Real textile effluents treatment using coagulation/flocculation followed by electrochemical oxidation process and ecotoxicological assessment.

As it is well known, the textile industry generates a large amount of wastewater with varied composition that need to be treated. In particular, the Sergipe state, in Brazil, is a region that requires attention due the presence of several local textile industries. In this study, the efficiency of electrochemical oxidation (EO) process applied in the samples of Brazilian textile industry effluents previously treated by physical-chemical process coagulation-flocculation (CF) was evaluated by the reduction in TOC parameter and by the ecotoxicity using Lactuca sativa and Raphidocelis subcapitata bioassays. The optimized experiments achieved for the CF ([Al2(SO4)3]0 = 1.5 mg L-1, pH = 6.0, alkalinity = 0.675 mg L-1, [flocculating agent] = 61 mg L-1, rapid mixing = 100 rpm for 1 min, slow stage = 20-60 rpm for 20 min) a reduction of 20% on TOC. The best results obtained for EO was using the DSA electrode (I = 300 mA) reaching a TOC removal efficiency of 82% after an electrolysis time of 180 min. The ecotoxicity experiments indicated that the proposed treatment (CF + EO, I = 300 mA) was effective to decrease the dissolved pollutants presented in the treated samples. In comparison with raw samples, the treatment achieved a reduction of 52% for IC5072h value using R. subcapitata as bioindicator, and a 98% reduction of LC50 (Lactuca sativa).

Needs assessment regarding occupational health and safety interventions among textile workers: A qualitative case study in Karachi, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perceived health and safety needs identified by textile workers, managers and experts as well as direct observation of the prevailing health and safety practices in the textile industry. METHODS: The qualitative study using the needs assessment conceptual framework was conducted in July-August 2015 in Karachi, and comprised focus group discussions with textile workers, in-depth interviews with factory managers and health and safety officers, and key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders and experts. A walk-through survey was also conducted in selected mills for which the Checklist of hazards in textiles was used. RESULTS: A total of 6focus group discussions, 6 in-depth interviews and 5 key informant interviews were conducted. Workers were found to have limited knowledge of occupational hazards, preventions and diseases. They identified lack of awareness and non-existent safety mechanisms as areas for improvement. Managers thought preventive practices and health services were not standardised while influence of buyers in the form of international business regulations and legislations were thought to be the enabling factors for enforcing health and safety standards. Poor governance, lack of knowledge regarding labour rights, low literacy level, poor compliance and low wages were the barriers for health promotion at workplace, as identified by the experts. Walk-through survey found mechanisms in place for fire safety, but the workers and managers were generally not using Personal Protective Equipment despite the presence of several hazards at workplace. CONCLUSIONS: There was found a need for context-specific occupational health and safety interventions at individual, organisational and policy levels.

Economic evaluation of a participatory ergonomics intervention in a textile plant.

In this study we report on the economic evaluation of a participatory ergonomics process undertaken at a clothing manufacturer in Southwestern Ontario, Canada that employs approximately 300 workers. We undertake a cost-benefit analysis from the company perspective. Intervention costs amounted to $65,787 and intervention benefits $360,614 (2011 Canadian dollars). The net present value was $294,827, suggesting that the intervention was worth undertaking based on the costs and consequences over the measurement period spanning more than four years. Based on these costs and benefits, the benefit-to-cost ratio is 5.5. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that participatory ergonomics interventions can be cost beneficial from the company perspective. Even though the changes were typically low-cost and low-tech interventions implemented by the plant mechanics and maintenance personnel, benefits were realized on both the health and financial fronts.

Assessment of changes in community level physiological profile and molecular diversity of bacterial communities in different stages of jute retting.

Retting of jute is essentially microbiological and biochemical in nature. Community Level Physiological Profiles (CLPP) as well as genomic diversity of bacterial communities were assessed in water samples collected during pre-retting, after 1st and 2nd charges of retting. The water samples were collected from two widely cultivated jute growing locations, Sonatikari (22 degrees 41'27"N; 88 degrees 35'44"E) and Baduria (22 degrees 44'24"N; 88 degrees 47'24"E), West Bengal, India. The CLPP, expressed as net area under substrate utilization curve, was studied by carbon source utilization patterns in BIOLOG Ecoplates. Molecular diversity was studied by polymerase chain reaction followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) of total DNA from water samples. Both between locations and stages of retting, substrate utilizations pattern were carbohydrates > carboxylic acids > polymers > amino acids > amines/amides > phenolic compounds. Differential substrate utilization pattern as well as variation in banding pattern in DGGE profiles was observed between the two locations and at different stages of retting. The variations in CLPP in different stages of retting were due to the change in bacterial communities.

