Ecofriendly technology for textile industry

Preranawagh11@gmail.com
Eco-friendly
Technology
For Textile
Industry
Textile
IIIndustry

INDEX
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Influencing use of eco-friendly fabric.
 Use of eco-friendly machinery
 Natural dyes innovation
 Recycled polyester
 Recycled plastic bottles turned into swimwear’s
 “Good bacteria” to battle pollution and reduce
level of chemicals.
 Bangladeshi researchers develop eco-friendly
technology for textile industry.
 Controlling pollution in textile industry.
 Electro-chemical processing – an ecofriendly
technology in textile
 Management of post consumer textile waste.
 Dyeing without water- air dye technique.
 Sustainable technology in textile machinery.
 Reference.

ECOFRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY FOR TEXTILE INDUSTRY
ABSTRACT:
Environmental issues in textile
The international green tribunals are coming up stricter & stricter norms which lead to a
higher challenge for a processer and its materials suppliers. ZDHC, GOTS, OEKO TEX, FLO are
some of the initiatives taken worldwidewhich is not only helping to protect environment
and health & safety issuebut also helping processers for ways & means to achieve green
process, saving carbon footprints and reducing / eliminating the dangerous / banned
chemicals in textiles process chain. Air pollution by chimneys, water pollution and earth
pollution are the areas which needs attention much more than ever before.
Zero water discharge, recycling of water, recycling of chemicals, modernization of boilers
for controlling air pollution and solid wastemanagement are the areas which we need to
adopt on this front.
Introduction :-
As we know, the textile industry being a very good example for the most
advancing and ecologically harmfulindustry in the world. The evolution of clothing fromits
fibre stage to fabric requires a lot of process which arevery harmful to our environment.
“Ecology” is the study of the
interactions between
organisms and their
environment. Therefore “eco”
friendly is a term to refer to
goods and services considered
to inflicts minimal or no harm
on the environment “think
globally, act locally” is the
slogan of tomorrow for the
world textile industry.
Various innovations are done in order to safe guard our mother earth. The
production stages of textile include bleaching, dyeing, etc contribute to a large extend of

pollution. Thus making it important to make it more sustainable controlling pollution is as
vital as making a productfree fromthe textile effect. So in order safeguard our
environment. We must take some preventivemeasures and technology than can maintain
the balance of our ecosystemand makes the final productfree from toxic effect.
Now-a-days a wide rangeof techniques and innovations related to textiles
production have been developed to savethe world from being affected by the hazardous
effects of chemicals.
Sustainable fashion, also called eco-fashion, is a part of the
growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a
systemwhich can be supported indefinitely in terms of human impact on the environment
and social responsibility. Thereview presents an overview of the textile industry
highlighting eco-friendly fibre technique and innovations that are developed to make textile
industry moresustainable.
Air pollution caused by the textile industry is also a major causeof
concern. Boilers, thermo pack, and diesel generators producepollutants that are released
into the air. Ithas become utterly necessary to reduce the pollutants emitted by the textile
industry. Contamination of the air, water, and land by textile industries and its raw material
manufacturing units has become a serious threat to the environment. Ithas endangered
the life of human beings and various other species on Earth. Global warming is a direct
result of the pollutants released by such industries. Italso causes harmfuldiseases and
health issues in people getting exposed to the pollutants in the long run.
The useof organic raw material can help in fighting the emission of pollutants
by the textile units. Besides, the wastegenerated from textile manufacturing plants should
be processed in a manner that it is free from toxic chemicals before it is disposed.
Environmentfriendly methods of cultivation and manufactureshould be resorted to.
There is no doubt to the fact that the textile industry releases harmful
pollutants into the atmosphere in large quantities. It is agreed all over the world that textile
industry is one of the most pollutants emitting industries of the world. Almost 2000
different types of chemicals are used in this industry. It consumes as well as contaminates
fresh water. There is a need to take actions in this direction, urgently.

Influencing use of ecofriendly fabrics:
Eco-textiles
I) Organic
a) Organic cotton
b) Organic wool
c) Organic silk
d) Hemp/ ramie/ jute
II) Man made fibers
a) Corn / soya bean
b) Pineapple
c) Lyocell
III)Recycled fibers
a) Recycled cotton
b) Recycled polyester
IV)Natural
a) Naturally coloured cotton
Ecofriendly fibres
1) Bamboo: bamboo is regenerated cellulosic fibre produced from bamboo pulp.

2) Organic cotton: organic cotton is more ecofriendly than the traditional method as it
uses no pesticides, insecticides
during the growing cycle. Recent
promising trend is the production
of coloured cotton or natural dyes
which can further reduce the
amount of chemical used.
3) Hemp : The most potential eco friendly fibre is hemp. Itis rapidly renewable,
requires little or no pesticides, grows withoutfertiliser, requires minimum attention
and does not deplete soil nutrients. So it is a long fibre which is long lasting.
4)Soy cashmere/ silk: this fabric is made from soy protein
fibre left over after processing soybeans into food. The
liquefied protein is extruded into fibres
which are then spun and used like other
fibres. The high protein content makes it

receptive to natural dyes. So they can create their own colours.
5)Wool: woolis renewable, fire resistanceand doesn’tneed chemical inputs. Organic wool
yarn is woolthat is fromsheep that have not been exposed to
chemicals like pesticides and are kept in humane and good
farmconditions
Other eco friendly fibres includes:
1) Corn fibre: corn is available in both spun
and filament forms. Itbalancestrength
and resilience with comfort, softness and
drape in textiles. Corn also uses no
chemical additives or surfacetreatments
and is naturally flame retardant. Corn fibre
manufacturers haveclaimed that these
fibres can be used for sportswear, jacket,
outer coat, apparels, etc.
2) Banana fibre: the useof banana stems as a sourceof fibre such as cotton and silk
is becoming popular now. Itis also known as musa fibre which is one of the
strongestnaturalfibres.
3) Milk fibre: milk fibre was firstly introduced in 1930 in Italy and America to
compete the wool. It is the new innovativefibre and a kind of synthetic fibre
made of milk casein fibre through bio-engineering method. Itcan also used to

create top-grade underwear, shirts, t-shirts, loungewear, etc. Itcontains 17 amino
acids and natural anti- bacterial rate is above80%. Hence milk fibre has sanitarian.
4) Ayurvastra: Ayurvastra is a branch of ayurveda that means ayur as “health” and
vastra as a “cloth”. Ayur vastra cloth is completely free from synthetic chemicals
and toxic substances making this cloth
organic, sustainableand bio-degradable.
Ayur vastra is made up of 100% pure
organic cotton or silk, wool, jute and coir
products that have been hand loomed,
dyed by using various ayurveda herbs
and havemedicinal qualities. Herbs used
in ayur vastra are known to cure
allergies having anti-microbial, anti-
inflammatory properties. Ayur vastra is
extra smooth and good for transpiration
that helps in recovering various
diseases.
Recent innovations of eco fabrics:
1) Samatoa/ lotus fabric: fabric
extracted fromlotus flower is known
as Samatoa. Lotus plant is believed
to have healing abilities. Lotus plants

are pure by virtue and they radiate this purity through their fibres. By wearing lotus
fibre fabrics, the wearer feels calm, peaceful and meditative. Italso cures headaches,
heart ailments, asthma and lung issues. The fabrics are100% organic and hence are
eco-friendly. The entire process of fibre extraction, spinning it into yarn and making
the fabric is completely handmade making this process time consuming. This
disadvantagealso limits the quantity of the fabric produced.
2) Fabrics from fermented
wine: a group of scientist at
the University of Western
Australia has produced fabric
by letting microbes to work
on wine. Itis produced by
adding bacteria called
acetobacter into cheap red
wine. The bacteria ferment
the alcohol into fibres that float justabove the surface.
3) Hagfishslime thread: these fibres are obtained from
the goo attached to a hagfish. Scientists have
discovered that proteins within this slime have
mechanical properties similar to
those of spider silk and can be woven
into high-performancebio-materials.
4) Cocona fabrics: cocona is a fabric that is developed from fibrous coconuthusks that
incorporates naturalingredients into polymers. By using activated carbon made from
coconut shells. Cocona fabric utilizes
natural technology that outperforms
other fabrics and yarns. Cocona fibres
and yarns can be used i a wide range
of knit and woven fabrics as well as
non-woven that provideeffective

evaporativecooling, odour adsorption and UV protection. Fabrics made fromcocona
yarns and fibres are lightweight, comfortable and retain all of the conventional
productfeatures, such as stretch and wash ability.
So we havediscussed aboutvarious eco-friendly fibers that are available in the
market which are designed for the purposeof reducing the harmfulsubstances used
in the textile production. Even though many fabrics are available wecan bring new
innovations in the field of eco textiles which protect our environmentfrom further
depletion. So go green and make fashion moreeco friendly.
5. jute:Jutehas high specific properties, low density, less abrasivebehavior, good
dimensional stability and harmlessness. Jutetextile is a low cost ecofriendly product
and is abundantly
available, easy to
transportand has
superior drapability
and moisture
retention capacity .It
is widely being used
as a naturalchoice for
plant mulching and
ruralroad pavement
construction. Useof
biodegradable and low priced jute products is increasing day by day.[1] But still jute
productdiversification is needed to find value added useof this fiber.
Figure1: Cross-SectionalView & Micro-Structureof Jute fibre. [4]
.

