Textile:
 The textile industry is very water intensive. Water is used for cleaning the raw material and for many flushing steps during the whole production process.
It is quite difficult to define a general quality standard for textile water reuse because of the different requirements of each fiber (silk, cotton, polyester etc.), of the textile process (e.g., scouring, desizing, dyeing, washing, etc.) and because of the different quality required for the final fabric.
The USEPA reports that textile wet processing typically requires between an average of 5 to 35 gallons of water for every pound of finished product produced based on the type of fabric. Water use varies considerably for different fabric types. Water consumption also varies significantly among unit processes.
Water Consumption by Industry Unit Process |
Process |
Water Consumption
(gal/lb) |
| Preparation: |
|
Singeing |
0 |
Desizing |
0.3 - 2.4 |
Scouring |
2.3 - 5.1 |
Continuous bleaching |
0.3 - 14.9 |
Mercerizing |
0.12 |
Dyeing: |
|
Beam |
20 |
Beck |
28 |
Jet |
24 |
Jig |
12 |
Paddle |
35 |
Skein |
30 |
Stock |
20 |
Pad-batch |
2 |
Package |
22 |
Continuous bleaching |
20 |
Indigo range |
1 - 6 |
Printing |
3 |
Print afterwashing |
13.2 |
Finishing: |
|
Chemical |
0.6 |
Mechanical |
0 |
|
Dyeing is the most water-intensive of the unit processes, consuming up to 35 gallons of water per pound of finished product. A dye houses processing 50,000 pounds of fabric a day can easily use 1.75 million gallons of water per day.
Water Quality Requirements
Water quality requirements for textile wet processing are hard to define due to the different requirements for each fiber, process and final product quality. Generally, process water should have no chlorine, low metals content (i.e. iron and copper) and low salts concentrations (i.e. chloride and sulfate). Alkalinity, pH and color with an affinity for fabric (i.e. residual dyes) are also of concern.
Consistent water quality plays a very significant role in the success of textile wet processing operations so that chemical levels do not need continuous inspection, analysis and adjustments.
Benefits of using So~Safe
In order to meet these requirements, So~Safe Water Technologies has developed dedicated solutions which will provide the following benefits:
- Treatment technologies compliant with the most stringent disinfection and purification specifications
- The quality of fabric will improve. Furthermore, the process of dyeing will become fast and durable.
- The quantity of chemicals used throughout the process will reduce.
- The uniformity in the water quality will enable standardization in the process and less supervision will be required to maintain the same results.
So~Safe Water Technologies will provide appropriate solutions for water treatment depending on the raw water quality and source of water supply.
Contact us for further information.
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