Textile Plant Research Articles

Microbial Decolorization and Degradation of Reactive Red 198 Azo Dye by a Newly Isolated Alkaligenes Species

Microbial digestion has the potential to break down complex organic compounds so that they may further degrade it to completely harmless form. The main objective of the present work is to reduce the colour and degradation of the industrial effluent containing extensively used textile dye Reactive Red 198 (RR198) by microbial method. The activated sludge of textile printing waste water treatment plant of Erode, Tamilnadu, India was used as a source of inocula for the isolation of an efficient dye-decolorizing bacterium strain. The isolated bacterial strain was able to use RR198 as sole carbon source for its growth. Gram staining and 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis have identified bacterial strain as Alcaligenes sp. AP04. The isolated strain has decolorized about 90 % of initial dye concentration of Azo dye RR198 within 24 h under aerobic condition at pH 7.0 and temperature 25 °C with 50–200 mg/L dye concentration. A soluble cytosolic enzyme, azoreductase was isolated from it and its molecular mass was found to be 60 kDa. This enzyme has NADH/NADPH-dependent activity and oxygen sensitivity. The thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of dye decolorized product has confirmed the successful dye degradation by the bacterial activity. Phytotoxicity and inhibition of seed germination of Cicer arietinum and Phaseolus mungo were shown by RR198 treatment while no toxicity and seed germination inhibition was found with the dye degraded products in C. arietinum and P. mungo. Present study might offer valuable implications for the practical application of Alcaligenes sp. for the treatment of azo dyes of industrial effluents.

Avoidable and unavoidable exergy destructions of a fluidized bed coal combustor and a heat recovery steam generator

Advanced exergy analysis was performed using the actual operational data taken from a fluidized bed coal combustor (FBCC) and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) in a textile plant located at Torbalı, Izmir. First, the conventional exergy analysis of the units was carried out. The exergetic efficiencies of the units were found to be 44.2% and 46.2%, respectively. Advanced exergy analysis was then performed by splitting the exergy destructions of the units into avoidable and unavoidable parts. The avoidable exergy destruction rates of the FBCC and the HRSG were determined to be 2999kW and 760kW according to the measurements. Correspondingly, the exergy efficiencies were modified to 53.1% and 48.1%, respectively.

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic study of pyrolysis and combustion of residual textile sludge

Textile sludge, a by-product of effluent treatment, has potential for use in the energy sector; however, in most cases, it is disposed of in landfills with no generation of energy. In this context, the objective of this study was to carry out a thermogravimetric evaluation of a residual sludge sample obtained from a textile effluent treatment plant. Combustion and pyrolysis of the sample were performed. The samples were also characterized through ultimate analysis and the calorific value. The samples were heated from ambient temperature to 750 °C at three constant rates (5, 10, and 20 °C min−1) in the combustion tests. For the pyrolysis process, a fixed heating rate of 20 °C min−1 was applied. The residual textile sludge, when subjected to the thermal processes of combustion and pyrolysis, lost approximately 50 % of its initial mass at temperatures between 170 and 600 °C. The average inferior calorific value of the sample was 11.50 MJ kg−1. The results indicate the feasibility of using textile sludge as an alternative source of fuel for energy generation.

Ecology of bacterial endophytes associated with wetland plants growing in textile effluent for pollutant-degradation and plant growth-promotion potentials

In this study, 41 culturable endophytic bacteria were isolated from the roots and shoots of three wetland plants, Typha domingensis, Pistia stratiotes and Eichhornia crassipes, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Textile effluent-degrading and plant growth-promoting activities of these endophytes were determined. The analysis of endophytic bacterial communities indicated that plant species had a pronounced effect on endophytic bacterial association and maximum endophytes (56.5%) were associated with T. domingensis. These endophytic bacteria mainly belonged to different species of the genera Bacillus (39%), Microbacterium (12%) and Halomonas (12%). Eight of the 41 strains showing maximum efficiency of textile effluent degradation also exhibited plant growth-promoting activities such as production of indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore, presence of 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase, and solubilization of inorganic phosphorous. This is the first study describing the diversity and plant-beneficial characteristics of the textile effluent-degrading endophytic bacteria associated with wetland plants. T. domingensis showed better growth in textile effluent and also hosted maximum number of endophytic bacteria in roots and shoots. The interactions between T. domingensis and its associated endophytic bacteria could be exploited to enhance the efficiency of constructed wetlands during the remediation of industrial effluent.

