Excessive Turbidity Removal from Textile Effluents Using Electrocoagulation Technique

Abstract

Textile industries are one of the largest and vital industrial sectors of Bangladesh with regard to earn foreign exchange and labor employment, providing 4.5 million jobs of which 80% are women and contributes 13% to GDP [1]. This industry involves processing or converting raw material into finished cloth materials employing various processes, operations and consumes large quantities of water and produces extremely polluting waste effluents mostly by dyes and chemicals [2]. These dyes and chemicals, originating from the various steps of production in textile industry, in water often causes it AbstractThe work was conducted for improving textile effluent quality via turbidity removal by electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum sacrificial electrode. Effluents were treated at 30 minutes and 30 volts (30min-30V) and 60 minutes and 40 volts (60min-40V) condition in a 1000 ml reactor cell with anode distance of 4 cm. Prior to EC experiment, physico-chemical parameters of effluent were measured and turbidity level was found eight times higher than the Department of Environment (DoE) standard. Turbidity removal ranged from 53 to 96.2% and 58 to 97.5% for condition one and two, respectively. Dissolved oxygen (DO) increased satisfactorily for both conditions. Total operational cost ranged from 62.50 to 70.41 taka/m 3 at 30min-30V and 159.57 to 187.7 taka/m 3 at 60min-40V. Moreover, sludge formation ranged from 6.73×10 -4 to 8.41×10 -4 kg in first condition and 1.21×10 -3 to 1.5431×10 -3 kg in second one. So, EC treatment was very effective and capable of elevating quality of the textile wastewater effluent in terms of turbidity to discharge into inland surface water. During EC operation it was also possible to lessen the total cost in maximum removal by changing the operating condition and 30min-30V was enough to get environmental friendly solution. Results will encourage the industry-owner to treat polluted effluents by EC.

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Removal of Turbidity Using Electrocoagulation

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“…The concerns over surface water quality are gradually emerging due to the disposed location of industrial units and the adverse effects on surrounding land and aquatic environment, as well as subsequent impacts on the livelihood system of the local community [3]. Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) being the 2 nd EPZ of Bangladesh has started its operation in 1993 and at present houses 92 industrial units which are categorically the leading pollution creators.…”