Potential applications of laccase-mediated coupling and grafting reactions: a review.

Many industries are currently pursuing enzymatic approaches for developing green chemistry technologies mainly due to shortcomings of physico-chemical methods, growing environmental concerns, legal restrictions, and increasing scientific knowledge. Laccase-assisted reactions, in particular, are being intensively investigated as they are generally eco-friendly and have wide application potential. Laccases only require oxygen as co-substrate, they release water as the only by-product and have a wide substrate range which can be further extended by use of laccase-mediator systems. Consequently, research covering various applications of laccase has been rapidly increasing in recent years, particularly in the areas of coupling and grafting reactions. This review summarizes the advances that have been made in developing technologies based on laccase-mediated coupling and grafting reactions for potential application in areas such as environmental pollution control, modification of lignocellulose materials, food industry, biosensors, textile industry, pharmaceutical industry, and in organic synthesis.

Low-cost electronic microwave calibration for rapid on-line moisture sensing of seedcotton.

In order to improve rapid on-line moisture sensing of seedcotton in cotton gins, a means by which to establish a reliable low-cost wide-band electronic calibration is critically needed. This calibration is needed to center the circuit due to changes in the internal signal delays and attenuation drift caused by temperature changes in the various system components and circuit elements. This research examines a hardware technique for use in conjunction with microwave reflective sensing probes having an extended bandwidth from 500 MHz through 2.5 GHz. This new technique was validated experimentally against known electrical propagation delay standards. Results of the measured propagation delay with this type of automatic electronic calibration method was found to agree with results using a vector network analyzer with a traditional S11 single port error correction calibration methodology to within 4% of the measurement, 95% confidence, with a standard error of +/-18.6 ps for the delay measurements. At this level of performance, the proposed low-cost technique exhibits superior performance, over the typical geosciences time-domain reflectometer "TDR", instruments in common use in soil moisture testing and is suitable for use in cotton gin moisture sensing.

Case study: apparel industry waste management: a focus on recycling in South Africa.

The need for effective apparel waste management is motivated by the increasing cost and decreasing availability of landfill space and the dwindling of natural resources. The aim of this study was to identify the current solid waste disposal and recycling practices of the apparel industry in South Africa and to determine their attitude and willingness towards recycling, their perception of the feasibility thereof, barriers to recycling and marketing strategies that would be appropriate for products made from recycled materials. A structured questionnaire was mailed to apparel manufacturers in South Africa. The results indicated that most apparel manufacturers use landfills to dispose of their waste, while approximately half recycle some of the waste. They are fairly positive towards recycling, with consideration of economical feasibility. Phi-coefficients show no practically significant relationship between company size and the use of recycled materials. The most important barriers to recycling are lack of equipment and technology, lack of material to recycle and lack of consumer awareness. Marketing strategies for recycled products are recommended. It is concluded that consumer awareness and knowledge regarding recycled apparel products should be developed in order to ensure a market and that apparel manufacturers should be encouraged to recycle more extensively, in order to ensure that resources will not be exhausted unnecessarily and the environment will be preserved optimally.

Assessment of pelt quality in leather making using a novel non-invasive sensing approach.

Excessive removal of structural material from skin during leather processing results in unattractive crease formation in leather. It is difficult to detect this in pelts at an early processing stage as it only becomes really apparent once the skin is made into leather. There would be great advantages in detecting the problem at the pickled pelt stage (skins treated with sodium sulphide and lime, bated with enzymes, and then preserved in NaCl and sulphuric acid) so that adjustments to the processing could be made to mitigate the effect. A novel bio-sensor for inspection of pickled lamb pelts has been fabricated and developed. The sensor has the planar Interdigital structure. The experimental results show that the sensor has a great potential to predict the quality of leather in a non-invasive and non-destructive way.

