New low cost technology reduces textile effluent pollution significantly

Source: The post is based on the article “New low cost technology reduces textile effluent pollution significantly” published in PIB on 22nd June 2023

What is the News?

NIT Warangal has developed new low cost technology that significantly reduces textile effluent pollution.

What is Textile effluent?

Textile effluent is heavily contaminated with pollutants such as dyes, dissolved solids, suspended solids and toxic metals. 

The main factor to be considered in textile effluent is total dissolved solids (TDS).

Because of the use of common salt and Glauber salt, the level of TDS increases in textile wastewater. 

The direct discharge of textile effluents may increase the level of TDS in groundwater and surface water. 

The presence of TDS (high or low concentration) in water may affect the osmotic balance, causing swelling or dehydration in aquatic organisms and a change in taste. 

The quality of irrigation of water depends on the salt content. When the salt content increases, it contaminates the water and makes it unsuitable for domestic, industrial and agricultural use.

Hence, there is a need for robust, efficient technologies to treat such effluent before they are discharged into the environment.

What have the researchers developed?

NIT Warangal has developed a pilot-scale textile effluent treatment plant using biosurfactants (BS), cavitation (a process in which pressure variations in a liquid can in a short period of time cause countless small cavities to form and then implode–C), and membrane (M) technology.

This technology offers a sustainable solution for textile effluent by converting the toxic wastewater to an irrigation source for the nearby agricultural areas and holds immense potential for replacing existing secondary treatment plants due to its lower installation cost and lesser carbon footprint.