Sustainable and Computational Approach for Textile Dye Degradation Mediated by <i>Bacillus cohnii</i>

ABSTRACT The ecological and human health perils caused by textile industrial dyes have been scientifically scrutinized. Textile dyes are majorly azo dyes which are xenobiotic and recalcitrant. Numerous physicochemical dye degradation processes comprise drawbacks such as exorbitant cost, hazardous by‐product production, and sludge formation. Bioremediation is a cost‐effective, economically sustainable approach that minimizes downstream processes. Synthetic textile dye degrading bacterial strain Bacillus cohnii was identified. The physicochemical parameters for dye degradation were optimized using the One Factor At a Time (OFAT) approach and Response Surface Methodology‐Box Behnken Design. More than 90% decolorization was attained for all the reactive dyes used in the study. The dyes and the degraded metabolites were characterized to confirm degradation using FTIR, and GCMS. In silico molecular docking studies were conducted with azoreductase and the various dye structures. In phytotoxicity studies, dyes, and degraded metabolites were analyzed and the degraded metabolites showed improved plant growth compared to control groups. The findings in this research serve as an imperative foundation for the conception of a bacterial system for the removal of hazardous dyes produced by the textile industry.