Potential of rainwater harvesting and reusing industrial effluent in a textile industry

Abstract

Groundwater is the water trapped underground in the cracks and gaps in dirt, sand, and rock. It is deposited in and eventually travels through aquifers, which are geologic formations of dirt, sand, and rocks. Groundwater is frequently less expensive, more accessible, and less pollutable than surface water. As a result, it is widely used in municipal water sources. Textile industries consume a lot of groundwater on a daily basis which is alarming to the welfare of the environment. In Bangladesh, the daily consumable amount of groundwater is very threatening and is increasing day by day. The objective of this study is to reduce the load on groundwater caused by textile industries via suggesting alternatives. Two of the water sources – rainwater and industrial effluent were considered to play that role. Their potential is analyzed via laboratory tests and statistical analysis. This study aims to find out the potential of rainwater harvesting for a textile industry, determine the usability and quality of industrial effluent and to find out whether we can use the effluent as supplement and if so, what treatment procedures are to be considered. For rainwater harvesting, a time period of 1953-2014 was considered in Gazipur area, as the industry considered in this study is placed there. Standard parameters to determine the quality of industrial effluent for reusing in textile industry was tested and water quality was analyzed. The primary results show that via rainwater harvesting only, up to 5.95% of groundwater can be supplemented – 54% if the industrial effluent supplementation is combined.