Textile Industry Research Articles

ProcessCarbonAgent: A large language models-empowered autonomous agent for decision-making in manufacturing carbon emission management

Knowledge-intensive production represents a primary trend in industrial manufacturing, which heavily relies on the production logs of large-scale, historically similar orders for enhancing production efficiency and process quality. These logs are essential for predicting resource allocation and identifying bottlenecks in throughput. As a result, root cause analysis of the production process state is crucial for supporting decision-making in these settings. However, current methodologies heavily depend on expert knowledge, making the analysis time-consuming and inefficient for large-scale, multivariable processes. Although the development of large language models and autonomous agents presents a potential solution, these models are limited in their direct interaction with event logs due to inadequate data representation, token constraints, and insufficient accuracy. Therefore, enabling the interactive capabilities of large language models to overcome these specific limitations in process event data and industrial domain illusions poses a significant challenge. To address these issues, this paper introduces the ProcessCarbonAgent framework, an autonomous agent empowered by large language models, designed to enhance decision-making within industrial processes. Initially, a process data agent combines predefined semantic text representation methods with process template prompting strategies to improve interaction capabilities. Subsequently, an intention agent utilizing self-information and large language models is developed to address context length limitations by identifying and eliminating redundancies. Finally, a two-stage confidence estimation method is implemented to refine the precision of decision-making assistance, thereby improving the accuracy of decisions supported by large language models. Experiments with textile industry carbon emission data reveal that the assisted decision-making scores employing a compression ratio of 0.5, closely align with scores from manually labeled evaluations, with a 98% overlap across scoring intervals. Moreover, in contrast to relying solely on the original evaluation method, the two-stage confidence estimation method has led to a 20% increase in accuracy performance. The ProcessCarbonAgent achieved scores of 16.64, 55.13, 26.32, and 34.17 on METEOR, BERTScore, NUBIA, and BLEURT, respectively. The results demonstrate that the ProcessCarbonAgent framework significantly enhances the decision-making process for high-carbon emission states in industrial production, providing technical support for the low-carbon transformation and intelligent upgrading of these processes.

Combined effects of organic solvent and ultrasonic pretreatments on cellulose fiber extraction from hemp

Extracting pure cellulose fibers from hemp bast for potential textile industry applications requires the removal of non-cellulosic gummy materials. However, traditional degumming methods are largely limited because of the long procedure time, high energy consumption, heavy environmental pollution and insufficient efficiency. Organic solvents have been proved to be an innovative method for lignocellulose extraction. Herein, ethylene glycol solvent combined ultrasonic pretreatment was explored to degum hemp fibers without any further treatment. The purified hemp fibers were systematically characterized using analytical test techniques. Results revealed that the combined degumming could effectively remove non-cellulosic components without damaging the cellulose, and reducing the reaction temperature by 10 ℃ for reaction process. Comparing to the traditional method, the fibers by ultrasonic pretreatment-ethylene glycol process had superior average yield of 68.32 %, higher thermal stability (maximum degradation temperature reached 395 ℃), higher breaking tenacity of 6.13 cN/dtex, higher crystallinity of 78 % and the cellulose content of over 91 %. Moreover, the degumming time and chemical usage were reduced to 40 % and 51.8 %, respectively. Besides, the changes of fibers chemical structure were further investigated and verified by FTIR, EDS, and 13C NMR analysis. Featured with less chemical and energy consumption, eco-friendly and short time-consuming, this treatment has a broad application scope for hemp cellulose fiber extraction.

Micro- and Nanoplastics Produced from Textile Finishes: A Review.