Figure2: Morphological Structureof Wool fibre. [6]
Use of Ecofriendlymachinery:
 A textile fibre recycling machine has been developed for reprocessing hard
thread waste, woven and nonwoven fabrics, carpets, rugs, etc. Themachine
outputs open usable fibres which can be used in subsequentconventional
textile processes.
 Kyungwon enterpriseco. Of South Korea has developed a washing machine
which does not need detergent to clean cloths. The new technology has
developed a device which is able to transform water into an electronically
charged liquid that cleans goods with the same power as that of a conventional
synthetic detergent powder. Itwill make washing easier, cheaper and more
environments friendly. The system would cut water and electricity
consumption by 2/3rd
½ th respectively.
 The Spanish firm MCH SA produces dyeing machinery to savewater, energy,
products and time in the dyeing cycle, and matches the machines to customer
requirements.
 Biotechnology, which is an emerging theme and has practical applications to
textile field, offers the opportunity to reducecosts, protect the environment,
address health and safety, and improve quality and functionality.

Textile Waste Recycling Machine
Natural dye innovations
Nowadays naturaldyes areone of the main areas of textile researchers and
important in terms of sustainable and ecological textiles, niche market and value-added
unique textiles. Serious environmental concerns haveled to a rise in demand for natural
dyestuffs obtained fromsustainable naturalsources (plants/animals/minerals). Natural
dyes are additionally claimed non-toxic to human. Therefore, textiles dyed using natural
products arebecoming for the current eco-friendly lifestyle.
As the denim and apparel industry moves toward morenatural materials and inputs, so
necessary steps aretaken to makechanges in developing of those materials for an industry
in need. Faculty and students at Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir, Turkey, areworking on one
of these projects entitled ‘Experimental Eco print designs by using natural dyes and
TENCEL™ lyocell fabrics’.
The study is focused on using natural dyes in place of their more synthetic counterparts.
TENCEL™ lyocell is an environmentally friendly fiber that has an important role in the
development of environmentally sustainabletextiles, a great plus for denim and raises its
value.
This experimental study was conducted within the frameof Bachelor’s Degree graduation
project. They have combined science in art and design altogether by dyeing TENCEL™

lyocell fabrics with natural dyes and patterning with plants which wereused as stamps and
stencils.
They have included two novel natural dyes in the scientific literature; Prina (by-productof
olive oil production) and outer green shells of almond (agriculturalwaste).
“Combining naturaldyes with an environmentally friendly fiber like TENCEL™ lyocell would
be beneficial in terms of sustainability. Itis believed that the bestresults in natural dyeing
applications are obtained with protein fibers such as silk, wool. However, satisfactory
results can also be achieved with cellulosic fibers like cotton, viscose, lyocelletc. in case of
using optimum recipes and working conditions,” said Professor Dr. Özlenen ERDEMİŞMAL
of Dokuz EylülUniversity in İzmir, Turkey.
In natural coloring and eco-printing, they have used a regenerated cellulosic man-made
fabric successfully in this project. Within the scopeof sustainability, unique textile designs
and high value-added products wereachieved by using renewable natural colorants and an
environmentally friendly fiber.
They have experimented to create a natural dye color gamut and how to make the clearest,
vivid and sharp patterns with plants using different mordents or materials.
In contrastto general opinion formprofessor,
that satisfactory results can be achieved with
protein fibers such as wool, silk etc. in natural
coloring and eco-printing.
Unique physicalproperties of TENCEL™
Lyocell fibers; lead to their great strength,
efficient moistureabsorption and gentleness
to skin. Not only fabric is made fromTENCEL
incredibly usefuland beautiful, but it is
arguably one of the most ecofriendly fibers
on the market. So, the researchers try to
improvesustainable dyeing with the TENCEL™
Lyocell fibers.
Thanking to Lenzing-AG (Austria) and Apparel
ProjectManager Dr. Hale Bahar Öztürk for
their intense efforts and supply of TENCEL™
fabrics used in the project, Dr. Özlenen said,
“We closely follow Lenzing and appreciate its
production strategies, contribution to education,
and sensitivity to university-industry cooperation.”

Let’s look at the facts of sustainable issues:
 The solvents used in production process arenon-toxic and are able to reuseagain. This
is due to technique called ‘closed loop’ spinning. This eliminates dumping of waste
98%..
 The fiber itself is completely biodegradable, making it far safer to disposeof than most
other common fabrics.
 While the textile does usetraditional dyes, its impressiveabsorbency allows companies
to use less dyes to achieve desired effect.
 There is no need to bleach this fiber beforedyeing due to its purewhite color at
production.
Products such as TENCEL™, are an inspiring
step into the futureof more environmentally
conscious industry. Theresearchers of Dokuz
Eylül University in İzmir, Turkey also have
developed Lenzing fabric catalogs with the
blends of TENCEL™ and other naturalfibers.
So the sustainable dyeing development
concern is getting increased due to ecological
balance impact
RECYCLED POLYSTER
The principle ingredient used in the manufacture of polyester is ethylene, which is derived
from petroleum. In this process, ethylene is the polymer, the chemical building block of
polyester, and the chemical process that produces the finished polyester is called
polymerization.
Two gases are made from Petrochemistry industry
1. CO2 Burning of Carbon Based Fuels
2. N2O Fossil Fuels and Fertilizer.
The production process of the main ingredient of polyester creates lots of
CO2. So the production process of polyester helps to create green house effect. With
increasing carbon dioxide emissions from human, the green house effect has become
drastically exaggerated .This has caused a dangerous global warming process that is
threatening for our environment by melting polar ice caps and raising sea levels around the
globe. It is predicted that the Earth’s average sea level will rise by 0.09 to 0.88 m between
1990 and 2100.
Thirdly, polyester production process requires a lot of petroleum based productand also
lot of oil consuming process.

Fourthly, traditional synthetic polyester has potential health hazards also. During the
manufacturing stage antimony is used which create harmfuleffect on health. Antimony is
toxic to the heart, lungs, liver and skin. Manufactureof polyester produces a by-product
called antimony trioxide. Long term, inhalation of antimony trioxide can cause chronic
bronchitis and even emphysema. the antimony trioxide mixes with the wastewater and that
end up with toxic wastewater.
Scope of Recycle Polyester :
Energy needed tomake the recycling polyester is less than what was needed to make the
virgin polyester in the first place, so we can save energy.
Recycling polyester uses less energy that what’s needed to produce virgin polyester.
Various studies from which all agree that it takes from 33% to 53% less energy.
Plastic bottle and other plastic which do not mix with environment can also keep out
from landfills by using them into recycling process.
Recycle polyester is also producing far fewer emissions to the air than does the
production of virgin polyester.
USA recycle only about 20% of their plastic bottles for making polyester fibre. If consumer
have easy way to throw bottle into recycle process and if they become aware about
recylcling process then it will helps us to reduce pressure on environment .
There are two types of recycling process: mechanical and chemical:
 Mechanical recycling is accomplished by melting the plastic and re-extruding it to
make yarns. However, this can only be done few times before the molecular
structure breaks down and makes the yarn suitable only for the landfill where it may
never degrade, may biodegrade very slowly, or may add harmful materials to the
environment as it breaks down (such as antimony).
•Chemical recycling means breaking the polymer into its molecular parts and
reforming the molecule into a yarn of equal strength and beauty as the original. The
technology to separate out the different chemical building blocks (called de
polymerization) so they can be reassembled (re polymerization) is very costly. Most
recycling is done mechanically. Chemical recycling does create anew plastic which is
of the same quality as the original, but the process is very expensive
 .conclusion
The Dyer faces some problem during processing recycle polyester yarn such as color
inconsistency between batch to batch, more dye consumption and deviation of base color
recycle polyester from original polyester yarn. But comparing the advantages to the
environment, energy saving etc. these problems are nothing. As polyester produce in large
quantity and do not mix with soil, sometimes also found in some animal’s stomach. So it is

