Surat manmade fabric industry can reduce its water footprint by adopting ozone treatment for textile processing. The ozone treatment developed by Man-Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA) in Surat can save around 10 to 15 per cent of the water used in textile dyeing. This will cut down the wastewater produced during dyeing and wet processing in textile mills. It will also shorten the time consumed in traditional processing.
Wet processing of textile materials makes use of large quantities of water. Due to which, the processing industry is also responsible for causing water contamination and pollution. The waste water typically contains high levels of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). Ozone treatments can effectively reduce the levels of COD.
A senior scientist of MANTRA told a leading news agency, “Our approximate calculation indicates that a unit involved in only dyeing and finishing will save 10 per cent of total water consumption by adopting ozone treatment after the clearing process. This may be more depending on the type of processing sequence which generally varies from unit to unit.â€Â
He further mentioned, “A lot of dyestuff, chemicals, auxillaries etc are applied in the water baths, creating ecological problems due to water contamination. The ozone treatment is the best answer to solve the pollution issue in the industry. MANTRA has got the patent of the research as well.â€Â
The regional officer of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) said, “Ozone treatment developed by MANTRA is one of the best methods in the wet textile process in the country. It is a win-win situation for the industry as the ultimate goal is to reduce the pollutant levels in raw effluent water and increase the efficiency of the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs). The load of treating effluent water at CETP will considerably decrease, thus reducing the operational cost as well,†in a report to a news agency.