The problem of increasing plastic pollution has emerged as a significant societal issue. Plastics can originate from various sources, and there is growing concern among researchers to study and investigate this new category of pollution. The plastic waste is found at the macro, micro, and nanoscale, and its study has had great significance according to the perspective of posing hazardous impacts on living organisms. Given the high demand for functional textiles, the textile industries are supporting the coating of different polymeric based finishes on the surface of textile products. The plastic debris emitted from these coated finishes are in the ranges of nanometric scale, so-called polymeric nanoplastics (PNPs). With the new terminology, polymeric nanoplastics (PNPs) released from textile finishes or coatings are being increasingly mentioned, and the term fibrous microplastics (FMPs) can be seen as outdated. This study is based on an intensive review of a very novel category of debris plastics (PNPs) mostly produced from textile finishes or coatings. In fact, FMPs and PNPs released from synthetic textiles and textiles coated with plastic-based finishes during washing activities are considered to be a major cause that contributes to the current overall load of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. A link between the concentration of NPs from textile fibers and NPs from textile polymeric-based coatings in freshwater and sediments within a particular local setting and the extent of activities of the textile industry has been demonstrated. Invested efforts have been paid to consider and concentrate on plastic pollution (nanoplastics from textile polymeric coatings). We also summarize existing methodologies to elucidate the identification and proactive quantification of nanoplastics shed from the textile polymeric coatings. To this end, more than 40 studies have been done to identify the physical, chemical, and mechanical parameters and to characterize nanoplastics.

Examining the Influence of Institutionalization on Employee Performance in Yemen's Textile Industry.

Institutionalization is a management strategy that differs from traditional management in that organizational structures are designed to be more flexible, participatory, and free of hierarchy and detail. Additionally, institutionalization emphasizes the efficient application of professional management strategies. In other words, institutionalization refers to creating a functional mechanism inside the firm. The textile industry in Yemen is vital to the nation's economy since it substantially contributes to economic development and creates jobs. Institutionalization, which is the process of establishing and adhering to formal rules, processes, and practices inside organizations, might affect its effectiveness. There are several other aspects as well. Within the framework of the Yemeni textile industry, the purpose of this research is to explore the influence that institutionalization has on the performance of employees. This research demonstrates the need to establish successful institutionalization within the Yemeni textile industry based on the literature review conducted before this study. Policymakers, managers, and industry stakeholders are urged to build and implement strong institutional frameworks that enable employee involvement, empowerment, and appreciation. These frameworks should be designed to maximize staff productivity. By doing so, businesses can improve their employees' performance, increase their productivity, and contribute to the continued expansion of the textile industry in Yemen.

On the Economic Impacts of the Xinjiang Cotton Incident upon Indigenous Local Chinese Brands

Guided by the SWOT model, this thesis explores the economic impacts of the Xinjiang Cotton Incident upon indigenous local Chinese brands with a case study of Li Ning. Coupled with a comparative analysis method, this thesis analyses the changes on revenue and market development in 2020 and 2021 and finds that the Xinjiang Cotton Incident has great influences on Li Ning in economic income, market development, regional development and the development of relevant industries. From the perspective of domestic and international markets, the income of domestic market increases greatly, while the proportion of international market decreases. In a word, the revenue has been rising sharply in all aspects. In terms of the cotton industry and the sporting goods industry, it not only affects the production and sales of cotton in Xinjiang, but also seriously affects the safety of China's cotton industry and its downstream textile industry. But the revenue of domestic sports brands will continue to rise in the coming period. Domestic sports brands will usher in a new era of development. For the future development, Li Ning Company is supposed to position products and target consumer groups accurately, improve the quality of advertising, and to create a more distinctive brand culture.

