The textile industry has historically shifted from natural to synthetic dyes and mordants due to factors such as broader color range, improved colorfastness, and large-scale production efficiency. However, synthetic alternatives raise serious environmental and health concerns owing to their toxicity, nonbiodegradability, and resource-intensive manufacturing. With increasing global emphasis on sustainable and eco-conscious practices, there is renewed interest in natural dyes and biomordants. This review critically examines the resurgence of these bio-based colorants, comparing traditional natural dyes and mordants to modern innovations in terms of performance, environmental impact, and feasibility for industrial use. While natural dyes offer biodegradability and reduced toxicity, they face limitations in color consistency, fastness, and scalability. Advances in biotechnology have led to the development of bioengineered dyes from microorganisms, waste-derived pigments, and biomordants such as chitosan, tannins, and enzymes that address some of these challenges. Additionally, hybrid approaches incorporating nanotechnology are enhancing dye uptake and durability. By integrating insights from materials science and green chemistry, this review outlines the current state and future prospects of natural dyes and biomordants in transforming textile manufacturing into a more sustainable industry.

A series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole ring appended azo derivatives were synthesized in good yields via diazo coupling reaction between 5-(4-substituted)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-amine and some active methyline compounds such as dimedone and acetylacetone. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by FT-IR and 1HNMR spectroscopic methods. Further, all synthesized compounds were screened for the antibacterial activity against gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aruginosa, Shigella boydii) and gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus megaterium). The thiadiazole ring appended azo derivative containing a chloro group showed potent activity against Shigella boydii (67.85%) and Staphylococcus aureus (78.57%) and the compound having a nitro group in its structure exhibited maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (89.28%) and Shigella boydii (82.14%).

Anion size and ion pairing of ionic liquids critically determine the scaling of energy and power density of hierarchically porous biomass-derived activated carbon supercapacitors.

The discharge of azo dyes from industrial effluents poses serious environmental and health risks due to their persistence and resistance to biodegradation. Hydroxylfunctionalized Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ MXenes have emerged as promising adsorbents due to their large surface area, hydrophilicity, and versatile surface chemistry. In this study, we employed Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption behavior of four industrial dyes—Congo Red (CR), Methylene Blue (MB), Direct Black 1 (DBk), and Direct Blue 38 (DBu)—on Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ MXene surfaces. Monte Carlo adsorption locator results showed that CR exhibited the most favorable static adsorption energy (–182.346 kcal/mol), followed by DBu (–46.576 kcal/mol), DBk (–23.994 kcal/mol), and MB (–16.35 kcal/mol). Notably, the deformation energy of CR was –151.353 kcal/mol, indicating strong chemisorption due to significant molecular reorganization. Molecular dynamics simulations in aqueous media further validated these trends, with DBu showing the highest dynamic adsorption energy (–1676.365 kcal/mol), followed by DBk (–1348.604 kcal/mol), CR (–1157.238 kcal/mol), and MB (– 895.651 kcal/mol). The binding energies reflected a similar order, confirming that strong π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and surface-induced reorientation were dominant interaction mechanisms. These findings provide molecular-level insight into the structure–function relationship governing dye–MXene adsorption and highlight Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ MXene as an effective material for selective and sustainable dye removal in wastewater treatment.