every one’s duty not to through them on earth. They should put this on recycling process.
Entrepreneurs should come forward to establish this kind of project to save the
environment and world resource and their own benefit as well.
Recycled plastic bottles turned into
swimwear:
Carvico, a leading Italian warp knit and circular knit technology has pioneered the latest
environmentally sustainable fabric called Melville with REPREVE, a 100% recycled polyester
yarn derived fromPET bottles.
Wastes which make it into fashion, plastic which is turned into fabrics, pollution which
brings about new opportunities- this is how Melville, a new recycled fabric made by Carvico
fromplastic bottles, has been engineered, the company said in a press statement.
Eco-sustainableand innovative, Melville is officially the firstrecycled P.B.T(polybutylene
terephthalate) fabric.
Such process is aimed at giving a second life to plastic
bottles – recovered PET containers are washed, grinded
into fragments which are then melted and transformed

into chips which are melt again and converted into REPREVE yarn to be used by Carvico to
produceMelville.
Made from100% polyester, the new fabric boasts 45% polyester from PBT and 55%
REPREVE recycled polyester, a sustainablefiber made from post-consumer plastic originally
employed in the food industry (PET), patented by Unifi, a company operating in the textile
market featuring a modern production plant which processes about250,000 used bottles
every hour, Carvico explains.
According to the company, designed for training and competition swimwear, Melville can
enhance PET techno-features, perfectly blending comfortand durability, with the added
value of a green, sustainablesoul.
Compact and breathable, Melville is highly UV protective, resistantto sweat and suntan
creams and, especially, chlorine proof, thus it can be used for competition swimwear.
‘Good bacteria’ to battle pollution and
reduce the level of chemicals:
A Chennai-based company, Proklean Technologies Pvt Ltd makes eco-friendly
products for industries like textile, leather, and paper that otherwisedepend on heavy
chemicals for a substantial portion of their production process.
The product is being used by severaltextile units in Ahmedabad and Gujaratto help them
battle pollution and reduce the level of chemicals in their effluent.

The company has developed a proprietary technology platform to achieve this. The
technology makes useof probiotic microorganisms (beneficialbacteria) to make its
products.
Dr. SivaramPillai, CEO, Proklean said that in many industries Proklean’s products have
helped replace at least 10% to 15% of the chemical products used earlier. It is developing
more products and aims to cover as high as 50% of the chemicals used in someindustries.
“With this, the overall input of chemical in the industry has come down and this has an
automatic impact on the effluent being generated,”
Dr. Sivaram Pillai, Co-founder & CEO, Proklean Technologies Pvt Ltd
Giving an example, he said the firstprocess in any textile industry is washing and cleaning
the raw material.
“The overall input of chemical in the industry has come down and this has an automatic
impact on the effluent being generated,”
“Earlier only chemical products wereused to clean this but wehave developed cleaning
products that are non-toxic and biodegradableand environmentally friendly. This
considerably reduces the pollutants being generated from stage one of the production
process,” said Dr. Pillai.
He said another advantage of the products was that it resulted in saving water up to 20%
compared to chemical products and this alone was a substantialsaving.
VishalKaria, Director Pradeep Overseas thatis into the textile business and is one of the
units that have made use of the company’s new products in their production process said
that it has definitely shown results.
“Overallthe level of BOD and COD in the effluent has reduced. The pollution is 20% to 30%
less than what it is when compared to chemical products,” said Karia.
VishalKaria added that since their unit has a zero dischargeprocess, theuse of
biodegradable products helps decreasethe overall expenditure in recycling the effluent
water.

Bangladeshi researchers develop eco-
friendly technology for textile industry:
Two Professors and eleven students of the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering of RajshahiUniversity havedeveloped a low-costeco-friendly technology for
textile industries of Bangladesh recently.
RU Prof Dr. Mohammad Taufiq Alam, the developer, filed a provisionalpatent application
for the invention with the Department of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks under the
Ministry of Industries on December 9.

The technology will play a very positive role in significantly reducing environmental
pollution by the textile industry. Thetechnology has been developed under an industry-
university collaborative sub-projectof Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project
(HEQEP) and is being implemented by the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering of RU.
Prof Alam said, “The textile industries at presentconsumetwice the volume of water
consumed by the entire population of Dhaka city. Furthermore, textile pre-treatment
process requires a high-energy input and generates a large amount of biochemical and
chemical oxygen. The proposed technology will overcomethe above shortcomings
significantly.”
Textile fibers contain naturally occurring primary impurities and secondary impurities that
are added during spinning, knitting, and weaving.
Textile pre-treatment is a series of cleaning operations. All impurities that cause adverse
effect during dyeing and printing are removed in the process. Pre-treatmentprocesses
include desizing, scouring, and bleaching which make subsequentdyeing and softening
processes easy.
Cotton fabrics are mainly composed of 90% to 95% cellulose and surrounded by the
outermostnoncellulosic surface, the cuticle. Currently used conventional chemical pre-
treatment process to remove the cuticle layer has led to serious water pollution as it
involves the useof corrosivechemicals like sodium hydroxide, surfactants, chelators and
H2O2 at boiling temperatures.
Moreover, the aggressivepre-treatmentfrequently damages the fabric and increases the
health risks of operators. Thealternative, an eco-friendly enzymatic process developed in
the last few years. Despite frequentreports on this enzymatic process of cotton, its
industrial usehas not spread becauseof its inability to removecuticle completely, as a
result, desired whiteness and dyeability for light shadefabric was not achieved.
Dr. Alam claimed they have synthesized a pre-treatment agent at low cost that shows a
synergistic effect when used with the above eco-friendly enzymatic process. In conjunction
with an enzyme, it will performpre-treatment and polishing together in a single bath, so
that 45% water, 35% energy and 45% time can be saved compared to currently using
conventional chemical pre-treatment process. Itwill also significantly improvethe
whiteness and dye absorbency compared to above eco-friendly enzymatic process so that
light shadedyeing is achievable.

INDUSTRY UPDATE
Controlling Pollution in Textile Industry
Pollution has gripped the globe like never before. None of the industries
have escaped fromcausing pollution. We take a look at the pollution caused by the textile
industry and the measures that are being
taken to control it.
Textile industries are one of the major areas
that have an importance throughoutthe
world. However, off recent, the industry has
been the epicentre of a massivepollution
problem, worldwide. Water pollution is the
main issuewhen it comes to textile industry.
Textile industry is a voracious
consumer of water. The water is used for
various processes likesizing, scouring,

