and standard statistical methods such as mean, errors, standard deviation, regression coefficient analysis and correlation were used which were helpful for the determination of water quality index and the results obtain were compared to assign the water quality standards authenticated by WHO, USPH and BIS. The prime focus was to detect organic pollutants and the assessment proved the presence of hazardous organic substances in the collected textile effluent samples.

Bio Efficacy Assay of Laccase Isolated and Characterized from Trichoderma viride in Biodegradation of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Textile Industrial Effluent Dyes

This study is based on the biosynthesis of laccase enzyme from fungi Trichoderma viride and its exploitation in biodegradation of polyethylene using Laccase mediator system (LMS -Laccase + 1-HBT) in Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and in biodegradation of textile industrial effluent dyes. In different parts of our lifespan we have seen the numerous types of plastics are getting degraded by various methods, still the average time to completely degrade a plastic bottle is at least 450 years.Similarly industry produces over 3.6 thousand individual textile dyes today and utilizes more than 8000 toxic chemicals in numerous methods for textile manufacture comprising dyeing and printing. As polyethylene and textile industrial effluent dyes are causing severe hazardous effect on environment and health issues in all kind of living organisms, it is necessary to degrade plastics and textile industrial effluent dyes in rapid way. Recently researchers have come up with an idea of degrading plastic and textile industrial effluent dyes with the help of microorganisms and enzymes much faster than normal rate. The Laccase enzyme extracted was tested for its optimum temperature and pH. Lowry’s method is used for protein estimation. A control and sample LDPE was subjected to LMS. The tensile strength and elongation of the sample was less than that of the control after 5 days of treatment. This study showed that laccase together with 1-HBT helps to biodegrade polyethylene. The purified laccase enzyme was used for the pretreatment assay and post treatment assay. The Laccase degrades certain reactive dyes like Congo red, Acid Red, Methylene Blue, Brilliant Blue, Metallic Blue and Black. Thus recommends the application of laccase in textile dye colour removal (bioremediation).

An insight review of lignocellulosic materials as activated carbon precursor for textile wastewater treatment

The huge quantities of textile industry effluents with high concentrations of heavy metals are associated with the water pollution. Among the conventional technologies currently in use for heavy metals removal, the adsorption offers an economical and eco-friendly approach for textile wastewater treatment. Adsorption efficiency is depending on the chemical structure of the adsorbent such as activated carbon from agricultural waste. Banana peel waste as activated carbon has been reported with high efficiency to remove heavy metals from the textile wastewater. The current review describes the impacts of heavy metals from textile industries on human, plants, and animals and the various methods used for the removal process. The paper looked into the various adsorption methods, and the methods used for generating activated carbon from the lignocellulosic materials. Moreover, the agricultural residues are lignocellulosic substances that encompass hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin which is denoted as the most stable in terms of thermal factor. The review works focus on lignocellulosic substances as an efficient adsorbent for heavy metals and colour (dyes) removal. It appeared that the adsorption capacity for different types of the biomass ranged from 153.85 to 7.24 mg g −1 for Cd 2 + ions, 1067.8 to 18.9 mg g −1 for Cu 2 + ions, 175.6 to 1.7 mg g −1 for Ni 2 + ions, 566.4 to 7.23 mg g −1 for Pb 2 + ions and from 534.2 to 0.45 mg g −1 for Zn 2 + ions. These findings indicated that the heavy metals having different affinity to the adsorbent, among the heavy metals Ni 2 + and Cd 2 + has less affinity and the adsorbent used for the removal these metals need to be prepared with high porosity and surface area. • Adsorption by activated carbon is a promising method in removing dye and heavy metal. • Agricultural waste has a higher potential extent of activation and inexpensive. • Banana peel is non-woody, contains low cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. • Lower carbonization temperature of banana peel results in lesser energy consumption. • The banana peel’s activated carbon plays a dominant role in removing heavy metals.

Real-time monitoring as an adaptive strategy towards green treatment of textile effluent using biosorbent from Acalypha indica

Abstract Performance of green treatment systems such as adsorption to treat textile effluents often suffers lack of longevity and efficiency due to the presence of complex compounds of varying reactivity. There is scope for improving the operational efficiency of such processes using real-time monitoring systems. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of an activated biosorbent prepared from the leaves of Acalypha indica for treating textile industry effluent by simulating process control with real-time monitoring. Batch experiments were performed with synthetic and real-time dye effluents to identify the optimum conditions (pH = 3.0, dosage = 1.0 g/L; time = 1 h) for the highest adsorption capacity (6 mg g−1 and 2 mg g−1). The evaluation of physical parameters suggested best fit for Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The LabVIEW-based simulation control system enabled close monitoring of pH and temperature during the process. Based on the inputs, an alteration of initial pH has resulted in substantial reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) (73.91%), turbidity (52.43%) and total dissolved solids (TDS) (19.43%). The average incremental increase was highest for COD (45.80 ± 0.06%) compared to TDS (10.13 ± 0.06%) and turbidity (−1.74 ± 0.03%) for varying dosage (3 g to 11 g). The proposed framework for incorporating a process-control-based monitoring system can help to achieve better performance.

