SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (SSRG-IJHSS) – EFES April 2015
Removal of Dyes from Textile Industry Effluent: A
Review
Harpreet Kaur#1, Gitanjali Sharma*2
Lecture of Chemistry, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, Baddi University, Baddi, H.P., India.
Associate Professor, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, Baddi University, Baddi, H.P., India.
Abstract— Effluent from the textile industry contains toxic
compounds. These compounds contaminate the surface water,
thereby making it unfit for irrigation and drinking. Since
farmers use water from the rivers for agricultural purposes
and the residents of the town, use both the surface and
underground water from the same area as potable water, it is
quite unsafe to discharge this effluent into water body.
Suspended solids can clog fish gills, either kill them or reduce
their growth rate. They also reduce the ability of algae to
produce food and oxygen. Therefore, proper treatment of
effluent water and enforcement of pollution control by the
regulatory authority on the indiscriminate discharge of textile
wastewater into water bodies should be done. Batch
adsorption experiments using Ashoka leaf powder, a low cost,
locally available biomaterial as an adsorbent has been used
for removal of cationic dyes such as Methylene blue,
Malachite Green, Rhodamine B and Brilliant Green from
effluent of textile industry.
I. INTRODUCTION
An industrial effluent is undesirable by-product
of economic development and technological
advancement. When improperly disposed off, it
imperils human health and the environment.
Effluent from textile industry is a complex
mixture of chemicals varying in quantity and
quality. These industries generate both inorganic
and organic waste mixed with wastewater from
the production processes, which leads to change
in both biological and chemical parameters of the
receiving water bodies [1]. Control of water
pollution has gained increasing importance in
recent years. The release of dyes into the
environment constitutes only a small proportion
of water pollution, but dyes are visible in small
quantities due to their brilliance. Tightening
government legislation is forcing textile
industries to treat their waste effluent to an
increasingly high standard. Currently, removal of
dyes from effluent is done by physico-chemical
means. Such methods are often very costly and
ISSN: 2394 - 2703 http://www.internationaljournalssrg.org
although the dyes are removed, accumulation of
concentrated sludge creates a disposal problem
[2]. Water pollution caused by industrial effluent
discharges has become a worrisome phenomenon
due to its impact on environmental health and
safety. Textile industries contribute immensely to
surface water deterioration and are categorized
among the most polluting in all industrial sectors
[3]. Textile industry is one of the most important
and rapidly developing industrial sectors in
Ludhiana city of Punjab, India. It has a great
disadvantage in terms of its environmental
impact because it consumes considerably high
amount of processed water and produces highly
polluted discharge water. To control the polluted
discharge the textile mills in India have started to
install treatment plants in the name of
environmental protection. The wastewater from
seven textile mills in the woven fabric and knit
fabric finishing industry and one highly polluted
drain, locally known as Buddha Nala, which
receives discharge from many such industrial
units, were collected for the study [4]. Textile
wastewater includes a large variety of dyes and
chemicals additions that make the environmental
challenge for textile industry not only as liquid
waste but also in its chemical composition [5].
Dyes contribute to overall toxicity at all process
stages. Dye baths could also have high level of
BOD/COD, color, toxicity, surfactants, fibers and
turbidity and may contain heavy metals [6, 7, 8 ].
Textile processing employs a variety of
chemicals depending on the nature of the raw
material and product [9]. Dyeing process usually
contributes chromium, lead, zinc and copper to
wastewater [10]. Copper is toxic to aquatic plants
at concentrations below 1.0 mg/l while
concentrations near this level can be toxic to
aquatic life [11]. The removal of color from
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textile industry and dyestuff manufacturing

industry wastewaters represents a major
environmental concern. Contaminated air, soil
and water by effluents from the industries are
associated with heavy disease burden (WHO,
2002).