Caracterização de blocos cerâmicos acústicos produzidos com incorporação de lodo de lavanderia têxtil

Características físicas (absorção de água), mecânicas (resistência à compressão), de toxicidade e de superfície (microscopia eletrônica de varredura) foram avaliadas em blocos cerâmicos acústicos, fabricados por meio do processo de solidificação/estabilização (S/E), a partir da incorporação de lodo proveniente de estação de tratamento de efluentes têxteis. Os blocos cerâmicos acústicos foram produzidos com incorporação de 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 e 35% de lodo têxtil na massa de argila, bem como o bloco controle. Os resultados indicaram a porcentagem de 20% de lodo como o limite para fornecer material com características de acordo com os padrões estabelecidos pela legislação brasileira. O processo de S/E foi eficiente no aproveitamento/tratamento do lodo têxtil, uma vez que permitiu a imobilização dos poluentes na massa de argila, os quais não foram lixiviados, tampouco solubilizados.

Membrane Processes for Dye Wastewater Treatment: Recent Progress in Fouling Control

The textile industry generates large volumes of effluents on a daily basis, which contains substantial loads of organic compounds, inorganic salts, and suspended impurities. Membrane filtration has become an essential part of advanced treatment plants for dye wastewater treatment. Prevention of membrane fouling is one of the critical objectives for making the overall treatment process commercially viable. Development in this area during the past decade is critically evaluated in this review. Recent developments in the primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment steps in textile wastewater treatment are outlined. The methods employed for measuring, modeling, and understanding membrane fouling processes are discussed. Specific efforts toward fouling control by (a) pretreatment stages of textile wastewater and (b) modifying and optimizing the membrane separation process parameters such as feed composition, hydrodynamic conditions, and membrane properties are then assessed. Fouling related investigations for microfiltration/ultrafiltration membranes, membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, and nanofiltration membranes with special focus on textile wastewater treatment are discussed. Recent efforts toward developing new membranes and cleaning processes for fouled membrane activation are also discussed. Pilot plant studies involving membrane separation in combination with other treatment processes are also summarized. Strategies evolved and experiences gained from the industrial scale textile wastewater treatment plants in India are discussed. The authors also summarize the opportunities and the challenges remaining at different stages of industrial textile wastewater treatment units.

Ant Colony Optimization for Load Management Based on Load Shifting in the Textile Industry

The textile industry is a complicated manufacturing industry because it is a fragmented and heterogeneous sector dominated by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). There are various energy-efficiency opportunities that exist in every textile plant. However, even cost-effective options often are not implemented in textile plants mostly because of limited information on how to implement energy-efficiency measures. This paper presents the expansion of problem formulation of consummation management based on load shifting in textile industry. The mathematical model is a Non Polynomial (NP) hard optimization problem to determine the start time of the process in order to minimize the total electricity cost under varying tariffs such as flat rate and Time of Use (TOU). For solve this problem, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is applied and compared with Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). To show its efficiency, the case studies in case of Single Process Multiple Jobs (SPMJ) in term of small, medium and large scales are demonstrated. The results show that the proposed method is able to achieve the best solution efficiently and easy to implement.