Bio-degradation of Azo Dye Acid Orange-10 by a New Isolate of Bacillus subtilis Isolated from Soil Sample around Textile Industry in South Karnataka

Untreated effluents from the textile industry affect aquatic life irreversibly. Synthetic dyes not only change the color of water resources but also make them hazardous.The main objective of the study was to evaluate the decolorizing potential of a new isolate of Bacillus subtilis from soil samples contaminated with industrial effluent in and around textile industrial area in South Karnataka. This isolate of Bacillus subtilis has high decolorizing potential and took only 24 hrs for complete decolorization of acid orange-10 azo dye at 200ppm. Different parameters like temperature, pH, aeration, dye concentration and inoculum size were optimized for complete decolorization of Acid orange-10 azo dye by this isolate of Bacillus subtilis. The dye was completely decolorized at 400C within 24 hrs and it was capable of decolorizing 700 ppm dye in 72 hrs. Optimum pH was found to be 8.5 and maximum decolorization was achieved under static conditions. As the inoculum size increased, the time taken for complete decolorization of Acid orange-10 dye was decreased from 36 hrs at 1% to 16 hrs at 10% of inoculum size. The new isolate decolorizes 100 ppm of dye completely (i.e.100%) within 12hrs of incubation. The time taken for the complete decolorization increased with increase in the concentration of Acid orange-10 azo dye. In conclusion, the new isolate of Bacillus subtilis from soil samples contaminated with textile industrial effluent was found to be a potential candidate for decolorization of Acid orange-10 azo dye in textile effluents.

A spot test for direct quantification of acid green 16 adsorbed on a molecularly imprinted polymer through diffuse reflectance measurements.

This work describes a novel technique for the direct quantification of Acid Green 16 (AG16) adsorbed on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) through the application of diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS) directly in a solid material. The MIP was synthesized by a bulk method using 1-vinylimidazole as the functional monomer. To conduct DRS analysis, adsorption assays were performed through the application of the MIP in a solution containing different concentrations of AG16 for 120 minutes; subsequently, the MIP was left to dry and a certain quantity of the polymer was analyzed. Under optimized conditions, a linear concentration range of 1.0 μmol L-1 to 10.0 μmol L-1 and limits of detection and quantification of 0.3 μmol L-1 and 1.0 μmol L-1, respectively, were obtained. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method were evaluated and RSD values lower than 4% were obtained. Selectivity studies allowed finding imprinting factor values of 1.9, 2.6, 1.1, and 1.1 for AG16, Direct yellow 50, Acid Blue 1, and Brilliant Green, respectively. The proposed method was applied toward the analysis of river water and textile industry effluents. The advantage and novelty of the technique lie in the fact that the amount of the analyte adsorbed on the selective polymer is directly measured on the solid material for AG16 and not indirectly via the remaining solution as it has always been carried out in previous studies reported in the literature. The findings show that the proposed technique is relatively simple, novel and highly versatile for the quantification of analytes adsorbed on MIPs, as well as for the analysis of the material of interest and quantification of diverse analytes in different matrices.

Adsorption of Vanadium(V) From Textile Industry Effluent Using Luffa cylindrica Activated Carbon

This study investigated the utilisation of Luffa cylindrica activated carbon as a low-cost adsorbent in the removal of vanadium(V) from textile industry effluent in a batch adsorption experiment. The adsorption rate was studied for contact time, pH, and adsorbent dosage. The effect of pH on vanadium(V) removal was studied with 0.2 g/100 ml adsorbent dose, 10 min contact time, and textile effluent solution. The maximum removal efficiency was 99.90 % at pH 4, 97.43 % at 60 min of contact time, and 97.83 % at an adsorbent dosage of 1.0 g. The characterisation results from FTIR and SEM indicated that the adsorbents’ potential was fully exploited. In this study, the experimental findings were fitted using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Freundlich model gave a better fit of the experimental data. The kinetic data by the pseudo-second order kinetic model gave a better fit than the pseudo-first order kinetic model.

Removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals from textile industry effluents by nanofiltration

Removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals from textile industry effluents by nanofiltration

Filtration of Textile and Chemical Industries Effluents with Sedimentation on the Walls of Through Pores

Filtration of Textile and Chemical Industries Effluents with Sedimentation on the Walls of Through Pores

Adsorption of textile industry effluent in a fixed bed column using activated carbon prepared from agro-waste materials

Abstract Activated carbon prepared from agro-waste material i.e. green coconut shell and bamboo using ZnCl2 as an activation agent in an adsorption column (fixed bed) was studied for the treatment of textile industry effluent. The experiment with the fixed-bed column was performed by different process parameters such as 200, 400 and 600 mg/L as different initial concentration of dye, at different bed heights of 100 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm, and 10, 15, and 20 mL/min as different flow rates. The findings demonstrated that both breakthrough and exhaust times increase, with the height of the bed being increased, but decrease with the concentration of the dye inlet. The breakthrough point was found to depend upon the bed height and flow rate. The maximum uptake capacity was obtained when a 200 mm bed depth was used at an inlet concentration of dye 200 mg/L with a flow rate of 15 mL/minute. It was observed that the bamboo activated carbon BAC has high carbon content, and has a high potential for dyes removal and may become capable substitutes for costly activated carbon. The adsorption capacities of BAC, GCSAC are at par with respect to each other, the overall process scheme may become economical as these materials are available as wastes and practically free of cost.

Biotechnological potential of microorganisms from textile effluent: isolation, enzymatic activity and dye discoloration.

Environmental pollution may be considered one of the main problems affecting the world population. As the effluents from textile industries are the largest representatives of sources of pollution of water bodies due to the disposal of colored compounds in the environment. Microorganisms capable of thriving in textile wastewater may exhibit metabolic machinery to synthesize a wide variety of enzymes and/or secondary metabolites of industrial interest. The present work investigated the biotechnological potential of filamentous fungi from wastewater of a textile industry for the production of laccase, cellulase, amylase and lipase enzymes and their potential for discoloration capacity of Remazol Brilliant Blue R synthetic dye. The isolate Aspergillus sydowii (ITF 30) presented the best cellulase (46.74 U mL-1), amylase, lipase and laccase (0.0273 U L-1) production, as well as RBBR dye discoloration ability in solid medium, followed by isolate Aspergillus sydowii (ITF 27) able to synthesize cellulase, amylase and laccase and had the capacity to discolor 74.7% of RBBR in liquid medium. The results of the present work encourage future studies of characterization, optimization and purification of the enzymes encountered, aiming to be used in bioremediation processes of textile industrial effluents.

Synthesis, Characterization and Comparative Study of TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles and their Application as a Photocatalysts for a Trichromatic Dye

Background:The textile industrial effluents cause profound imbalances in ecosystems, when released into nature; dyes are oxidized by micro-organisms, resulting in a decrease in the dissolved oxygen, which is necessary for the aquatic life. For this reason, it is important to implement economic, efficient, and green methods ensuring both the discoloration and detoxification of water.Objective:TiO2and ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel and precipitation methods, respectively. These two nanoparticles were used to compare photocatalytic degradation under UV and solar irradiation for three reactive azoic dyes (trichromatic): Reactive Bezactive Yellow (RBY), Reactive Bezactive Red (RBR), and Reactive Bezactive Blue (RBB).Methods:The structural, i.e., morphological surface properties of the synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared, X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy.X-ray diffraction shows that TiO2has a tetragonal structure with an anatase form. The effects of some operational parameters, such as the amount of TiO2 and ZnO, initial dye concentration, dye mixtures, and pH, were examined. The progress of photodegradation reaction was monitored by UV-Visible spectroscopy for decolorization and by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for degradation, and the efficiency of degradation was confirmed by Chemical Oxygen Demand measurement.Results:The dye degradation was found to be better in the presence of solar irradiation than under UV irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO was higher than TiO2 when used in its optimal conditions.Conclusion:The percentage of degradation of each dye is different, and the order of degradation of the three reactive dyes is as follows: RBY> RBR> RBB.

Microbial degradation of textile industry effluents: A review

During textile processing, different waste materials are produced at different stages including dyes and wastewater. These chemicals and wastewater are ultimately released into environment that negatively affects its biota because of detrimental changes brought into the surrounding by these unused and untreated materials. The major problems being imposed by textile industry include: excessive usage of water, control of its frequent discharge into environment and treatment of this effluent loaded waste water. Industries are struggling to find out some novel solutions for treatment of these wastes to diminish the environmental damage being caused by effluent discharge. In recent years, there is an increasing trend of using different kinds of microorganisms for degradation purpose of textile industries effluents. Because of low cost and long lasting effect of biological remediation of industrial wastes, there has been an increasing demand for new and novel biological solutions for industrial effluent management. In this context, this review summarize major textile dyes, different bioremediation ways by which textile dye effluents can be treated and microbes capable of degradation and decolorization that can be applied in order to develop cost effective methods for textile effluents treatment. Keywords: Azo dyes; Decolorization; Microbial degradation; Textile effluents http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90251

Degradation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern by Electrochemical Oxidation: Coupling of Ultraviolet and Ultrasound Radiations.

