Integration of chemical and biological treatments for textile industry wastewater: a possible zero-discharge system

Theoretical and experimental studies have established that integrated treat ment systems (mostly chemical and biological) for various industrial wastew aters can achieve better quality of treatment and can be cost-effective. In the present study, the objective is to minimize the use of process water i n the textile industry by an economical recycle and reuse scheme. The texti le wastewater was first characterized in terms of COD, BOD5, salinity and c olor. In order to recycle such wastewater, the contaminants should be miner alized and/or removed according to the reusable textile water quality stand ards. Typical results show that this is achievable. An economic analysis has been conducted on the proposed integrated system. The economic analysis shows that the integrated system is economically more attractive than any of the single treatment technologies for achieving the same target of treatment. The information presented in this paper provides a feasible option for the reduction of effluent discharges in the textile industry.