An economic and environmental analysis of biomass-solar hybrid system for the textile industry in India

This paper focuses on the design and analysis of a hybrid biomass-solar photovoltaic system for the textile industry with the goal of minimizing the cost and greenhouse gas emissions. The feasibility analysis of the hybrid system is performed based on the resource availability and the power generation potential of the existing biomass power plant near the textile plant at T.Kallupatti in Tamil Nadu, India. The power plant located at the site (9.66$^{\circ}$N, 77.79$^{\circ}$E) has an average daily global horizontal irradiance of 4.86 kWh/m$^{2}$, which has been validated through NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy data. The chosen site also has adequate biomass fuel availability. The biomass feedstock fuel price varies from {\$}38.5 to {\$}42 per ton on average for the fuels juliflora, bagasse, coconut shell, paddy husk, etc., which are purchased from nearby villages of the chosen region. The comparative analysis of grid-alone, standalone biomass-solar hybrid, and grid connected biomass-solar hybrid systems is performed using HOMER 2.81 software. In particular, an economic and environmental evaluation of the hybrid system is carried out based on the results of the optimization of biomass feedstock combination for maximum power output using the Neural Network toolbox of MATLAB 2010a. The results prove the effectiveness of the stand-alone solar-biomass hybrid system for the textile industry in terms of cost combined with emission reductions.

Determination of Metal Contents of Various Fibers Used in Textile Industry by MP-AES

The concentrations of metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl, and Zn) in various textile fibers (cotton, acrylic, polyester, nylon, viscose, and polypropylene) of different colors (red, white, green, blue, yellow, orange, black, brown, purple, pink, navy, burgundy, beige, and grey) were determined by microwave plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). Textile fibers were collected from the various textile plants in Gaziantep-Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. Heavy metals concentrations in all examined textile fibers after wet digestion were found to be high, whereas in the artificial sweat extract they were low. The only lead concentrations in textile fibers analyzed after extraction in the artificial sweat solution were found higher than limit values given by Oeko-Tex.

Comprehensive Study on Textile Dyeing Sludge as a Substitute for Cement in Cement-Mortar

This study examines the reuse of textile effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge in substituting cement in construction industry. The chemical sludge from CETP of Karur, Tamil Nadu has been taken for study purpose. This is a comprehensive study mainly testing the physical properties such as consistency, initial and final setting time of cement with various percentages of sludge, and compressive strength of the mortar cubes with sludge replacing the cement; testing the chemical properties such as pH, Electrical conductivity, Total Hardness and Heavy metal concentration present in the cured water for various days for various percentages of sludge replacing cement in cement-mortar cubes. The chemical sludge from textile wastewater treatment plants has a potential to be reused up to 20% replacement of cement to ensure the required compressive strength of mortar.

A Carbon Footprint of Textile Recycling: A Case Study in Sweden

SummaryGlobal population growth and rising living standards are increasing apparel consumption. Consequently, consumption of resources and generation of textile waste are increasing. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, textile consumption increased by 40% between the years 2000 and 2009 in Sweden. Given that there is currently no textile recycling plant in Sweden, the aim of this article is to explore the potential environmental benefits of various textile recycling techniques and thereby direct textile waste management strategies toward more sustainable options. Three different recycling techniques for a model waste consisting of 50% cotton and 50% polyester were identified and a life cycle assessment (LCA) was made to assess the environmental performance of them. The recycling processes are: material reuse of textile waste of adequate quality; separation of cellulose from polyester using N‐methylmorpholine‐N‐oxide as a solvent; and chemical recycling of polyester. These are compared to incineration, representing conventional textile waste treatment in Sweden. The results show that incineration has the highest global warming potential and primary energy usage. The material reuse process exhibits the best performance of the studied systems, with savings of 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2‐eq) and 164 gigajoules (GJ) of primary energy per tonne of textile waste. Sensitivity analyses showed that results are particularly sensitive to the considered yields of the processes and to the choice of replaced products. An integration of these recycling technologies for optimal usage of their different features for treatment of 1 tonne of textile waste shows that 10 tonnes CO2‐eq and 169 GJ of primary energy could be saved.

Characterization of fluorescent-dissolved organic matter and identification of specific fluorophores in textile effluents.