Effluent wastewater technologies for textile industry: a review

Abstract The textile industry contributes significantly to the expansion of the world economy, however, it is also notorious for producing large amounts of trash and harming the environment. Effective waste management techniques depend on having a thorough understanding of the forms and makeup of waste from the textile sector. The objective of this paper is to study effluent wastewater technologies to efficiently treat and control the wastewater produced during textile production operations. It is well known that the textile industry generates vast amounts of wastewater, some of which may be contaminated with heavy metals, chemicals, dyes, and organic compounds. This effluent can have serious negative effects on the environment if it is not adequately treated, including contaminating soil and water sources, removing aquatic life, and possibly endangering human health. Due to the inclusion of dyes, heavy metals, and other chemicals, the discharge of untreated or improperly treated effluent from textile processes leads to water contamination. Textile waste can leak hazardous compounds into the environment and contaminate the soil, both of which have an impact on air quality. The environmental impact of the textile industry is further exacerbated by the energy and resource use involved in production. At several points in the textile supply chain, waste is generated. Fibre trimmings, fly waste, and yarn waste are produced during the fibre production, spinning, and weaving operations. There are numerous ways and technologies for treating wastewater, including advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), biological treatment systems, and membrane-based technologies. The formation of eco-friendly materials and advancements in recycling technology help to make the textile industry more closed-loop and sustainable. In conclusion, managing waste from the textile sector is a significant environmental concern that calls for creative solutions and environmentally friendly procedures.

Photocatalytic nanohybrid UV-light-driven PVDF/GO-NiFe@SiO2 membrane coupled with bentonite adsorption and ozonation process for a sustainable textile wastewater treatment

The textile industries face significant environmental challenges due to the presence of complex pollutant dyes in its wastewater, making it one of the world's major sources of industrial water pollution. Numerous studies have been employed to overcome this problem, including physical, chemical, and biological treatments. However, most of those methods still suffered to achieve higher dye removal performance. This study provides new insight regarding textile wastewater treatment containing indigo red as the main colorant by carrying out a hybrid process combining bentonite adsorption, ozonation, and photocatalytic membrane filtration. For the membrane, we propose a modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane incorporated with graphene oxide (GO) and nickel-iron doped silica (NiFe@SiO2) photocatalyst, which is named PVDF/GO-NiFe@SiO2 membrane. The membrane was employed under different sets of filtrations (dark and under ultraviolet irradiation) to treat natural dye wastewater from textile industry effluent. Further improvement was achieved when UV light irradiation was subjected to the process. This sequential adsorption-ozonation-membrane process under UV exposure exhibited improved dye removal from 55.11 % to 97.22 %. The results show that the proposed hybrid process successfully improved the membranes' antifouling behavior, thus boosting the membranes' performance and durability. From a broader perspective, our work promotes new insights for the integration of other physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods to improve the performance and durability of membrane-based processes, particularly for dye wastewater treatment.

A comprehensive analysis and exploration of the recent developments in the utilization of genetically modified microorganisms for the remediation of hazardous dye pollutants

Innovative and effective remediation techniques are required with regard to growing environmental concerns on hazardous dye pollutants emitted by the textile industries. The review explores on the recent developments in utilization of genetically modified organisms (GMO) for the dye removal. Through improved capacities and specificities towards dye pollutants, genetically modified organisms present a potential strategy towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 6 of the UN, focused on clean water and sanitation. The key findings show that genetic engineering methods, including recombinant DNA (rDNA) and CRISPR-Cas9 technologies, can increase the capacity of bacteria to degrade, metabolize, or immobilize dye pollutants, improving degradation efficiency from around 7%–65%. The enzymatic processes are identified as the primary mechanisms involved in dye compound degradation by genetically engineered microbes. The review emphasizes the use of genetic approaches for dye degradation, co-cultivation with native microbial communities, optimizing operational parameters like pH, temperature, and nutrient availability, and omics technologies for a deeper understanding of metabolic networks and regulatory mechanisms with the aim of leading future genetic advancements in dye remediation. The review discusses the practical feasibility and environmental safety challenges of using genetically engineered microbes in sustainable dye remediation, highlighting limitations and future insights.

