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A waste material in the form of discarded solid bleached sulfate (SBS) paperboard coated with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The aim was to investigate its use as an adsorbent for the removal of the reactive dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) from aqueous solutions in batch mode. The effects of pH, agitation speed and adsorbent dosage were determined using the response surface methodology. Sorption of RBBR onto SBS paperboard coated with PET was found to be efficient at pH 2. The optimum conditions were adsorbent dose of 4.5 g and agitation speed of 100 rpm. With regard to the kinetics, four different isotherm models were tested and the pseudo-second-order model best described the sorption mechanism (R2= 0.999). The equilibrium data were analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherms. The Freundlich adsorption capacity (Qo) was found to be 1.21 mg g–1with R2= 0.995. Thermodynamic studies showed a negative ΔH° value, indicating that the sorption process is exothermic.

White rot fungi can secrete many types of extracellular oxidases that are involved in the degradation of lignin in natural lignocellulosic substrates. Solid bleached sulfate (SBS) paperboard coated with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a type of cellulose and hemicellulose based waste from the packaging industry for ready-to-eat foods. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the discoloration of the Remazol Brilliant Blue Reactive (RBBR) dye by bioabsorbent, consisting of ligninolytic macrofungal mycelium supported on PET-coated SBS paper. This work involved three steps: first, to determine the residual concentration of Remazol Reactive Bright Blue (RBBR) dye in the effluent produced in a dyeing process, according to the dye concentrations most applied in the textile industry. In the second step, the solution with medium concentration of the RBBR dye was then treated with the bioabsorbent, composed of ligninolytic macrofungus mycelium supported on PET-coated SBS paper. In the third stage, the technical feasibility of reusing the bioabsorbent was evaluated. The effluent generated from dyeing baths and washes was collected and analyzed, providing a final effluent with an average residual concentration of 57.3 mg/L of dye. The results showed that higher concentrations of carbon and nitrogen gave rise to the bio-adsorbent with higher values of total proteins and enzymatic activity. The bio-adsorbent use and reuse tests showed 94% color removal for the RBBR dye over 30 days of reuse. The use of the bio-adsorbent for the decolorization of dyes and textile effluents is a potential efficient and low cost.