RECYCL-1874; No.

of Pages 14

Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Water conservation through implementation of

ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with
recourse to recycling of effluent in textile
industry–A case study
Tapas Nandy ∗ , Pravin Manekar, Rita Dhodapkar,
Girish Pophali, Sukumar Devotta
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, India

Received 8 May 2006; received in revised form 3 August 2006; accepted 3 August 2006

Abstract

In compliance with the protection of the drinking water source in one of the state capital of India, a
cluster of small scale textile industries implemented membrane processes based on treatability studies
for recovery of boiler feed water quality with recourse to effluent recycling/reuse. The paper addresses
to a case study in one of the textile units on upgradation of a full scale effluent treatment plant compris-
ing chemical, biological, tertiary and advanced treatment processes. Based on the adequacy assessment
of chemical and biological processes, improvement in the performance of the unit processes were
achieved through optimization of coagulant dosage for chemical coagulation and build-up of active
biomass in the activated sludge system. In addition, application of membrane separation processes
comprising ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis units are also highlighted including disposal of reverse
osmosis (RO) rejects through evaporator leading to zero liquid effluent discharge. The treatment
scheme implemented resulted in conservation of around 55% of fresh water demand for industry.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Textile industry; Treatment; Ultrafiltration; Reverse osmosis; Recycle/reuse; Rejects and evaporation

∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 712 2249763; fax: +91 712 2249900.
E-mail address: t nandy@neeri.res.in (T. Nandy).

0921-3449/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

2 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

1. Introduction

Today, the water scarcity is posing severe problem for sustainable development, since
the water demand is more, whether its human consumption, agricultural application or
industrial use (Cicek, 2003). Water resources of India are being examined in the context of
the growing population, and the national ambition to become and be seen as a developed
nation. The total water requirement of the country for various activities around the year 2050
has been assessed at 1450 km3 /annum. This is significantly more than the current estimate
of utilizable water resource potential (1122 km3 /annum) through conventional development
strategies. Therefore, when compared with the availability of ∼500 km3 /annum at present,
the water availability around 2050 needs to be almost trebled. Various options are being
considered in quantitative terms, as possible sources to augment the anticipated deficit
(Gupta and Deshpande, 2004). It is argued that due to considerations of gestation period and
capital requirement, wastewater renovation and recycling as water conservation measures
must receive priority in addition to rain water harvesting, etc.
In India, around 2100 textile units (SSI) are operating, and the average water consumption
is 200 m3 /d (Landes et al., 2005). These industries accentuate the water scarcity problem by
their high water consumption and wide variety of pollutants discharge (Brik and Chaman,
2004). Therefore, in water intensive industries water management must approach for econo-
mization and rationalization of the use of water resources. Waste management with recourse
to effluent recycle/reuse is necessary to meet the ever increasing water demand leading to
water conservation.
Today, membrane processes have been the technology-of-choice to provide recyclable
water through treatment of lower quality resources. The application of membrane separation
processes do provide the industries with a technology to achieve water quality limits, and
produce reusable water (Celenza, 2000; Frank, 2000), and has proved to be an effective
process in concentrating the bulk of pollutant into small liquid volume for further disposal
(Bilstad and Espedal, 1994).
The paper presents a case study on the detailed assessment of an existing effluent treat-
ment facility in a small scale textile processing industry engaged in fabric dyeing and
printing. The total water requirement of industry is 209 m3 /d, and combined wastewater
generation from various processing is 84 m3 /d. Optimization of the operational parameters,
including implementation of proper operation and maintenance for effective performance
of ETP, thereby improving the efficiency of the existing treatment plant is also addressed.
The application of ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) units based on treatability
studies intended to produce treated effluent quality meeting the requirements for recycle as
boiler feed water make-up is also highlighted. Studies on an evaporation system for disposal
of RO rejects have also been addressed. Implementation of the advanced treatment scheme
based on upgradation of existing effluent treatment plant results in conservation of fresh
water demand.