bleaching, dyeing, printing and other finishing processes. In addition to this, the waste
water is full of a variety of dyes and chemical additions that add to the challenge that they
posefor the environment. This challenge is not only as a waste, but also as chemical
composition. Mainly, pollution in the textile wastewater comes from the dyeing and
finishing processes.
These processes require the input of a wide range of chemicals and dyestuffs, which
generally are organic compounds of complex structure. Water plays the role of the principal
medium for the application of dyes and other chemicals for the finished touch. As the final
productdoes not contain all the material that is used, the restturns out to be waste and
causes disposalproblems.
The growing demands for textile products, mills have resulted in the tremendous rise in
pollution as a result of the exponential rise in the problem of pollution in the world.
Speaking about the pollution hazards as far as textile plant is concerned, Satya Narayana Y
V V, Director, SFC EnvironmentalTechnologies Pvt. Ltd says, “Textile industry is known for
consuming large quantities of water. Itinvolves elaborate processing of cloth using variety
of chemicals with various wetprocesses such as sizing, de-sizing, scouring, mercerizing,
bleaching, dying, printing and finishing. Based on the marketdemand and the type of
product, the type of process changes frequently which results in variation in characteristics
of wastewater continuously. Thenature of the waste generated depends on the type of
textile facility, the processes and technologies being operated, and also the types of fibers
and chemicals used. Each type of wastewater presents a special treatment challenge.”
He further says, “Organic and inorganic substances such as dyes, starches, detergents, salts,
toxic organic chemicals, biocides and the ionic metals in textile wastewater causes pollution
of receiving water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The wastewater generated from textile
industry is usually contains high concentrations of BOD, COD, TDS, alkalinity and colour.”
The chemicals that are used in the textile industry causeenvironmental and health
problems. Among the many chemicals that can be found in textile wastewater, dyes are
considered as the worstpollutants. Itis observed that the worldwideenvironmental
problems that are associated with the textile industry are typically water pollution caused
by the dischargeof untreated effluent and those becauseof use of toxic chemicals

especially during processing. The effluent is of critical environmental concern since it
drastically decreases oxygen concentration due to the presence of hydrosulphides and
blocks the passageof light through water body which is detrimental to the water
ecosystem. Textile effluent is a causeof significant amountof environmental degradation
and human illnesses. Narayana also says, “If thepollutants presentin textile wastewater
are disposed without proper treatment, they may causedepletion of dissolved oxygen in
receiving bodies causing septic conditions and this affects the survivalof aquatic life. High
TDS present in the wastewater increases the salinity and the high alkalinity increases the pH
of receiving water bodies. Colours from dyes are aesthetically objectionable, particularly in
recreational waters. In addition to this, certain carrier chemicals used in dyeing, such as
phenol may add taste and odours.
According to Vishal Dethe, AssistantManager, Organica Biotech
Pvt Ltd, the textile manufacturing units generate colossalvolumes of effluent rich in
chemicals and dyes, generated during the different phases of fabric processing. Hesays,
“The wastewater is laden with pollutants like heavy metals, organo-chlorinebased
compounds, pigments, polyphosphates, preservatives, formaldehyde, benzidineand azo
dyes. These pollutants, along with the solids that are aggregated from the washing
processes, increaseorganic load of water bodies and result in massivefish kills. As they are
carcinogenic, toxic and allergic in nature, these harm human beings too. These pollutants
account for high COD(ChemicalOxygen Demand), BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) levels
and high volumes of ammonical nitrogen in water reserves. Sometextile industries also
witness somedifficulty in eliminating colour from the effluent.”
Pollution is a graveissue that all agree to. However, mere discussions on pollution will not
help solving the issue. One needs to take somesteps in order to reducethe pollution.
Speaking about how pollution in the textile industry can be controlled, Dethe said,
“Numerous chemical and biological agents are available in the market for optimal waste
water treatment. The chemical agents employed for wastewater treatment are not only
expensive but also causepotential harm to the environment. In contrastto this, several
microbial strains can work in an orchestrated manner to facilitate degradation of complex
organic wastes in to simple compounds. Someof these microbes can even lead to
degradation of recalcitrant compounds. Further, thesemicrobes can lead to reduction of
COD, BOD and ammoniacal nitrogen levels of the water reserves. Mostof these microbes

are conferred with GRAS ( Generally Regarded As Safe ) status and bear no harm to plants,
animals or humans.”
When asked how pollution in the textile industry can be controlled, Narayana said,
“Reduction of pollution at sourceis the best strategy to control pollution in textile industry.
Reduction in wastewater quantity by adopting water saving equipment, reduction in waste
concentration by recovery and reuse of chemicals/ process modification/etc should be
adopted by all textile mills.”
He also says thatsteps to make the wastewater generated easily treatable should include
segregation of concentrated streams such as spent dye bath should be done to make
treatment of restof wastewater easier. Narayana also
presses for the use of eco friendly chemicals or dyes should be used in manufacturing for
ease of treatment of wastewater.
Narayna further explains, “Treatment of textile processing effluents involves many stages. A
good treatment systemincludes primary, secondary and tertiary treatments. Primary
Treatment mainly aims to removecolour, suspended solids and other inorganic material
fromthe wastewater. The treatment units include screening, equalization, chemical
coagulation and settling and neutralisation. While most of the colour is removed in this
stage, it also generates high quantity of sludge which brings another challenge of its
disposal. After primary treatment, textile wastewater is treated using biological methods
mainly aerobic to remove organic pollutants and makethe treated water safe for disposal.
Many biological treatment methods are available such as Cyclic Activated Sludge process
(C-Tech), Activated Sludge Process (ASP), MembraneBio Reactors (MBR), etc. The
microorganisms convertcolloidaland dissolved carbonaceous organic matters into various
gases and cell tissues. Bacterial treatment removes the colour to an appreciable extent and
can reduce the BOD morethan 95 per cent. Textile wastewater is usually deficient in
nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous for biologicaltreatment and hence needed to
be added. Proper care should be taken in primary treatment that no toxic chemicals such as
heavy metals, acid, alkaline, strong oxidizing or reducing agents, etc. are escaped into
biological treatment without treatment.”

After these two processes, themostimportant tertiary process comes into action. Sharing
details about the tertiary process, Narayana says, “Tertiary treatmentis needed if specific
quality of treated water is required for reusein textile industry. Treatment processes such
as C-Tech and MBR can producewater quality suitable for direct use in industry for uses
such as firstwash of cloth, equipment cleaning, floor washing, etc. The degree of tertiary
treatment and selection of process depends on the quality of feed from biological process
and quality of treated water required after tertiary treatment. It includes processes such as
sand filtration, disc filtration, activated carbon filtration, membrane filtration and
demineralization.”
Organica Biotech PvtLtd has come up with some solutions do deal with the issueof
pollution. Sharing about the products offered by the company, Dethesays, “Wehave
developed a line of specialized products called Bioclean and CleanMaxx. These are available
in dry concentrate bacterial formulations, especially designed to provideimproved waste
degradation in wastewater treatment plants. These products arespecially tailored to meet
your industrialneeds and can biologically degrade diversemolecules in a shortspan of
time. These can performwell in adverseenvironmental conditions, even in presence of
detergents and high TDS levels.”
He further adds, “Our perpetual thirst to innovate and nearly two decades of rich research
experience have propelled us to become one of the leading EnvironmentalBiotech
Companies in the world. We extend our services to more than 45 countries and have even
supplied our wastewater treatment products to the textile capital of the world that is
Bangladesh.”
SFC Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd has also come up with technologies in wastewater
treatment. Sharing about what the company has to offer, Narayana says, “Our’sis a
pioneering company to introduce latest technologies in wastewater treatment. We made
severaltreatment plants in India using our biological treatment technology called C-Tech. It
is a Cyclic Activated Sludge Process with many advantages such as highestperformancein
terms of BOD/COD/TSS removalalong with nutrient removal. The other advantages include
lowest operating cost, lower power consumption, lower area requirement, automatic plant
operation, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, compact design, flexible operation,

etc. We supplied our technology to common effluent treatment Plants (CETPs) of textile
mills with capacities ranging from15 MLD to 100 MLD.”
He further adds, “We also introduced solar sludge drying technology in India to address
sludge disposalproblems in textile industry. In oneof the textile CETP, we achieved
biological sludgedrying of up to 90per cent solid concentration. This reduced the sludge
quantity multi-fold thereby reducing disposalcosts. The sludgedried also has good calorific
value up to 3,000 Kcal/kg which can be used as fuel in boiler. For supplying filtered water
for recycling into textile mills, we introduced high efficient and compact Fiber Disc Filtration
technology.”
In a cocluding note, Narayana says, “This filter uses piled cloth of polyester to efficiently
trap suspended solids. In addition, it requires only 25 per cent of area
and consumes 10 per cent of power compared to conventional gravity sand filters. It is
completely automatic and easy to operate.”
Pollution has placed the globe on a hot seat. If this issueis not handled in a proper way, and
if no steps are taken, we are headed for a doom, and that is certain.
Electrochemical Processing-an ecofriendly
Technologyin Textile
ABSTRACT:
The textile industry uses the electrochemical techniques both in textile
processes (such as decolorizing fabrics and dyeing processes) and also in
wastewaters treatments (color removal from waste water).The industry is in
the need of New Green Technologies for different Textile processes and waste
water treatment. There is growing awareness and readiness to adapt new
green technologies for Cleaner Production methods. Such new green
technologies help industries to achieve green production and cost reduction at
the same time. Therefore there is an urgent need to promote new green
technologies in textile processes. Electrochemical reduction reactions are
mostly used in sulphur and vat dyeing, but in some cases, they are applied to
effluents discoloration. These electro generated species are able to bleach
indigo-dyed denim fabrics and to degrade dyes in wastewater in order to