Analysis The Gross Domestic Product of The Textile and Apparel Industry Sub-Sector in Indonesia 1990-2022

Analysis The Gross Domestic Product of The Textile and Apparel Industry Sub-Sector in Indonesia 1990-2022

The Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Female Workers in the Ready-made Garments and Textile Industry, Bangladesh

This research investigates how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has affected female employees in Bangladesh’s Ready-made Garments (RMG) and textile industries. Using a qualitative methodological approach, data from eight interviews and one unstructured focus group with female employees and industry stakeholders were gathered. Additionally, five key informant interviews were conducted with industry experts. Analysis of these data revealed that female workers in the RMG and textile industries perceive a threat to their employment due to the declining value of their current skills in the market. The study also suggests that transitioning to new jobs or finding alternative employment will be a challenge without adequate training and support from the government and industry authorities to equip these workers with skills relevant to 4IR-based occupations. The study concludes that enhancing these workers’ preparedness through reskilling and upskilling initiatives is crucial. Furthermore, the study recommends that the relevant authorities devise and implement comprehensive policies addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by 4IR, especially for female workers in the RMG and textile sectors in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will be beneficial to Governments beyond Bangladesh, policymakers, industry owners, professionals, female workers and other stakeholders in this sector.

Super-efficient removal of yellow 161 anionic dye from water by activated carbon based on coffee grounds

The study evaluates the effectiveness of activated carbon derived from coffee grounds (ACcg) in removing Reactive Yellow 161, a pollutant from the textile industry. The properties of ACcg are analyzed by various techniques such as FTIR, SEM, EDS and X-ray diffraction. In addition, physico-chemical analyses, such as moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, iodine value and zero charge point (pHpzc), were carried out on the prepared ACcg. The Box-Behnken Design (BBD) scheme combined with the Response Surface Method (RSM) is used to optimize adsorption variables. Results show high microporosity of ACcg, adsorption kinetics fitted to pseudo-first order and Langmuir isotherm consistent with experimental data. Thermodynamic parameters indicate spontaneous and exothermic adsorption behavior. Residue analysis and ANOVA confirm a high adsorption capacity of ACcg (97.67 %) at an initial concentration of 20 ppm Reactive Yellow, with an ACcg mass of 1 g/L and a pH of 3. The chosen model is validated for this application.

Hardness and Microstructure Characterization of Hardfacing Alloys Deposited by The Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) on AISI 1045 Medium Carbon Steel

A ring frame is a machine used for yarn production in the textile industry. Continuous use of the machine results in wear on the shaft timing pulley on the ring frame machine. To improve this condition, repairs are needed, one of which uses the hardfacing method. This study aims to determine the effect of hardfacing on the microstructure and hardness of the shaft timing pulley made from AISI 1045. The hardfacing process used the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) method with welding current variations of 115 A, 125 A, 135 A, 145 A, and 155 A. In this study, the electrode used was AWS A5.1 E7018 with a diameter of 3.2 mm. The hardfacing product obtained was then finished with a lathe to produce a shaft with a final diameter of 30 mm. In this study, microstructure and hardness tests were carried out on specimens before and after finishing. The results of this study showed that an increase in current caused an increase in the number of pearlite phases in the weld metal and HAZ (heat-affected zone) areas. While in the base metal, the increase in current increased the number of ferrite phases. The highest hardness value was found in specimens that were hardfaced with a current of 145 A. However, the hardness of the hardfacing layer will decrease with the use of currents greater than 145 A. The hardness of the specimens with hardfacing treatment at a current of 145 A resulted in hardness in the weld metal, HAZ, and base metal of 225 HV, 209 HV, and 203 HV, respectively. After the finishing process, the weld metal, HAZ, and base metal in this specimen produced a hardness of 225 HV, 217 HV, and 208 HV, respectively.

