IIT Madras unveils new tech to treat textile industry wastewater
The project, a collaborative initiative supported by the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, has made notable progress in enhancing wastewater treatment capabilities.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has successfully developed and implemented a cutting-edge technology designed to efficiently treat wastewater generated by the textile industry.
Wastewater discharged from textile units not only affects the visual quality and clarity of water but also hampers photosynthetic activity and presents toxic hazards to humans, aquatic organisms, and other life forms. According to an official release, the technology was deployed at a treatment facility in Tiruppur and demonstrated a significant reduction in harmful compounds.
The project, a collaborative initiative supported by the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, has made notable progress in enhancing wastewater treatment capabilities.
The initiative aims to improve the techno-economic viability of Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plants by developing an electrochemical-based approach. The research team conducted extensive laboratory-scale studies using synthetic wastewater in volumes ranging from 500 millilitres to 50 litres to evaluate the Electrochemical Ozone Oxidation System for the removal of organic dyes.
Under the leadership of Professor Indumathi M Nambi from IIT Madras, the pilot project was executed at the Kunnakalpalayam Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Tiruppur district in 2023. The findings indicated that the ECOOP-treated samples showed a marked reduction in harmful substances compared to chlorinated samples from the CETP. The pilot system achieved a 96 per cent reduction in colour and a 60 per cent reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) in dyebath effluent.
Following promising results from the initial trials, the research team scaled up the system to treat up to 400 litres per day. These extended trials are intended to optimise the system for practical, large-scale applications.
The release highlighted several advantages of this technology over existing methods, including the segregation of dyebath effluent for targeted colour removal, which reduces the load on the reverse osmosis (RO) system by 75 per cent. It also noted a reduction in capital investment for RO systems and reject evaporators, resulting in a lower carbon footprint. Additionally, the chlorine-free colour removal process helps eliminate the formation of carcinogenic chlorinated compounds.
News source: The Hindu Businessline