achieve the effluent color removal. The main objective of this paper is to
review the electrochemical techniques applied to textile industry.
INTRODUCTION:
Electrochemistry refers to the use of electrical energy in initiating
chemical reactions, replacing traditional aid agents in direct chemical
reactions. Traditionally, the electrochemical techniques have been used for the
synthesis of compounds or for metal recovery treatments. But now a day’s
electrochemical techniques are used in the bleaching of textile materials. Their
application in sulphur- and vat-dyeing processes is also interesting. In this
case, dyes are reduced by means of an electrochemical reaction (instead of
sodium dithionite). In this way, sulphur and vat dyeing become cleaner
processes as the addition of chemical reagents is not required.
Although the electrochemical methods play an important role in the
different textile processes listed above, their wider range of applications are
related to color removal in wastewater treatments in particular, in the
degradation of no biodegradable dyes (such as reactive dyes). This kind of dyes
requires additional treatments to obtain uncoloured effluents. In general, the
electrochemical methods are cleaner than physicochemical and membrane
technologies because they use the electron as unique reagent and they do not
produce solid residues.
BLEACHING OF TEXILE MATERIALS
Cotton bleaching takes place after the scouring process with the aim of
destroying the natural raw color of this fiber. The most common reactive to
provide whiteness to cotton is hydrogen peroxide. Chong and chu reported the
use of electrochemical techniques to generate in situ this oxidant required for
cotton bleaching by the electrolysis of oxygen in the presence of an alkaline
electrolyte. This electrolyte proceeds from the scouring process. They propose
the use of the electrolysis process in a combined scouring and bleaching
process, and they concluded that the whiteness obtained in the combined
method is comparable to that obtained with conventional methods. Although
the electrochemical techniques have been applied to bleach raw fibers, their
main application in bleaching field is the discoloration of indigo –denim-dyed
fabrics. An important step in the processing of indigo-dyed textiles is the
finishing of the garment to obtain the required visual effect. The removal or
destruction of part of indigo requires a combination of mechanical agitation
and chemical attack, mainly with oxidizing agents.

The most useful oxidant for bleaching indigo denims is hypochlorite. The
conventional method to obtain the decolorized effect of these denims is based
on the addition of this chemical reagent to the dye bath, but recently the
generation in situ of the hypochlorite by an electrochemical oxidation is
becoming a more attractive method, because it offers several advantages with
respect to the conventional method:
· Improvement in the process control and consistency,
· Lower-process costs due to the production of more regular shades, the
possibility of bleaching bath regeneration and the lower amount of effluent
generated.
DYEING PROCESS: DYES REDUCTION
Vat dyes, especially indigo, play an important role in textile industry.
They are insoluble in water and cannot dye fibers directly . They must be
reduced in alkali medium to become soluble in water. When the dyes are
absorbed onto the fiber, they return to their original form by a subsequent
reoxidation. Sulphur dyes also are water-insoluble dyes, containing sulphur as
an integral part of the chromophore group. The alkaline-reduced form is
required for the dyeing process and subsequently, when they are added to the
fiber, they are oxidized to the insoluble form. In attempt to increase the
ecoefficiency of these dyeing processes, electrochemical techniques have been
investigated in the reduction of such dyes, which avoids the addition of
reducing agents as sodium dithionite. Sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4) is the most
used reducing agent in the industrial dyeing process with this kind of dyes, but
after its reaction, it cannot be recycled. It also produces large amounts of
sodium sulphate and toxic sulphite products. For this reason, the treatment of
dyeing effluents requires the addition of hydrogen peroxide, which also ca uses
high costs and other additional problems.
The most attractive new procedures to reduce vat and sulphur dyes are
electrochemical reduction methods, because the addition of reducing agents is
not required. This method also avoids the generation of toxic products due to
the reaction between the added reagents and the dye molecules. For all these
reasons, electrochemical reduction processes are considered more suitable: no
reagents addition is required, no by-products are formed and no tertiary
treatments are necessary to treat the final effluents. The energy is the only
requirement of electrochemical methods. Electrochemical techniques
constitute a promising field for the different steps of textile process, but their
application to the dyeing of vat and sulphur dyes is specially interesting to
avoid the use of reducing reagents.

WASTEWATER COLOR REMOVAL
The textile industry produces large volumes of wastewater in its dyeing
and finishing processes. These effluents have as common characteristic their
high coloration. Colorants, the additive substances that cause a variation in
color, can be divided in dyes or pigments. Pigments in general are insoluble
substances which have not the chemical affinity to the substrate to be colored;
otherwise, dyes are generally soluble (or partially soluble) in organic
compounds
Several methods are used for the removal of organic dyes from
wastewaters. Most of dyes are only partially removed under aerobic conditions
in conventional biological treatments. As biological treatment is insufficient to
remove color and to accomplish with current regulations, the application of
some electrochemical color removal methods have been applied to industrial
effluents. The current physico-chemical methods, based on the separation of
dyes from the effluents, produce a residue which requires an additional
treatment to be destroyed. Also, the absorbent materials require their
regeneration after several treatments, and the filtration and membranes
methods need cleaning treatments. Chemical oxidation methods are rather
expensive and involve some operational difficulties. Biological treatments are a
simple method but supply inefficient results in discoloration because dyes have
aromatic rings in their large molecules that provide them chemical stab ility and
resistance to the microbiological attack. Enzymatic decomposition requires
further investigation in order to know which enzymatic process takes place;
moreover, temperature and pressure have to be controlled to avoid enzymes
denaturalization.
For these reasons, the electrochemical methods are nowadays the subject
of a wide range of investigations at laboratory and pilot-plant scale. The
advantage of these electrochemical techniques is that electron is a clean
reagent. They also have good versatility and high-energy efficiency. They are
easy for automation and safety because it is possible to operate at smooth
conditions. The main types of electrochemical methods applied to wastewater
treatment, briefly described below.
Electro coagulation Methods
Electro coagulation systems provide electrochemical aggregation of heavy
metals, organic and inorganic pollutants, to produce a coagulated residue to be
separated or removed from water.

This technique is an indirect electrochemical method which produces c oagulant
agents (Fe3+
or Al3+
) from the electrode material (Fe or Al) in hydroxide
medium. These species, that is, Fe(OH)3, can remove dissolved dyes by
precipitation or by flotation. These complexed compounds are attached to the
bubbles of H2 (gas) evolved at the cathode and transported to the top of
solution. The inconvenient of the Electro coagulation in comparison to the
other electrochemical methods is that it produces secondary residues (the
complex formed with pollutant and hydroxide) which implies in the usage of
tertiary treatments.
Indirect Oxidation Methods
The indirect electro-oxidation occurs when strong oxidants are generated in
situ during the electrolysis and react with the organic pollutants such as
dyestuffs, producing its total or partial degradation.
· Mainly two methods one used:
§ The first one is the electro-oxidation with active chlorine, which is the
major oxidizing agent. In this case, free-chlorine gaseous and/or the
generated chlorine-oxygen species such as hypochlorous acid (hclo) or
hypochlorite ions (clo−) depending on the ph, oxidize the organic matter
present in the effluents.
§ The second one is the electro-Fenton process, where organics degradation
occurs by hydroxyl radicals (OH•) formed from Fenton’s reaction betw een
catalytic Fe2+
and H2O2, this hydrogen peroxide is also electro generated
from O2 reduction.
This technique has an important inconvenience: a strong acidic medium is
required. As the reactive dyeing process is carried out in basic medium
(generally ph > 10), a high amount of acid has to be added before the
treatment. Subsequently, the treated effluent must be neutralized to be
discharged. Consequently, the whole process produces a high increase of the
wastewater salinity.As some industrial wastewaters contain large amounts of
chloride, the first approach is more suitable to treat this kind of effluents,
because the addition of any chemical product is not required whereas in
second case, Fenton reagent is needed. In contrast, the combination of
electrochemistry and chloride can produce haloforms such as chloroform,
although it is not an inconvenient if the treated water is degraded lately in a
biological plant to accomplish its mineralization.
Color Removal from Textile and other Industrial Wastewater using Ozone:

