Bangladesh’s textile industry, a key driver of the national economy, has long faced criticism over its environmental impact—particularly the discharge of dye-laden effluents into rivers and water bodies. Amid growing global efforts to develop cost-effective and sustainable solutions, researchers from Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) have introduced a promising breakthrough in azo dye degradation and reuse.
Approximately 80% of dyes used in the textile sector are azo dyes, many of which are hazardous. After the dyeing process, untreated effluents containing these dyes are often released into the environment, deteriorating water quality, harming aquatic life, reducing soil fertility, and disrupting biodiversity. Despite extensive global research, scalable and reusable solutions for azo dye pollution remain limited.
A research team led by Dr. Abu Mohammad Azmal Morshed, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry at BUTEX, has developed an innovative approach to address this issue. Funded by BUTEX during the 2022–2023 fiscal year, the study demonstrates a catalytic chemical process that degrades harmful azo dyes into colorless and comparatively less toxic aromatic amines and alcohols. These resulting compounds can be reprocessed and utilized as raw materials in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries—effectively transforming waste into valuable resources.
Assistant Professor Md. Motakabbir Hasan from the Department of Wet Process Engineering collaborated in the research. The team also included students and technical experts from multiple departments of BUTEX, along with a postgraduate researcher from the textile engineering department of Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET).
The researchers applied the Fenton Advanced Oxidation Process (Fenton AOP) to enhance wastewater treatment efficiency. By incorporating optimized levels of surfactants, the purification performance significantly improved, making the treatment process more robust and scalable.
According to Md. Motakabbir Hasan, the study demonstrates that integrating Fenton AOP with controlled surfactant application can substantially strengthen effluent treatment systems, potentially playing a major role in protecting rivers and the environment in the future.
The research team faced challenges, particularly in collecting industrial wastewater samples due to regulatory concerns and limited laboratory facilities. Some analyses had to be conducted externally. Despite these constraints, the team successfully completed the project through sustained effort and institutional support.
The study, spanning 16 pages, was published on February 7, 2026, in ACS Omega, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The publication marks a significant international recognition for Bangladesh’s textile research sector.Dr. Azmal Morshed emphasized that proper guidance, infrastructure, and research investment could enable Bangladeshi researchers to contribute substantially to sustainable development in the textile industry.
This achievement highlights Bangladesh’s growing research capability and underscores the importance of strengthening academia-industry collaboration, modern laboratory facilities, and sustained funding to ensure environmentally responsible growth in the textile sector.
