Wet textile colouration has the highest environmental impact of all textile processing steps. It consumes water, chemicals and energy and produces liquid, heat and gas waste streams. Liquid effluent streams are often quite toxic to the environment. There are a number of different dyeing processes, normally fibre type specific, and each has a different impact on the environment. This research investigated the energy, chemical and water requirements for the exhaust colouration of cotton, wool, polyester and nylon. The research investigated the liquid waste biological oxygen demand, total organic carbon dissolved solids, suspended solids, pH and colour along with the energy required for drying after colouration. Polyester fibres had the lowest impact on the environment with low water and energy consumption in dyeing, good dye bath exhaustion, the lowest dissolved solids levels in waste water, relatively neutral pH effluent and low energy in drying. The wool and nylon had similar dyebath requirements and outputs however the nylon could be dyed at far lower liquor ratios and hence provided better energy and water use figures. Cotton performed badly in all of the measured parameters.
History
Journal
Advanced materials research
Volume
441
Pagination
540 - 543
Publisher
Trans Tech Publications
Location
Stafa-Zurich, Switzerland
ISSN
1022-6680
Language
eng
Notes
Presented at the 2011 International Conference on Eco-Dyeing, Finishing and Green Chemistry (EDFGC)
Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal article