The textile industry demonstrates a polluting potential from the planting of cotton to the release of wastewater. The presence of dyes in water bodies decreases the passage of sun rays and directly affects the photosynthetic organisms and the ecosystem. Fungi have potential in the treatment of wastewater containing dyes with complex organic structures due to enzymes that they produce. This study evaluated the HIGHLIGHTS  The semibatch reactor is presented as a new arrangement for fungal bioreactors;  The removal of dye was accompanied by the removal of organic matter in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD);  The fungi showed high affinity with the polyurethane foam, distributing itself throughout the foam and not restricted only to the surface layer of the support medium;  The fungal community remains dominant through bacterial contamination. Santos, A.D.O; et al.