Optimizing Textile Wastewater Treatment Using Electrocoagulation and Multimedia Filtration Strategies for Enhanced Efficiency

Abstract

Textile production has a significant environmental impact, mainly because untreated wastewater, packed with harmful substances like dyes, heavy metals, and chemicals, finds its way into water bodies. This pollution spells trouble for aquatic life, human health, and biodiversity, causing water contamination, habitat degradation, and putting communities relying on clean water at risk. That's why it's crucial to optimize textile wastewater treatment. Electrocoagulation and multimedia filtration offer a smart solution to tackle these issues. Electrocoagulation works by using an electric current to destabilize and remove pollutants, while multimedia filtration employs various media like sand and activated carbon to filter out suspended solids and dissolved contaminants. Combining these methods boosts treatment efficiency, with electrocoagulation targeting initial contaminant removal and multimedia filtration adding a finishing touch for high-quality treated water. In this thesis, the collected effluent samples underwent rigorous parameter testing, followed by electrocoagulation using Aluminum anode and Zinc cathode, succeeded by sedimentation and multimedia filtration. This process was conducted multiple times for durations of 30, 45, and 60 minutes, with meticulous data collection after each iteration. Remarkably, the maximum removal efficiencies achieved for Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids, COD, and Color were an impressive 99.46%, 99.27%, 91.304%, and 93.98%, respectively. Following parameter testing, achieving high removal efficiency of turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), COD, and color stands as a beacon of progress. This milestone ensures compliance with stringent regulatory standards, significantly reducing environmental pollution and safeguarding delicate aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, it elevates the quality of discharged water, mitigating adverse impacts on biodiversity and public health. This remarkable feat not only underscores a commitment to sustainable textile production practices but also aligns with corporate social responsibility and regulatory mandates. However, certain parameters such as pH, Total Dissolved Solids, Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, and EC exhibited increased values, warranting further investigation and study.