The most important parameters in wastewater

from textile industry are Chemical Oxygen
Demand, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH
value, suspended solids, total dissolved solid,
color and total organic Carbon. The effluent
characteristics of textile mills, most of which are Fig 1 Photograph of Buddha Nalah
cotton-fabric, polyester, wool, and acrylic
refining mills were investigated in the study. The
concentrations of BOD, COD, SS, TOC, TDS, Disposal of dyes in precious water resources
pH, color were analyzed according to standard must be avoided and for this various effluent
methods (Table- 1). treatment methods are in use. Among various
methods adsorption occupies a prominent place
TABLE 1 in dye removal. The growing demand for
CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTEWATER SAMPLES efficient and low-cost treatment methods and the
NAME OF BOD COD TOC TS TDS pH importance of adsorption has given rise to low-
INDUSTRY mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l value cost alternative adsorbents (LCAs). Some LCAs,
in addition to having wide availability, have fast
kinetics and appreciable adsorption capacities too.
A 552.35 1040 7784.0 2780 2560 4.30
Advantages and disadvantages of adsorbents,
B 210.0 3050 563.5 51450 49440 11.9 favorable conditions for particular adsorbate–
C 108.0 590.0 119.6 898.5 816.6 8.2 adsorbent systems, and adsorption capacities of
D 790.0 1230 535.6 1770 1590 7.22
various low-cost adsorbents and commercial
activated carbons are available [12].
E 245.0 970.0 158.0 6510 5690 9.80

F 548.0 550.0 211.6 2300 2120 8.16 Adsorption techniques are widely used to remove
G 156.0 195.0 101.1 450 430 8.03 certain classes of pollutants from waters,
especially those which are not easily
BUDDHA 317.57 120 44.01 1570 1470 7.06
NALA H biodegradable. The removal of MB, as a pollutant,
from waste waters of textile, paper, printing and
other industries has been addressed by the
researchers. Currently, a combination of
biological treatment and adsorption on activated
carbon is becoming more common for removal of
dyes from wastewater. Although commercial
activated carbon is a preferred adsorbent for color
removal, its widespread use is restricted due to its
relatively high cost which led to the researches
on alternative non-conventional and low-cost
adsorbents [13]. Use of waste materials as low-
cost adsorbents is attractive due to their