In this work, we study the electrochemical oxidation of methyl red, a dye present in textile industrial effluents, which is selected as the model for the degradation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern. The influence of the initial pollutant concentration (1–5 mg dm−3), applied current density (2–15 mA cm−2), and the coupling of ultraviolet or ultrasound radiation have been studied using a titanium plate as anode. The results show that electrochemical oxidation is able to efficiently remove methyl red, and the process efficiency decreases with the initial pollutant concentration. At high applied current densities, efficiency drastically decreases due to a less effective mass transfer of the pollutant on the anodic surface. On one hand, the coupling of ultrasound entails an antagonistic effect on the process efficiency, which is probably due to a massive formation of oxidant radicals followed by a fast recombination process. On the other hand, the coupling of ultraviolet radiation increases the process efficiency. Concomitantly to the oxidation processes, titanium electrode produces rising TiO2–anatase nanoparticles, boosting the mineralization process. This new finding sets up a significant improvement over conventional photocatalysis treatments using TiO2–anatase as a catalyst due to synergistic effects coming from the coupling of the electrochemical oxidation and photocatalysis process with Ti anode.

A novel microbial synthesis of silver nanoparticles: Its bioactivity, Ag/Ca-Alg beads as an effective catalyst for decolorization Disperse Blue 183 from textile industry effluent

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been considered using microorganisms such as bacteria. These processes utilize eco-friendly, rapid, and cost-effective techniques. The present study focuses on the bacterial synthesis of AgNPs, their biological activity, and the efficiency of biodegradation of Disperse Blue 183. Twenty bacterial isolates were obtained from the Kashan textile industry effluent. Of these, a silver resistant (strain N) was selected to synthesize AgNPs. The biochemical, phenotypic characterization test and phylogenetic analysis based on comparing the 16SrDNA sequence determined that the strain N was 97.24% similar to Marinospirillum alkaliphilum. The strain N was able to synthesis silver nanoparticles. The AgNPs were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and XRD. The results of SEM-EDX confirmed the size of AgNPs within 30–70 nm range with a cubic shape. The results showed that AgNPs have as an antimicrobial effect against different standard and multi-drug resistant bacteria. The toxicity of AgNPs was evaluated using Artemia salina and recorded the LC50 value (1 µg.ml−1). Decolorization of Disperse Blue 183 was studied using immobilized AgNPs and AgNPs powder separately. The results showed that immobilized AgNPs decolorized Disperse Blue 183 with 100% efficiency. AgNPs powder and Ca-Alg beads have no decolorization ability.

Rhamnolipid from Pseudomonas aeruginosa can improve the removal of Direct Orange 2GL in textile dye industry effluents

Rhamnolipids are a class of glycolipid biosurfactants with several applications, including the bioremediation of pollutant substances. However, little is known about its application in the treatment of textile effluents. Therefore, this work aims to apply a rhamnolipid-type biosurfactant to improve the sorption of the Direct Orange 2GL textile dye. The adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics were investigated from a novel approach. The adsorbate/adsorbent ratio was also characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. Bioassays using Daphnia similis verified changes in toxicity after the dye underwent the proposed treatment. The adsorption dataset was better adjusted to the Langmuir model, which indicated a strong chemical interaction coming from a finite number of binding sites. The adsorption was only possible at acidic pH. Kinetic studies further demonstrated that the adsorption equilibrium is achieved in 60 min when 1.181 μg mg−1 of dye was adsorbed by the adsorbent. Thermodynamics showed that the adsorption process was proportionally influenced by higher temperatures. The thermodynamics studies also showed a spontaneous and endothermic sorption process. The FT-IR spectroscopy identified the adsorbate/adsorbent binding sites, proving that the bond between the dye and rhamnolipid occurred through the hydrogen bonds. The recovery of both dye and rhamnolipid after the adsorption was also efficient, as more than 50% of the adsorbed dye was recovered. The post-treatment bioassays using D. similis found a significant decrease in toxicity, yielding less than 30% mortality rate after adsorption. It is concluded that the rhamnolipid was an effective adsorbent and it is a viable component to treat effluents containing textile dyes.