This study focused on the characterization of fluorescent-dissolved organic matter and identification of specific fluorophores in textile effluents. Samples from different textile wastewater treatment plants were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography and size exclusion chromatography as well as fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectra. Despite the highly heterogeneous textile effluents, the fluorescent components and their physicochemical properties were found relatively invariable, which is beneficial for the combination of biological and physicochemical treatment processes. The humic-like substance with triple-excitation peaks (excitation (Ex) 250, 310, 365/emission (Em) 460nm) presented as the specific fluorescence indicator in textile effluents. It was also the major contributor to UV absorbance at 254nm and resulted in the brown color of biologically treated textile effluents. By spectral comparison, the specific fluorophore in textile effluents could be attributed to the intermediate structure of azo dyes 1-amino-2-naphthol, which was transferred into the special humic-like substances during biological treatment.

Natural Bamboo (Neosinocalamus affinis Keng) Fiber Identification Using FT-IR and 2D-IR Correlation Spectroscopy

The objective of this study as to identify natural bamboo (Neosinocalamus affinis Keng) fiber through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), second derivative IR spectra, and two-dimensional infrared correlation spectroscopy (2D-IR). Textile plant fibers, including natural bamboo, jute, and flax fibers, were collected, and isolated by hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid becoming single fibers to avoid uncontrolled influence. All the chemically treated plant fibers showed generally similar IR spectral profiles. However, different numbers of peaks in the range of 1,300–1,200/cm and the variation in peak intensity at around 1,059/cm were observed for bamboo fiber differentiation. A few differences in their second derivative IR spectra between bamboo fiber and the other plant fibers also provided information for differentiation. Furthermore, the characteristic features of bamboo fiber were presented in 2D-IR correlation synchronous spectra in the range of 800–1,200/cm and 1,425–1,750/cm, which were obviously distinguished from other investigated fibers. In addition, the results showed that the distinction between bamboo fiber and bamboo pulp fiber could be easily carried out using FT-IR and 2D-IR spectroscopy because of their different chemical compositions and crystal lattice types of cellulose (I, II). Therefore, it is demonstrated that FT-IR combined with 2D-IR correlation spectroscopy can become a new approach for natural bamboo fiber identification.

Applying TOC Heuristics to Job Scheduling in a Hybrid Flexible Flow Shop

This paper introduces an application of the Theory of Constraints product mix heuristic to job scheduling in a Hybrid Flexible Flow Shop. The general heuristic is adapted for unrelated parallel machines and the algorithm is implemented as a job detailed scheduling tool based on the principle of the Theory of Constraints to schedule the production based in the bottleneck resource. The adaptation of the methodology to a flexible hybrid context, where there is parallelism in the bottleneck stage, and its application in a textile plant, helps to assign capacity based on the contribution margin. The result is a viable job scheduling focused on the profitability unit. Although the results do not reach the global optimum of this type of problems, they represent a fast and effective job scheduling alternative in the contexts under study.

Distribution of free-living amoebae in a treatment system of textile industrial wastewater

Free-living amoebae have been found in soil, air and a variety of aquatic environments, but few studies have been conducted on industrial wastewater and none on wastewater from the textile industry. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and distribution of free-living amoebae in a biological treatment system that treats textile industrial wastewater. Samples were taken from input, aeration tank, sedimentation tank and output. Samples were centrifuged at 1200g for 15min, the sediment was seeded on non-nutritive agar with Enterobacter aerogenes (NNE) and the plates were incubated at 30 and 37°C. Free-living amoebae were present in all stages of the treatment system. The highest number of amoebic isolates was found in the aeration tank and no seasonal distribution was observed during the year. A total of 14 amoeba genera were isolated: Acanthamoeba, Echinamoeba, Korotnevella, Mayorella, Naegleria, Platyamoeba, Saccamoeba, Stachyamoeba, Thecamoeba, Vahlkampfia, Vannella, Vermamoeba, Vexillifera and Willaertia. The most frequently found amoebae were Acanthamoeba and Vermamoeba which were found in all treatment system stages. The constant presence and diversity of free-living amoebae in the treatment system were important findings due to the characteristics of the wastewater from the textile plant in terms of the residue content from colorants, fixers, carriers, surfactants, etc., used in fabric dyeing and finishing processes. The factors that determined the presence and distribution of amoebae in the activated sludge system were their capacity to form cysts, which allowed them to resist adverse conditions; food availability; an average temperature of 27–33°C; dissolved oxygen in average concentrations above 2mg/L, and pH in a range of 5.9–7.1.