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 SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (SSRG-IJHSS) – EFES April 2015
contribution in the reduction of costs for waste
disposal, therefore contributing to environmental
protection [14].
Three agricultural residues, wheat straw, wood
chips and corn-cob shreds were tested for their
ability to adsorb individual dyes and dye
mixtures in solutions. Up to 70–75% color
removal was achieved from 500 ppm dye
solutions at room temperature using corn-cob
shreds and wheat straw. Increasing the
temperature had little effect on the adsorption
capacity of the residues. The resulting dye-
adsorbed residues were found to be suitable
substrates for solid-state fermentation (SSF) by
two white-rot fungi; Phanerochaete
chrysosporium and Coriolus versicolor.
Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Coriolus
versicolor both strains grew uninhibited and
produced a maximum protein content of 16, 25
and 35 g and 19, 23 and 50 g in SSF of 100 g dry
weight wood chips, corn-cob shreds and wheat
straw, respectively, supplemented with
ammonical nitrogen to give a C:N ratio of 20:1.
This approach provided preliminary results for
the remediation of textile effluent and the
conversion of agricultural residues into soil
conditioner [15].
The use of a previously untried biosorbent, barley
husk, for dye removal has also been compared to
corncob by Robinson et. Al[16]. The
effectiveness of adsorption as a means of dye
removal has made it an ideal alternative to other
more costly treatments. It deals with two low-
cost, renewable biosorbents, which are
agroindustrial by-products, for textile dye
removal. The effects of initial dye concentration,
biosorbent particle size, dose of biosorbent,
effective adsorbance, and dye removal kinetics
were examined. One gram (per 100 ml) of ≤600
μm corncob was found to be effective in
removing a high percentage of dyes at a rapid
rate (92% in 48 h). One gram of 1×4 mm barley
husk was found to be the most effective weight
and particle size combination for the removal of
dyes (92% in 48 h). The results illustrated how
ISSN: 2394 - 2703 http://www.internationaljournalssrg.org
barley husk and corncob are effective biosorbents
concerning the removal of textile dyes from
effluent.
The degradation of the dyes Methylene Blue
(MB), Methyl Orange (MO) and Indigo (Ind) in
water was carried out via a photocatalytic
reaction. The porous nanocrystalline TiO2
photocatalysts used in the photocatalytic
degradation were prepared using Polyethylene
glycol (PEG) as a structure-directing agent in the
sol–gel system [17].
Use of macroalgae for removal of dyes from
industrial water effluent, specifically from textile
industries is possible and after removal of dye,
this dye can be used anywhere [18]. The
feasibility of using brown macroalgae species
Sargassum for dye removal from simulated
textile water effluent streams in batch and
continuous adsorption columns provides an
energy efficient and low cost solution to treat
waste water from textile industries.
The kinetic study provided a first-attempt model
prediction to elucidate characteristics of azo dye
decolorization in immobilized cell systems (ICSs)
using indigenous Aeromonas hydrophila. This
kinetic modeling coupled with graphical analysis
could also provide a plausible evaluation to
determine the most economically feasible
biostimulation strategy for non-growth associated
biodegradation (e.g., dye decolorization) in ICSs
for possible industrial applications [19].
There has been exhaustive research on
biosorption of dye wastewater. It presents an
attractive option to supplement conventional
treatment processes. The various biosorbents
such as fungi, bacteria, algae, chitosan and peat,
which are capable of decolorizing dye
wastewaters, has been reviewed by Srinivasan
and co-workers [20].
The decolourization of dye wastewaters through
fungi can be done via two processes (biosorption
and bioaccumulation) and various process
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 SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (SSRG-IJHSS) – EFES April 2015
parameters like pH, temperature, dye
concentration etc. affect the dye removing
efficiency of different fungi. Various enzymes
involved in the degradation of the dyes and the
metabolites thus formed have been found.
Genetic manipulations of microorganisms for
production of more efficient biological agents,
various bioreactor configurations and the
application of purified enzymes for
decolourization, which constitute some of the
recent advances in this field, have also been
reviewed. The study has shown that the fungal
decolourization has a great potential to be
developed further as a decentralized wastewater
treatment technology for small textile or dyeing
units [21]. Forgacs and co-workers have studied
and compared various methods of removal of
dyes such as adsorption on various sorbents,
chemical decomposition by oxidation,
photodegradation, and microbiological
decoloration, employing activated sludge, pure
cultures and microbe consortiums [22].
Chitin is the second most important natural
polymer in the world. Chitosan is the most
important derivative of chitin [23]. Application of
chitinous products in wastewater treatment has
received considerable attention in recent years in
the literature [24]. In particular, the development
of chitosan-based materials as useful adsorbent
polymeric matrices is an expanding field in the
area of adsorption science. The chitosan and its
grafted and crosslinked derivatives are used for
dye removal from aqueous solutions.
The adsorption of Remazol black 13 (Reactive)
dye onto chitosan in aqueous solutions was
investigated [25]. The equilibrium adsorption
data of reactive dye on chitosan were analyzed by
Langmuir and Freundlich models. The maximum
adsorption capacity (qm) has been found to be
91.47–130.0 mg/g. The amino group nature of
the chitosan provided reasonable dye removal
capability. The kinetics of reactive dye
adsorption nicely followed the pseudo-first and
second-order rate expression which demonstrates
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that intraparticle diffusion plays a significant role
in the adsorption mechanism.
Currently, removal of dyes from effluents is done
by such methods which are often very costly and
although the dyes are removed, accumulation of
concentrated sludge creates a disposal problem.
Therefore review is done on the current available
technologies and suggests an effective, cheaper
alternative for dye removal and decolourisation
applicable on large scale [26].
II. CONCLUSION
Textile effluents cause bio-toxicity in the
organisms which lead to growth inhibition and
low chlorophyll content in plants. There is a need
to find alternative treatments that are effective in
removing dyes from large volumes of effluents
and are low in cost, such as chemical, biological
or combination systems. However, further
research work is required to study the toxicity of
the metabolites of dye degradation and the
possible fate of the utilized biomass in
order to ensure the development of an eco-
friendly technology.
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