A Green Biocomposite Produced by Passive Cell Immobilization onto Waste Biomass Support for Biodecolorization of Reactive Dye Contamination

The waste biomass of grape pomace was utilized for the immobilization of model fungal cells (Thamnidium elegans) providing a green, innovative, and practical biocomposite for efficient biodecolorization of a model reactive dye (Reactive Yellow 2). Appreciable decolorization capacity at optimized conditions was observed as q(max)=151.0 mg g(-1) with the suggested biocomposite (TECWGP). During the batch process, the biocomposite exhibited the highest dye removal of 98.57 % in the RY2-contaminated solutions. The biosorptive decolorization process was the best predicted by the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The possible interactions between RY2 and TECWGP were also examined. Synthetic wastewater treatment experiments indicated that TECWGP has a good decolorization potential. Overall, the findings indicated that TECWGP could be a good alternative to synthetic materials for the treatment of reactive dye-contaminated aqueous phase. Furthermore, the utilization of agro-industrial waste to support fungal cells contributes to the growth of a solid circular bio-based economy.