Green synthesis and anti‐biofilm effect on Drosophila melanogaster of selenium nanoparticles from Vitis vinifera for photocatalytic degradation and different biological applications

AbstractThis study aims to combine Vitis vinifera extract with sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) solution to develop a biobased approach for producing green selenium nanoparticles. V. vinifera fruit extract is potent in secondary metabolites such as phenols (1.19 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), flavonoids (0.42 mg catechin equivalents/g), and tannins (2.84 mg tannic acid equivalents/g), it was discovered to be particularly appropriate for the production of nanoparticles. SeNPs were characterized using UV–vis, SEM, zeta potential, EDS, DLS, FTIR, and XRD AFM. SeNPs were assessed for anti‐microbial, anti‐biofilm, and antioxidant assay. Biosynthesized‐produced SeNPs were discovered to possess significant antioxidant activity and high antibacterial action. Selenium nanoparticles had the potential to modulate the impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Drosophila melanogaster. Molecular analyses were performed, and survival analysis curves were plotted to study the impact of SeNPs. When SeNPs are exposed to UV light, they efficiently break down crystal violet dye. To comprehend the impact of three variables—pH, time, and SeNP concentration—on the dye degradation, a full factorial design was employed. This study showed that SeNPs can be used as a potential anti‐biofilm agent and are also effective in the textile, dye, and pharmaceutical industries.

The Influence of Social Capital, Business Capital and Innovation on the Income of Traditional Cloth Craftsmen in Indonesia

The development of the tourism sector has a positive impact on the craft industry. Bali Province and the Special Region of Yogyakarta are two regions that are very well-known in the tourism sector that produce many types of crafts, one of which is in the textile sector. Both provinces have very specific economic characteristics when compared to other provinces in Indonesia. The increase in the tourism sector has been proven to have a positive impact on reducing poverty rates, unemployment, and also inequality in the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province and in the Province of Bali. Bali Province is famous for its woven fabric craft industry and the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province is famous for its batik cloth craft industry. Both traditional fabrics are currently still sought after by both domestic and foreign tourists, because of the beauty of the motifs that are full of meaning, but the sales figures for both fabrics are still very low. This study aims to (1) determine the effect of business capital on the income of traditional fabric craftsmen. (2) To determine the effect of social capital on the income of traditional fabric craftsmen (3) To determine the effect of innovation as a moderating variable on the relationship between business capital and the income of traditional fabric craftsmen. (4) To determine the effect of innovation as a moderating variable on the relationship between social capital and the income of traditional fabric craftsmen. The population in this study were all batik/woven fabric craftsmen in Tenganan Pengringsingan Tourism Village and Giriloyo Tourism Village. The sample used accidental sampling with questionnaires distributed to 65 respondents. The results of this study social capital and Innovation affect the income of craftsmen, while business capital does not affect the income of craftsmen. Innovation does not moderate the relationship between social capital and business capital on the income of craftsmen. The implication of this study is that craftsmen must create innovations according to local customs, culture and norms so as not to eliminate the meaning of the cloth. The limitation of this study is that the sample is only spread across several points.

Ecoprint Techniques as An Environmentally Friendly Fashion Product

The textile industry is one of the contributors to the highest amount of waste in the world. One of the wastes produced by the textile industry is liquid waste which comes from the remains of synthetic dyes which contain several dangerous chemicals. An alternative that can be done to reduce liquid waste from synthetic dyes is to switch to using natural dyes that come from plants. One technique that can be used to color textiles is the ecoprint technique. The ecoprint technique is a process for transferring color and shape to fabric through direct contact. The ecoprint technique uses materials from plant parts that contain color pigments such as leaves, flowers, bark, etc. Products produced from ecoprints can be a business opportunity because ecoprints have artistic value and high selling value. The research method used is literature study by taking reference sources in the form of international journals and national journals. The purpose of writing this article is to describe ecoprint as a business opportunity that can be generated by fashion.

