Water Pollution

The toxic nature and adverse effect of synthetic dyes on all forms of life revived the interest in natural dyes.
Nevertheless even the natural dyes are rarely low-impact, due to certain mordants that have to be used with
them. Mordants, are substances, (such as chromium), used to fix color onto the fabric. They may be are
very toxic and may have a high impact on the wastewater quality. Natural dyestuffs require large quantities
of water for dyeing. (Almost equal to or double that of the fibers own weight). About 80 percent of the
dyestuffs stay on the fabric, while the rest go down the drain. Consequently natural dyes prepared from wild
plants and lichens can have a very high impact on the environment

The textile dyeing and finishing industry has created a huge pollution problem as it is one of the most
chemically intensive industries on earth, and the No. 1 polluter of clean water (after agriculture).

As given in the case, 1 kg of textile requires about 200 L of water. The water is used for application of
chemicals and dyes on the fibers/fabric and rinsing of the final product. The waste water produced during
processing of textile contains a large amount of dyes and chemicals containing dangerous concentration of
harmful metals such as Cr, As etc. and carcinogenic agents. Untreated effluents from textile industries can
cause various serious health issues. It was estimated that the total 2500 m3 waste water would be generated
per day from the plant in Westeros.

1) Treatment plants

The first alternative would be to install a zero liquid discharge plant. For this an effluent treatment plant has
to be set up

Effluent treatment methods can be classified into physical, chemical and biological methods. Exclusive
treatment by one of these three methods has proved to be insufficient in removing color and other effluent
from textile industry wastewater. While some dyes are difficult to biodegrade few, particularly the
hydrolyzed reactive and certain acidic dyes are not readily absorbed by active sludge; hence they escape
treatment. Combination of various effluent treatment methods can remove more than 85% of unwanted
matter
The resulting effluent is usually high in color. A complimentary treatment process is needed to remove color
and if possible residual impurities. The textile industry has been condemned to be the worlds worst
environment polluters. It requires large amounts of Chemicals and Water at every step of the textile
manufacturing and finishing process. Water is needed to convey the chemicals into the fabric and to wash it
at the beginning and end of every step. It becomes full of chemical additives and is then expelled as
wastewater; which in turn pollutes the environment. Water pollution is indeed a serious problem in most
countries. The textile industry continues to search for an economical solution to decolorize the nearly 200
billion liters of colored effluent produced annually. Nations, states, industries are spending billions in cash
on research to reduce pollution and on construction of effluent treatment plants. The public concern for
industrial air and water pollution is leading to considerable restrictions on all industrial activities polluting
the environment. Governments have proposed laws limiting the amount and kind of waste that can be
dumped as such. Considering the adverse effect on environment and health of people due to the effluent
being thrown out of the Textile Dye Industry we need to wake up to the serious problem and make every
effort to reduce pollution and construct effluent treatment plants at the sites churning out billions of liters of
waste water.

Continuous Flow Process.

Analysis showed that activated carbon samples had a good capacity to remove the textile dyes from the
residue water. Granular Activated Carbon was found to have good potential for absorbance of dyestuff.
Being inexpensive and easily available it can be used effectively in a commercial system.
It is important to remove the various pollutants from the waste waters before their final disposal. By reducing
all forms of waste water industries can cut on costs and improve profits. It has been suggested that most
companies can save 20% - 50% expenditure on water and effluent treatment charges by reducing their water
use. After identifying where the potential water savings can be made the next step is to introduce appropriate
water saving measures like re-use of water. This consists of rinsing the product in a series of tanks each
using progressively cleaner water . The rinse water is reused by moving it progressively from last rinse tank
towards first. Wash water may also be suitable for re use elsewhere on the site such as for floor washing,
rinsing containers etc

2) Dyeing

Air Dyeing Technology is a dyeing process that uses air instead of water to dye garments, allowing
companies to create garments with vivid designs and colors, without polluting the water and environment

Advantages

Uses 95 percent less water

Emits 84 percent less Green House Gases (GHG).
Requires 87 percent less energy
Reduces damage to goods (Up to one percent of goods are damaged using Air Dyeing procedure as
compared to 10 percent of traditionally dyed garments).
No rules to washing. Air dyed fabrics can be washed at any temperature, with whites or colors, with
or without bleach.
Allows for new designs. Different sides of a single piece of fabric can be dyed in different colors or
designs.

Bleaching: Chlorine bleach is known to be extremely toxic to the environment and to consumers, yet
chlorine-based chemicals are still often used to bleach fabric. An alternative bleaching method which is
oxygen-based (hydrogen peroxide) can be used. This is an effective method for bleaching (usage of
peroxide). In India the production of hydrogen peroxide is growing at a good pace and as of now only 2
industries in India produce Hydrogen Peroxide.

Some mills have started using ozone, a very new technology for bleaching. This technology relies on cool
water rather than having to maintain the fabric in a hot water bath for many hours. The ozone breaks down
into water and oxygen in waste water
Air Pollution

SOLAR PLANT

Fixed Costs of solar plant (per MW) = 595.2 Lakhs (land cost is also included)

Annual Maintenance cost = 8 Lakhs/MW

Cost of capital = 47.616 Lakhs/MW/annum

Maximum capacity of solar plant that can be installed = 11MW

Total cost for the whole plant = 6547.2 Lakhs

Annual Maintenance cost for the whole plant = 88 Lakhs

Cost of capital for the whole plant = 523.776 Lakhs/annum

Solar plant (11MW)

Fixed capital requirement = Rs 65.47 crore

Additional Cost Per module against degradation = Rs 11 Lakhs

Annual Maintenance cost = 88 Lakhs

Cost of capital = 523.776 Lakhs/annum

Existing power plant

Total power consumption per month = 438000KWh (1MW at 60% L.F.)

Cost per month = Rs. 438000*6.2984 = 27.587 Lakhs

Total annual cost = Rs. 331.044 Lakhs

The solar plant will not be producing any air pollution and with this alternative there would be no need of
installation of High Efficiency Electro Static Precipitators. So if the existing electricity costs and the costs of
installation of High Efficiency Electro Static Precipitators is considered than it would be better if the solar
plant is installed. This would cost Rs 65.5 Crores (fixed) and annual maintenance of 88 Lakhs.