Recovery of caustic from mercerizing wastewaters of a denim textile mill

The objective of this study was to evaluate caustic recovery from mercerizing wastewater originating from a denim textile producing plant using membrane technology. For this purpose, ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) processes were considered. In the first stage, in an attempt to control the possible membrane fouling, pretreatment alternatives of flocculation, centrifugation, and microfiltration were evaluated. These pretreatment application alternatives were unsuccessful as they did not provide considerable color and solids removal. In the second stage, UF and NF processes were tested using a tight UF membrane (GR95PP, Alfalaval) and three NF membranes (NP010 and NP030, Microdyn Nadir, and MPF34, Koch Membranes) to accomplish the caustic recovery without applying any pretreatment. The best performance was obtained with NP010 NF in terms of permeate flux along with color and COD rejections. Then, for this membrane the effects of transmembrane pressure (4.03 and 6.23 bar), cross-flow velocity (from 0.40 to 1.40 m/s), and feed temperature (20 and 40°C) were investigated. Temperature positively affected the permeate flux without significant loss in recovery and rejections. Caustic stream produced had about 98–100% of NaOH in the feed at a concentration of 30–40 g/L and therefore was recyclable after a concentration process.

Adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions using corn straw

Large amounts of wastewater containing heavy metals are discharged from electroplating, metal finishing, textile, and other industrial plants, bringing health risks to humans and animals. There is, therefore, a growing concern to find low cost and effective ways to remove heavy metals from wastewater. In the present study, untreated corn straw was used as an adsorbent, and basic parameters for lead Pb(II) adsorption were studied. The Pb(II) adsorption was found to be dependent on contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of Pb(II), and temperature. The kinetics were studied using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich, and Weber–Morris models, and the kinetic parameters were determined. The untreated corn straw particles showed the maximum adsorption capacity (15.0269 mg/g) for Pb(II). The adsorption isotherms indicated that the heat of adsorption linearly increased as the thickness of the Pb(II) layer on the adsorbent gradually increased. The studies showed that corn straw can be used as a good adsorbent material for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions.

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Productivity improvement by reduction of idle time through application of queuing theory

In Lean Six Sigma one of the primary objectives is to identify and eliminate the waiting or idle time for enhancing productivity and reducing production cost. However, in some situations it is better to replace ‘elimination’ by ‘optimization’ due to the presence of conflicting requirements. Optimization techniques in the form of queuing models are quite useful to resolve this conflict. In an Indian textile manufacturing plant, the waiting (idle) time in the winding process is identified as a reason for high production cost. In this situation, it is to be determined as to how many machines are to be assigned to an operator for reducing waiting or idle time of both the operators and the machines leading to reduced production cost. The situation can be compared and contrasted to a machine repairman problem aiming for optimizing the number of machines per operator. The various process parameters have been estimated and suitably modified or derived to serve as inputs to the Queuing Model. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out to identify and control the significant factors. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate through an application of queuing models the procedure of optimizing the waiting or idle time. Consequently, the focus is on the application of optimization techniques like Queuing Theory and Simulation while implementing lean six sigma.

An Investigation of Contingency Factors Influencing Intellectual Capital Information

The purpose of this study was to determine the contingency factors influencing the companies' intellectual capital information operating in Yazd industrial city. The study model was formed using intellectual capital as dependent variable and environmental uncertainty, technology advancement and business strategy as independent variables. For purpose of the present study, the applied and correlational methods were used. Data collection was conducted using questionnaires and survey methods. The statistical population of the study included food and textile plants of Yazd industrial city. Simple random sampling method was used to determine the number of samples. 125 acceptable questionnaires were collected among the sent questionnaires. LISREL Software and structural equation modeling were used for data analysis. Results of the study showed that there is a direct significant relationship between technology advancement and intellectual capital.