Ozone has been used for successfully for removal of color from textile
wastewater streams in plants around the world as well as in other industrial
wastewater processes. In wastewater treatment, ozone is often used in
conjunction with biological treatment systems such as activated sludge.
Organic dyes are mostly refractory due to their large molecular size and they
can be poorly removed by adsorption on activated sludge. In some cases ozone
has been used before the biological process, but mainly after biological
treatment. If the wastewater is hardly biodegradable or toxic to
activated sludge pre-treatment is an option.
Ozone can be used prior to a biological process since it has a tendency to
convert organic molecules into smaller more biodegradable species. This can
enhance the efficiency of the biological process. In addition, ozone treatment
of wastewater increases the oxygen content of the water (unconverted oxygen
and ozone that decomposes back to oxygen that was mixed with the water)
which results in improvement in aerobic processes. While this benefit is well
known in the literature it is difficult to practically apply since the amount of
improvement is difficult to predict and pilot studies involving ozone and
biological processes are difficult to carry out. The effect of ozone on improving
biodegradability and reducing toxicity is worth noting in terms of the effect of
the treated water on the receiving stream. Where the treated water is tested
for toxicity, the impact of the treatment process on this parameter must be
considered. Destroying one organic molecule, but creating more toxic ones in
a treatment process has been observed, for example the ozonation of MTBE
without any additional agents or treatment processes can result in a more toxic
wastewater. Another consideration is the presence of surfactants and the
need to remove these compounds from the water. In some locales surfactant
concentrations are tightly controlled and must be kept under 1 ppm. This
creates an additional demand for oxidant. Some textile waste waters contain
both color and surfactants.
Ozone is effective in removing the color from all dyes used in textile
processing. The amount of ozone can vary depending on a number of factors:
how much color was removed in the biological process, the type of dye used,
where ozone is applied in the process, etc. Knowing the proper amount of
ozone required to meet the color removal objective for the receiving water
body is critical to the economics of the ozone system. In general it is not easy
to predict the amount of ozone required, so in virtually all cases where specific
previous experience is not available, pilot testing is employed.
CONCLUSIONS

The electrochemical techniques have been proved to be
efficient in different oxidation or reduction steps of the textile processes such
as: bleaching denim fabrics or reduction of sulphur and vat dyes, where their
applications are available in both natural and synthetic fibers. They constitute
a less harmful alternative than the traditional processes. In addition, the
electrochemical treatments have been extensively applied to the
decontamination of wastewaters from the textile processes. The possibility of
reusing dyeing effluents treated by electrochemical methods is particularly
interesting and it implies an important saving of water and salt. This kind of
studies is especially important in Mediterranean countries, where the river
flow rates are low and their salinity is nowadays an increasing environmental
problem.
MANAGEMENT OF POST CONSUMER TEXTILE WASTE
Any material of textile origin which is not considered suitable for
its end user can be considered
textile waste.
Textile waste can be managed in a
variety of ways quite successfully
so that the usage of our resources
can be minimized. The main
methods used for handling of
textile waste are:
1. Reuse
2. Recycle

 Reuse:
Reusing an item for another purpose instead of the one for which it was
produced and initially utilized is a very effective method of textile waste
management. Some supermarkets also launched schemes of purchasing old
clothing items from customers and giving the customers relevant discount on
new purchases rest like the ones which are damaged or torn, and are not
wearable, they can be utilized as rags, cleaning clothes, mats etc. At home or
industrial level. Reuse of textile material reduces air and noise pollution by
saving the raw material resources and processes required for making new
items, and saves money on purchase as well as disposal of textile products.
Second hand clothing market reuses the largest amount of post consumer
textiles.
 Recycle:
Recycling is the process by which the material is taken out of a product
which has been used up to desired level and this raw material s then utilized to
create an entirely new product. As per report of an Environment Protection
Agency, ninety seven per cent of the post consumer textile waste is recyclable.
Thus if we take a curtain which we are no longer using and utilize the fabric to
create a quilt cover, or foot mats, we are recycling the textile materia l. The
original product acts as a raw material here thus helping in reducing the
requirement of energy and other resources or fresh raw material for
production of new item. It is possible to recycle both natural as well as man -
made textiles.
E.g. Re-dying and painting some faded curtains to create a
new set of curtains. This process is least expensive and with minimum effect on
the environment and is called closed loop recycling
Recycling of synthetic fabric products result in
savings in terms of petroleum, energy and reduction in emission of green
house gases.
Dyeing Without Water :
Air Dyetechnology manages
the application of color to
textiles without the useof
water. Itwas developed and
patented by Colorep, a
California-based sustainable
technology company.
Depending on the fabric, and

type of dyeing, Air Dyeuses up to 95% less water, and up to 86% less energy,
contributing 84% less to global warming, according to an independent assessment
requested by the company. Air Dyed fabrics do not leach colors or fade as easily as
vat dyed fabrics, becausethe dye is actually inside the fibers. The process of making
textiles can require severaldozen gallons of water for each pound of clothing. The Air
Dyeprocess employs air instead of water to help the dyes penetrate fibers, a process
that uses no water and requires less energy than traditional methods of dyeing; the
technology works only on synthetic materials and is currently available only in the
United States.
Features of Air dye Technology:
a) Does not pollute water in the color application process. By using air instead of
water to convey dye, no hazardous wasteis emitted and no water is wasted.
b) ) Greatly reduces energy requirements, thereby lowering costs and satisfying
the stricteststandards of global responsibility.
c) ) Does not use boilers, screen printing machines, drying ovens, or cleaning step
and simplifies the process, creating revolutionary possibilities of new industry
and employment in unfarmable, arid regions of the world.
d) ) Gives consumers a way to choosestyle and sustainability at a realistic price at
the point of purchase.
e) Environment: - The process of making textiles can require several dozen
gallons of water for each pound of clothing, especially during the dyeing
process. 2.4 trillion gallons of water are used in synthetic dyeing, Air Dye’s
addressablemarket, and each year. Air Dyetechnology eliminates hazardous
wastewater as a by-productof dyeing fabric. Water scarcity affects one in
three people on every continent and is getting worseas water needs
www.fibre2fashion.comrisewith population growth, urbanization and
increased usage by households and industries
f) ) Depending on the fabric, and type of dyeing, Air Dyeuses up to 95% less
water, and up to 86% less energy, contributing 84% less to global warming,
according to an independent assessment. Additionally, somecompanies state
that with

Air Dye technology they
can print to order which
eliminates production
excess and waste. g)
Economics:-Colorep claims
that its Air Dye Process is
priced competitively
compared to traditional
technology. Additionally,
Colorep claims that
companies using the
technology find the Air Dyeprocess reduces wasteas 10% of traditional, vat-
dyed fabric is damaged during the process, whereas with Air Dye, only 1% is
damaged. Colorep also says that Air Dye enables companies to wait longer to
decide whatcolor or print to put onto their fabric, which would reduce the
need for apparel makers to guess whatcolors consumers willwant to wear
months ahead [1] h) Consumer:-TheAir Dye process manufactures fabric that
can be washed at any temperature, with whites or colors, with or without
bleach. Because the Air Dye process injects the dyes in the fabric and not on
the fabric, bleach and cleaning agents do not affect them. i) With Air dye, a
company estimates for every 25,000 T-shirts sold, theplant will save: Energy: -
1,132,500 mega joules Water: - 157,500 gallons Green HouseEmissions: -
57,500 (Kg CO2 equiv. emissions) by using Air Dyeing amount of fresh gallons
of water can be saved instead of traditional dyeing methods.
Development inProcessing
Plasma Technology - Plasma, very reactive ions, which modify chemical structureand
surfaceproperties of textile material. Despite this being costly technology initially, it offers
greater production rate, less production cost, better products and most importantly,
finishes on fabrics that are either difficult to obtain by other technology or not obtained at
all.
Ultrasonic Assisted Textile Processing- Ultrasound is a cyclic sound pressurewhich creates
vibrational energy in dyes molecules and substrateand increasereaction efficiency and
exhaustion. This technique offers less thermal energy requirement, less effluent load,
processing through less amountof dyes and auxiliaries and requires smaller sizeof plant.