Utilization of poplar fibers in needle punched nonwovens

The focus of this study is to conduct pioneering research on utilizing poplar seed hair fibers in needle punched nonwovens. These fibers were blended with hollow PET fibers at two different weight ratios to obtain needle punched webs for the first time. The weight, thickness, abrasion resistance, bursting and tensile properties, hydrophobic/oleophilic surface characteristics of the nonwovens are analyzed elaborately. Finally, it has been demonstrated that poplar fiber-containing nonwovens have superior rose oil absorption compared to solely PET nonwoven fabrics. When compared the maximum adsorption capacities, the incorporation of 37.3 wt.% and 21.7 wt.% poplar fiber into PET nonwoven increased the oil absorption by approximately 35 and 24 times, respectively. Although pristine PET nonwoven was able to remove only 16% of MB dye from aqueous dye solution, addition of poplar fiber enhanced the removal process and the solution had been decolorized to nearly colorless. The results indicated that poplar blended nonwoven fabrics treated with NaClO2 show the high-performance removal of MB dye from wastewater, with the increased percentage of 40% and 67% for PET-PO30 and PET-PO60 fabric, respectively. Therefore, developing industrial scale surfaces with non-traditional and sustainable poplar seed fibers, marks a significant advancement for the textile industry.

Carbon Cloth Electrodes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are playing an increasingly important role as the decarbonization of the energy industry moves forward. However, wind and solar-based energy production fluctuates daily and seasonally. For a stable electrical grid, a large-scale energy storage system is required. One promising technology for this is the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB), developed in the late 1980s by Maria Skyllas-Kazacos (1), which has been continuously researched and improved over the last decades.VRFBs are already commercially available but must overcome significant lifetime and efficiency challenges. Polarization and pumping losses account for a large part of the efficiency losses due to the high flow-through resistance of the electrolyte in the electrode (2). Therefore, the electrode material must be optimized to achieve high catalytic activity and excellent flow properties to enhance the battery's performance.In a previous study, we identified key factors such as the electrode's structure, wettability, and electrochemical performance. Therefore, we developed a suitable set of characterization techniques (3). This multimodal characterization approach has been applied to evaluate woven and knitted carbon cloths. We designed electrode materials with specific fiber structures and weaving and knitting patterns. The raw material for the fibers is cellulose from hemp. To successfully commercialize VRVBs, the manufacturing process of the material must be low-cost and easy to fabricate on an industrial scale. Here, the electrode materials are fabricated by weaving or knitting, a well-established technique in the textile industry for centuries, and are ideally suited for the large-scale industrial production of electrodes. After weaving or knitting, the cloths are subsequently carbonized.To understand the influence of the fabrication pattern, the flow direction, and the 3D electrode structure on the flow behavior, we used Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) coupled with the Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) analysis (4,5). This method allows simultaneously investigating the electrochemical performance, wettability, and structure in an application-oriented, in-house-designed setup. To develop a deeper understanding of the microscopic structure of the fiber and its influence on the key factors, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and nano-X-ray computed tomography (nano-CT) were utilized. These results were combined with Dynamic Vapor Sorption measurements (DVS), which are used to investigate the wettability of the material, and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), which accesses the electrochemical performance. Additionally, we studied the effect of thermal activation on these parameters with EIS and DRT analysis, SEM, nano-CT, DVS, CV, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The materials presented in this paper exhibited excellent electrode performance, demonstrating good wettability, high catalytic activity, and large electrochemically active surface area. These are promising examples of electrode engineering as a pathway to optimal designs of VRFBs.1. M. Skyllas‐Kazacos, M. Rychcik, R. G. Robins, A. G. Fane and M. A. Green, J. Electrochem. Soc., 133(5), 1057–1058 (1986).2. N. Bevilacqua, L. Eifert, R. Banerjee, K. Köble, T. Faragó, M. Zuber, A. Bazylak and R. Zeis, Journal of Power Sources, 439, 227071 (2019).3. K. Köble, M. Jaugstetter, M. Schilling, M. Braig, T. Diemant, K. Tschulik and R. Zeis, Journal of Power Sources, 569, 233010 (2023).4. M. Schilling, M. Braig, K. Köble and R. Zeis, Electrochimica Acta, 430, 141058 (2022).5. M. Schilling and R. Zeis, submitted. Figure 1