Research in intelligent biomedical clothing vs. realities in the European textile business.

In order to make intelligent biomedical clothing a market reality, a critical mass of scientific, technical and industrial capacities from various disciplines and industries must be successfully brought together. The textiles and clothing sector, i.e. the industry that transform natural or man-made fibres into yarns then with a myriad of processing options into complex tissues and finally into clothing, is undoubtedly a crucial element in such development. With Europe disposing of the world's most diverse, productive and innovative textiles and clothing industry, in addition to relevant expertise and resources in other scientific disciplines and industrial sectors, it could play a leading role in the advancement of the concept of intelligent biomedical clothing. In this process, a great number of challenges--firstly scientific and technical in nature--still need to be overcome and support from public funding programmes could constitute the necessary trigger for research and industrial efforts to be seriously undertaken. In view of the great benefits of such new products for the individual consumer, national health care systems and the society as a whole, a concerted effort in private-public partnership seems merited.

Optimal operation for timely adaptation of activated sludge plants to changes in the surfactant composition of wastewater.

The composition of a textile industry wastewater is highly variable, as the industrial process has to follow fashion and season trends. Surfactants represent one of the largest COD fractions in a typical textile wastewater. Therefore, it was the aim of this paper to model the acclimatisation behaviour of an activated sludge system when subjected to composition variations in the surfactant containing feed. The model was based on data obtained in SBR experiments in which a linear alkyl ethoxylate as sole carbon source in the feed was replaced by another with a longer ethoxylate chain. A previously developed model (Fractionated Degradation Model) was applied to each of the 21 SBR cycles carried out in this study. The resulting best-fit parameters were investigated and sub-models were further developed, to create an acclimatisation model, able to predict the sludge acclimatisation level. Using the information given by this model, it was possible to propose an optimal operation scheme to pre-acclimatise the sludge before a surfactant replacement is made in the textile process. A cost analysis was carried out to compare different scenarios, with and without the application of this operation scheme. It was concluded that the proposed pre-acclimatisation process may be cost effective as compared to other scenarios if a cheap surfactant-containing product was employed.

Pilot scale nanofiltration membrane separation for waste management in textile industry.

This paper presents the pilot scale membrane separation studies on dyehouse effluents of textile industry. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes which have 2 m2 of surface area were evaluated for membrane fouling on permeate flux and their suitability in separating COD, color and conductivity in relation to operating pressure and feed concentration from textile industry dyehouse effluents. Successive batch runs demonstrated that any serious membrane fouling was not experienced for NF membrane tested in treating this type of wastewater. The permeate flux was found to increase significantly with operating pressure. Flux decreased with increasing recovery rate. The overall removal efficiencies of COD, color and conductivity were found as greater than 97%. COD was lower than 10 mg/l at 12 bar pressures. Permeate COD was also increased with increasing recovery and COD was 30 mg/l with recovery of 80%. Almost complete color removal was achieved with nanofiltration membrane. Color value was also decreased from 500 Pt-Co to 10 Pt-Co unit. This significant reduction in color and COD makes possible the recycle of the permeate in the dyehouse. Permeate conductivity was decreasing with increasing pressure and retention of conductivity increases with increasing pressures. This phenomenon is expected from the analysis of conductivity mass transport model. Economical analysis have been done and the total estimated cost will be 0.81$/m3 based on 1000 m3/day of and this value is very economical for Istanbul City due to increasing industrial water supply tariffs.

Application of membrane and ozonation technologies to remove color from agro-industry effluents.

The results of membrane and ozonation experiments carried out on various agro-industry effluents including fermentation (baker's yeast), corrugated board, opium alkaloid and textile dying industries are presented. The experiments were performed using lab-scale membrane and ozonation reactors. Color removals were in the range of 80 to 99% for the membrane treatment studies. Ozonation experiments have shown that color removals in the range of 83 to 98% are possible for the investigated wastewaters. Final color levels were lower than 100 Pt-Co unit, which is quite acceptable aesthetically. The relative unit treatment costs of ozonation were about two times higher than membrane systems especially for very strong colored effluents including fermentation and opium alkaloid industries. The study has demonstrated that both membrane and ozonation technologies are viable options for color removal.