Electrochemical dyeing withvat dyes-In this techniquethe reduction of vatdye molecules
is done using electric current. In application of vat dyes, the replacement of non-
regenerable reducing agents such as sodium hydro sulphite by cathodically regenerable
reducing agents is much better because it offers greatecological advantage.
Application of ozone in textile industry-Ozonehas bleaching property and eliminates
tiniting fromdenim, sewing threads and gives fresh look. Inspitefrom its various properties
like killing all air bornemicro-organisms including bacteria, virus, mold, fungi, spores, etc,
furthermore, the dischargeof the Ozonepurifies the atmosphereby adding freshness and
giving clear, pollution free-oxygen rich air.
Application of nano technology intextiles-Nano finishes has sizein the range of 1 to 100
nm, act as catalysts that help break down carbon-based molecules, and require only
sunlight to trigger the reaction & being developed for textile substrates areat their infantile
stage. However, thenew concepts exploited for the development of nano finishes have
opened up exciting opportunities for further R&D.
Use of enzyme in textile processing for green technology-Advances in enzymology,
molecular biology and screening techniques provide possibilities for the development of
new enzyme-based processes for a moreenvironmentally friendly approach in the textile
industry. Unfortunately mostof enzymes arenot certified from various environmental&
safety communities only becausethese are genetically modified otherwise these are non
polluting processes.
Fabric from recycled polyester-Polyester textile recycling has been developed using the
clear plastic water bottles, or PET as the raw material, a sourceof plastic that would
otherwisego into landfill.
Special finish developments-Theconsumer safety, resourcesaving and environment
protection contribute to safer textiles and a better future are commitment of Vardhman
group, and producing such products in production of special class of finishes, someof which
are formaldehydefree resin finished fabric, fluorine free oil & water repellent fabric, cool
comfortfabric, anti UV fabric etc..
Sustainable Technologies in Textile Machinery:
Sustainable technology refers to the technology which caters
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation
Sustainable Technology
=
Economic Growth
+
Environmental Protection

to meet their own needs. It enables more valuable use of the natural resources
& greatly reduced ecological impact among other technological benefits.
Though sustainable technology deals with energy efficiency, reduction in
pollution, use of renewable sources, it should also be economically
sustainable!
The consumption of natural resources has been increased exponentially in past
decades in rapidly industrializing countries & it is relatively recently that we
have started recognizing the unpleasant consequences of the carefree attitude
towards the natural environment. Textile industry is among the most essential
consumer goods industry in the world as it is one the basic needs of the man.
Today, the world of fashion is glamorous & very stylish; however its impact on
ecology worsening day by day. Textile industry is condemned of being one of
the most polluting industries in the world. Not only production but
consumption of textiles also produces waste. At every stage of the textile
production, vast amount of energy, clean water & chemicals are being used to
process the textiles & apparels. In turn these processes generate air, water &
soil pollution through untreated effluent generation & waste generation which
place heavy burden on environment. More than 2000 types of dyes, chemicals
& other auxiliaries are being used in Textile Industry. The World Bank
estimates that almost 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the
treatment and dyeing of textiles. Some of the toxic chemicals cannot be
filtered or removed. Dyeing, washing and after-treatment of textiles requires
large amounts of fresh water. Cotton production accounts for 2.6% of annual
global water usage. A single T-shirt made from conventional cotton requires
2700 litres of water and a third of a pound of chemicals to produce. Millions of
gallons of wastewater discharged by mills each year contain chemicals such as
formaldehyde (HCHO), ammonia, chlorine, heavy metals such as lead and
mercury other pigments. These chemicals cause both environmental damage
and human disease. Effluents released from mills are often at high
temperatures and pH, which exacerbate the problem. Conventional cotton is
highly dependent on pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers to grow. In many
regions, insects limit cotton production and some of these pests become
resistant to pesticides. Not surprisingly, cotton pesticides and her bicides
account for 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of all pesticides used
worldwide each year. Untreated dyes cause chemical and biological changes in
our aquatic system, which threaten species of fish and aquatic plants. The
presence of these compounds also makes practical water use unhealthy or
dangerous. The enormous amount of water required by textile production
competes with the growing daily water requirements of the half billion people
that live in drought-prone regions of the world. By 2025, the number of
inhabitants of drought-prone areas is projected to increase to almost one-third

of the world's population. If global consumption of fresh water continues to
double every 20 years, the polluted waters resulting from textile production
will pose a greater threat to human lives.
Today, the growing awareness of environmental issues makes customers to
select ecofriendly products over conventional products. While the end-
consumers of textiles were earlier concerned with only the finished product,
there has been an increasing drive to better understand the input materials,
the relevant production processes and their implications on the environment,
be it air, water or soil. Ignorance and indifference to these will no longer
remain an option for the textile supply chain, so it has become imperative that
Textile Industry should address such issues within our supply chain &adopt
better and cleaner technologies. Moving to greater degree of sustainability in
our industrial processes and systems requires that we achieve better balance
between social, economic & environmental aspect of the textile production.
With the increasing awareness environmental issues posed by Textile industry,
many of technology providers are working towards the improvement of
technology to reduce the environmental damage created by the Textile
Industry & reduce the consumption of energy, water & chemicals. Some of the
innovative environmentally efficient technology solution at reduced production
cost.
The Textile Wet processing industry is now in the spotlight due to the recent
Detox campaign by Greenpeace and will have to align with the goal of zero
discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020 that is being pursued by several
leading International Brands & Retailers.
Some of Sustainable Technologies in Textile Machineries:
Following are the technologies are currently being used worldwide as an
answer to sustainability:
· Exhaust Piece Dyeing:
A combination of advantages of long tube machine design with aerodynamic
fabric transportation principle has been developed by THEN with their new
development the THENAIRFLOW® LOTUS machine which is the world's first
long tube machine to operate using to the original aerodynamic principle. The
objective of the development was to create a system that would be especially

suitable for the wet processing of delicate, easily creased, cellulose and
synthetic fibre knits and wovens with a high percentage of elastanefibre, which
are used in the lingerie, sport, leisure and swimwear segments. Resource
benefits focus on ultra-low liquor ratio 1:2 to 1:5 with associated reduction in
water demand, effluent volume and loading from reduced salt consumption
when reactive dyeing and a reduced energy requirement. FONG'S have
further refined their JUMBOFLOW machine with Advanced Intelligent
Rinsing (AIR) with the option of a conductivity measurement to detect when
the concentration of electrolyte has reduced after reactive dye processing
to a concentration where the rinsing is transferred to the soaping stage,
thereby optimising water consumption.
THIES have further developed their ecoMaster machine incorporating Multi
Contact Dyeing from the double liquor : fabric interchange design to permit
reduced dyeing times and low liquor ratios from 1:3 for synthetics to 1: 4.5 for
cotton fabrics, and an auto control of the rinsing procedure using RINSEtronic
software to further reduce process times and water consumption.
· Cold Pad Batch Dyeing
For vertical knitted fabric operations there is a renewed interest in reactive
dye application by cold pad batch application due to the lower
consumption of water and reduced effluent loading, with a claimed reduction
in variable costs of between 15 and 30%. The resultant fabric has a much
cleaner stitch definition due to no surface abrasion, and to produce a similar
g/sq.m fabric as exhaust dyeing, an increase in stitch density should be
considered at the knitting stage if the Cold Pad Batch application route is in
ended.
Developments in machine design are mostly for open width processing
using sophisticated auto-centre and edge uncurling devices but also
include dosing pumps, low-liquor troughs and configurations to allow dye
application in the nip as well as in the low-liquor trough. Also on
modern pad rollers the pressure can be adjusted across the full width to
allow uniform liquor pick-up to eliminate side-centre-side variation.
Integrated heating and cooling systems have also been developed to ensure
constant temperature in the pad trough regardless of the time of day/season
and thus improve the reliability of the process re liquor stability/hatching time
· Continuous Dyeing