Photocatalytic Activity of Zinc Oxide Nano Particules and Boric Acid for Bleaching Process on Cotton Fabric

In this study, a photocatalytic process was applied as an alternative to conventional hydrogen peroxide bleaching on 100% cotton fabric. The effects of ZnO nanoparticles and boric acid as catalysts were investigated. Additionally, the synergistic impact of boric acid on the well-known bleaching effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles was explored. Unlike existing literature, the study uniquely addressed whether the photocatalytic process, without the use of any catalyst, has a specific effect, particularly in whitening, on the color spectrum. All conducted photocatalytic processes on cotton fabrics were compared with conventional hydrogen peroxide bleaching in terms of color spectra (CIE L*, a*, b*, whiteness indexes) besides the SEM, SEM-EDX, and FTIR-ATR characterization tests. Moreover, XRD, SEM, and FTIR-ATR analysis results of ZnO nanoparticles were also shared in this study. This research is believed to shed light on future studies by evaluating more environmentally friendly pre-treatment processes in textile industry.

Alteration in oxidative stress markers, digestive physiology and gut microbiota of Heteropneustes fossilis and Clarias batrachus exposed to eriochrome black T

Synthetic dyes are the primary cause of water pollution in industrial regions. Azo dyes account for 60–70% of such dyes used in the textile sector due to their numerous beneficial characteristics. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the toxicity of Eriochrome Black T (EBT), a widely used azo dye in the textile industry. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of EBT exposure on two catfish species, Heteropneustes fossilis and Clarias batrachus. Following 96 h exposure to 1, 10 and 20 mgL−1 of EBT, the MDA content and activities of SOD, CAT and GR exhibited a rising trend. However, as the concentration of EBT increased in both species, GPx showed decreased activity. EBT exposure also altered gut morphometry as well as the three main digestive enzymes activity (increase in lipase and trypsin activity, while decrease in amylase activity). In addition, the exposure of EBT had a significant impact on the gut microbiota of both species. C. batrachus demonstrated the suppression or absence of beneficial gut commensals (Bacillus and Cetobacterium), whereas H. fossilis revealed the proliferation and appearance of beneficial commensal microbes (Bacillus, Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Megashaera). Furthermore, the expansion or absence of these microbial communities indicated that the gut microbiota of both species was involved in dye digestion, immunity and detoxification. Overall, the percent change calculation of all the selected biomarkers, together with gut microbiota analysis, indicates that C. batrachus was more vulnerable to EBT exposure than H. fossilis. The present investigation effectively demonstrated the toxic impact of EBT on fish health by employing oxidative stress markers, digestive enzymes, and the fish gut microbiota as a promising tool for screening the impact of dye exposure on digestive physiology in toxicological research.

Reducing Outgoing Quality Level (OQL) in Textile Manufacturing Through Six Sigma Methodology: A Case Study

Globally, the textile industry plays a significant role in production but faces many challenges that affect its operation and sustainability. Product quality remains an essential concern despite technological advancements and quality control measures. Raw materials, production methods, and skills differ, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and damage to reputation. A quality management strategy is necessary to overcome these problems and promote quality improvement. This includes the implementation of the Lean Six Sigma approach. This article focuses on improving textile quality by developing the Six Sigma DMAIC method. An analysis of three months' data from a textile company shows that an increase in the Outgoing Quality Level (OQL) from 3% to 6% resulted in significant economic losses, amounting to PKR-240,000 due to rework, residual costs, customer returns, and lost sales time. By utilizing Six Sigma tools, the company reduced OQL from 6% to 4%, thus lowering product losses and increasing operational efficiency. As a result of these findings, the textile industry can improve quality and profitability through a Lean Six Sigma approach.