Technological opportunities for resource recovery from industrial textile wastewater

The textile industry plays an integral role in supplying clothing necessary for our daily lives. However, various processes within the textile industry contribute to water pollution, releasing harmful chemicals into the water. As a result, textile wastewater comprises a mixture of chemical compounds, creating a complex water matrix. Implementing an efficient wastewater treatment system is essential to treating hazardous pollutants and facilitating water reuse within the textile industry. Nevertheless, it is becoming imperative to examine the sustainability of the textile water sector, requiring a delicate balance between water remediation (including pollutant removal and toxicity reduction) and applying circular economy principles and climate change adaptation management. This book chapter primarily centers around the practical applications of real industrial textile wastewater. It delves into the ongoing research regarding the potential of industrial textile wastewater as a valuable resource for the circular economy. The chapter also emphasizes removing contaminants for water reuse while reducing or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Current literature suggests that electro-separation methods, such as electrocoagulation, photo-electrocatalytic fuel cells, or electro-membrane filtration, in combination with biotechnological approaches involving algae or bacterial consortia hold excellent promise for selectively recovering value-added streams and compounds from industrial textile wastewater. Likewise, these technological combinations could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as they enable either hydrogen harvesting or direct electricity production. It is also noted that there exists a substantial information gap regarding greenhouse gas emission inventory and mitigation strategies in textile wastewater treatment plants.