Econtrol® Process: The Econtrol® process utilises the innovation of theThermex
Hot Flue from MONFORTS. The innovation exploits the thermodynamics of
water evaporation from cellulose to provide the optimum temperature and
moisture conditions within the Hot Flue dryer ideal for the efficient fixation of
the specially selected reactive dyes.MONFORTS have in conjunction with DyStar
further developed the successful Econtrol® process and at ITMA Munich in
2007 launched the new Econtrol T-CA process forthe coloration of
polyester/cellulose blends. This development combines the humidity control
for reactive dyes with a Thermosol unit for application of new Dianix® T-CA
disperse dyes and a new auxiliary package which obviates the need for an
intermediate reduction clear process. The savings in chemicals, water, and
energy are significant.
Along with newest machine technology, the right dye selection also places an
important role & hence to maximise the synergy between innovative machinery
design and application process to deliver productivity, cost efficiency, and
environmental benefits, it is critical to optimise dye selection.
Energy Efficiency:
Energy efficiency is an integral part of sustainability. For many years textile
finishing has operated with chemical and thermal processes which, by present-
day standards, can have a severe impact on the environment. The energy costs
are high, and the use of chemicals absolutely essential. But with innovative
ranges and advanced auxiliaries, Monforts has succeeded in optimising these
processes. The savings benefits that have been achieved in recent years are in
some cases, quite considerable.
· Monforts Eco Applicator
An excellent example highlighting how the Blue Competence concept can
influence the R&D activities is the Matex Eco Applicator; a unit which
significantly reduces the initial moisture content before the drying process.
The challenge of sustainability is to save natural resources without
compromising production quality of the final products. The ECO Applicator
ensures reduced energy consumption, faster drying and higher productivity
compared with standard equipment such as padding systems.
Padding is a process employed in the textile industry for wet treatment of
textiles. The fabric or ‘substrate’ is transported through a trough containing

the finishing or dying liquor. The term ‘liquor’ is generally used to refer to an
aqueous liquid in which textiles are washed, bleached, dyed or impregnated. It
contains all the dissolved, emulsified or dispersed constituents such as
dyestuffs, pigments or chemicals. During the further course of the production
process, the substrate is transported through rollers to remove the excess
liquor. A liquor absorption of 70 % - which is a typical value in standard
padding application - means that 100 kg of textile fabric has to absorb 70 kg of
liquor. After the impregnation process, the wetted fabric is dried in a final step
by means of a Montexstenter.For this process, drying energy is required w hich,
in the textile finishing industry, is a major cost factor. Influencing factors for
the energy consumption and costs of drying processes are the initial moisture
content, residual moisture content, drying temperature and relative water
vapour content of the ambient air. The degree of initial moisture is the crucial
point for determining how much evaporation heat and energy is necessary for
drying.
Benefits:
Reduction the liquor pick up, which is the means of operation of the Monforts
Matex ECO Applicator, results in less evaporation heat and lower operating
costs. With the ECO Applicator, the liquor is not applied to the fabric by
dipping it through a trough but by using steel rollers which transfer the
required amount of liquor onto the fabric. With lower waste water
contamination the application unit becomes a resource-conserving alternative
to padding.
Recent Developments:
Brazzoli has developed a ‘Green Label’ version of its InnoEcology fabric -rope-
dyeing machine, which it says is geared to reducing consumption of water,
steam, energy and chemicals, as well as to increasing machine productivity,
while maintaining the final product quality. As an example, Brazzoli says a
jersey fabric that, in 2011, on an earlier generation of the ma chine, required
35 litres of water per kg/ dyed can now be processed with only 28 litres. The
carbon footprint has been reduced to 1.51 kg/CO2 per kilo of fabric, equal to
0.5 kg/CO2 per T-shirt.
In India recently, Alliance Machines Textiles of France, displayed a new dyeing
machine that uses air technology to reduce water usage. The new, low -liquor-
ratio Riviera Eco+ Green is a single-tube machine that uses air to rearrange the
fabric at each revolution, just before it comes into contact with the liquo r. This
is said to avoid creases, especially on delicate fabrics. The air is not used for
fabric transport.

Monforts is shortly to launch a retrofit heat-recovery system for its
Montexstenters. This will allow existing users to achieve the same energy gains
as with new machines, where the system comprises a compact, air -to-air heat
exchanger, installed within the roof structure of the stenter. This uses energy
from the exhaust gas to preheat up to 60% of the incoming fresh air entering
the stenter and depending on production conditions, delivers energy savings of
10-30%.
Future of Textile Industry:
In conventional textile dyeing, large amounts of water are used both in terms
of intake of fresh water and disposal of wastewater. On average, an estimate d
100–150 litres of water is needed to process 1 kg of textile material, with some
28 billion kilos of textiles being dyed annually. Water is used as a solvent in
many pre-treatment and finishing processes, such as washing, scouring,
bleaching and dyeing. Hence, the elimination of process-water and chemicals
would be a real breakthrough for the textile dyeing industry, and it seems this
has now come to fruition, with the launch of the world’s first ever industrial
dyeing machines that uses super carbon dioxide (CO2) as a replacement for
water.
Dyeing with CO2 “When carbon dioxide is heated to above 31°C and
pressurised to above 74 bar, it becomes supercritical, a state of matter that
can be seen as an expanded liquid or a heavily compressed gas. In short, above
the critical point, carbon dioxide has properties of both a liquid and a gas. In
this way supercritical CO2, has liquid-like densities, which is advantageous for
dissolving hydrophobic dyes and gas-like low viscosities and diffusion
properties, which can lead to shorter dyeing times compared to water.
Compared to water dyeing, the extraction of spinning oils, the dyeing and the
removal of excess dye can all be carried out in one plant in the carbon dioxide
dyeing process which involves only changing the temperature and pressure
conditions; drying is not required because at the end of the process CO 2 is
released in the gaseous state. The CO2 can be recycled easily, up to 90% after
precipitation of the extracted matter in a separator.DyeCoo Textile Sys tems BV
has achieved the unachievable, emancipating the world of fabric manufacturing
from the troubles of water-based textile dyeing process for once and for all. A
dyeing machine named "Dry Dye" that utilizes carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of
water and extra textile chemical agents is a highly innovative waterless textile
dyeing breakthrough achieved by the Dutch company.

CO2 dyeing technology has become more intelligent and energy efficient with
the discovery of the DryDyedyeing machine. Though the waterless dyeing
technology using CO2 was invented in Germany almost two decades ago, no
commercially viable machine was developed until now. DyeCoo Textile Systems
is undoubtedly the laurelled victor acclaimed by the textile techies around the
globe. Though the machine is capable of dyeing polyester at batches of 100 to
150 kg, work is under progress to accentuate the functionality of the waterless
textile dyeing machine. The day is not far when reactive dyes for cellulosic are
to be used resulting in greater all round efficiency and a better fabric dyeing.
Summary:
If we see awareness on the hazardous effluent generated & amount of energy
consumed during the entire manufacturing process of textiles & apparels
amongst the end-consumers, it is very limited. Many of them are not even
aware that some of the dyes & chemicals used are carcinogenic and life
threatening. Some of the retailers and brands in western countries have taken
a green initiative to produce goods in most sustainable manner. On the
contrary, there is very little awareness amongst Indian manufacturers & end
consumer about the harmful impact on the environment. Some of the
processing units are still discharging untreated effluents which are polluting
water bodies. Some of the dyes and chemicals can even cause chronic diseases.
It is very important to bring about awareness amongst textile manufacturers &
end-users. Entire textile value chain should take the initiative to manufacture
the goods economically with sustainable processes & technologies with
minimum or no impact on environment or consumer. Technology is a key to
reach sustainability targets of the Textile industry.
With volatile commodity and energy prices as well as requirements from
brands, retailers, consumers and governments, sustainability has become a
significant competitive factor for textile manufacturers. Sustainability is an
issue with hard economic aspects. It has become a significant competitive
factor. Technological upgrading is one of the keys to realize sustainable tex tile
production and so remain competitive. Some of remarkable innovations in
technology have paved the way for sustainable production technologies, but
there is huge scope further for all technology providers to upgrade technology
which will help in economical production of the goods in sustainable manner!
Let us carve out…
Better Tomorrow!!!

Reference
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