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DYEBATH REUSE SAVES MONEY AND REDUCES POLLUTION
Citation:
Bergenthal, J., J. Eapen, A. Tawa, AND W. Tincher. DYEBATH REUSE SAVES MONEY AND REDUCES POLLUTION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/M-84/002.
Description:
The article discusses an evaluation of the potential for wastewater recycle or reuse in textile finishing mills. Over a dozen recycle technologies were evaluated in six separate mills. Results of these preliminary studies showed that most of the recycle technologies were technically feasible, but only a few were cost effective: synthetic size recovery and reuse, caustic recovery and reuse, direct wastewater reuse (e.g., countercurrent washing), and direct dyebath reuse. The last-mentioned was singled out for further study because it was seen as having several advantages: low capital cost for implementation, substantial processing cost savings, significant environmental benefits, and the potential for widespread use in the industry. It is estimated that about half of all textile dyeing is performed by batch operations, including most knit fabric, hosiery, and yarn, along with substantial amounts of carpet and some woven fabric. Dyebath reuse technology was first developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology about 10 years ago, but few mills have adopted it to date.