Treatment and Recycling of Wastewater from Textile Industry

Abstract

Textile industries are one of the largest generator of wastewater as large amount of water is used in coloring and finishing processes. The effluents released from textile industries contain biodegradable and non-biodegradable chemicals such as dyes, dispersants, leveling agents etc. These effluents are released into water bodies which can modify the physical, chemical and biological nature of the receiving water bodies. Azo dyes are largely utilized in textile industry as coloring agent. During the processing of textile, a lot of dyestuff specifically lost to the wastewater due to inefficiency in dyeing processes which may causes serious health and environmental problems. Therefore, removal of dyes from textile wastewater is necessary prior to their disposal. Several physico-chemical techniques have been utilized for the treatment of wastewater containing dyes, but execution of these strategies have the distinctive limitations of being expensive, unable to the complete removal of dyes from wastewater, and producing noteworthy amounts of sludge that may cause auxiliary pollution issues. The application of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and algae) and plants for the removal of azo dyes from textile wastewater is an attractive option over the physico-chemical methods. Biological methods are environment friendly, produce less sludge, and inexpensive. Water recycling is the reuse of treated wastewater for valuable purposes such as agricultural irrigation and industrial processes etc. Recycling of textile wastewater is important for restricting the amount of wastewater and expenses of production, and recommended for the protection of environment.