Improving water-use efficiency and environmental performances in an integrated woven-knitted fabric printing-dyeing textile mill

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to improve water-use efficiency and improve environmental performance with techno-economic water-use efficiency practices in an integrated textile mill that produces woven and knitted fabrics. In this context, detailed on-site investigations and data collection studies were carried out in the mill. All water consumption and wastewater generation points were determined. Specific water consumptions and specific wastewater amounts were calculated basis on the basic production processes, auxiliary processes, and non-process areas. Samples were collected from raw water, process water, process wastewaters, and composite wastewater at different periods and analyzed. Thus, reuse potentials of the process wastewaters were evaluated. Specific pollutant loads of process and composite wastewaters were also calculated. Moreover, saving/reduction potentials were calculated by comparing the specific water consumption, wastewater amounts, and pollutant loads of the mill with similar textile mills. It was decided to implement a total of 13 water-use efficiency practices to increase the water-use efficiency and environmental performance of the mill. Ultimately, it was found that reduction of 13.8–25.6% in the total water consumption, 18.2–32.9% in the total wastewater amount and 15.9–35.7% in the total chemical oxygen demand (COD) loads of the mill could be achieved after the implementation of suggested practices. The estimated payback periods were found to be between 2 and 45 months. This study shows that with low-cost water-use efficiency practices, significant reductions in water consumption, wastewater amounts, and pollution loads of wastewater can be achieved in similar textile mills. This study can be inspiring for other textile mills to improve their water-use efficiency performances. Also, it can provide significant contributions to industry stakeholders, policy makers and researchers in terms of presented water-use efficiency practices, obtained water-wastewater reductions/savings and applied methodology.