2. Brief details of industry

The industry studied is a small scale textile unit located in Southern India mainly
engaged in dyeing and printing of manmade polyester fabric. The industry has a dyeing

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 3

and printing processing capacity of 30,000 m/d. The polyester fabric processing involves
scouring, bleaching, dyeing, printing, washing and finishing. The present total fresh water
consumption of the industry is 135 m3 /d including boiler feed water, and 5 m3 /d for
sanitary purpose, the source being ground water. The combined wastewater generation
from various processing in the industry is 84 m3 /d including boiler blowdown and sanitary
wastewater.

2.1. Existing effluent treatment plant

The industry has a full scale effluent treatment plant (ETP) treating the combined process
wastewater generated. The combined wastewater emanating from the various process units is
routed to the ETP through closed conduit. The ETP with a design flow of 150 m3 /d comprise
of preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary treatment facilities with the following unit
processes and operations:
• Preliminary treatment
- Screens,
- oil and grease trap,
- equalization basin.
• Primary treatment
- Reaction tank,
- flocculation channel,
- primary settling tank.
• Secondary treatment
- Aeration tank,
- secondary settling tank.
• Tertiary treatment
- Activated carbon column.
• Sludge dewatering
- Sludge drying beds.

2.2. Performance assessment of effluent treatment facilities

The performance assessment of effluent treatment plant was carried out through flow
monitoring, and collection of wastewater samples at various stages of treatment, and its
characterization. Hourly wastewater flow was monitored at the inlet to reaction tank, and
the combined wastewater flow (average) to ETP was in range 70.1–78.6 m3 /d.
Based on the adequacy assessment of the ETP, measures were implemented to improve
the plant performance, which included:
- proper wastewater equalization through uniform mixing provided in the equalization
basin;
- optimization of coagulants dosage based on treatability studies;
- proper dosing by providing dosing tanks instead of manual operation;
- regular desludging from primary clarifier;

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

4 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Table 1
Performance of effluent treatment plant (ETP)
Sr. no. Parameters Influent Treated effluent Standards for
effluent discharge
into inland surface
1a 2a waters
1 Appearance Coloured and turbid Clear Clear b

2 pH 7.1–7.5 7.1–7.6 7.0–7.6 5.5–9.0

3 Alkalinity 540 (±20.8) 332 (±14.3) 335 (±14.9) –
4 Suspended solids 770 (±31.8) 50 (±4.4) 18 (±1.4) 100
5 Total dissolved solids 2600 (±91.1) 2250 (±78.8) 2220 (±54.1) 2100
6 COD 2878 (±101.5) 310 (±22.2) 118 (1.4) 250
7 BOD 1295 (±68.8) 90 (±5.4) 16 (±1.0) 30
8 Total Kjeldahl nitrogen 28 (±4.2) 1.7 (±0.6) 1.6 (±0.3) 100
9 Phosphates 5.5 (±0.9) 1.7 (±0.5) 1.1 (±0.08) 5.0
10 Sulphides 21 (±2.5) 7.8 (±1.3) 1.8 (±0.4) 2.0
11 Oil and grease 14.4 (±1.7) 2.6 (±0.4) 1.4 (±0.2) 10
12 Chlorides 570 (±38.7) 560 (±38.3) 506 (±30.0) 1000
13 Calcium 486 (±15.6) 392 (±9.1) 334 (±12.0) –
14 Magnesium 220 (±18.6) 172 (±11.4) 160 (±14.4) –
15 Sulphates 405 (±47.4) 390 (±36.7) 334 (±36.3) 1000
16 Sodium 400 (±21.6) 322 (±17.4) 291 (±14.5) –
17 Potassium 26.5 (±3.8) 20 (±3.7) 14 (±1.9) –
Hourly samples collected and composited for 24 h for 5 days.
a 1 and 2 represent pre- and post-monitoring of implementation measure; all values are expressed in mg/l except

pH; Values in parenthesis are standard deviation.

b All efforts should be made to remove colour and unpleasant odour as far as practicable.

- build-up of design MLSS concentration in the aeration tank of biological treatment pro-
cess; and
- replacement of spent activated carbon in the tertiary treatment column.

Based on hourly samples collected and composited for 24 h, the performance of ETP
prior and post implementation of proper operation and maintenance alongwith the stip-
ulated Standards of the Statutory Board for Discharge into Inland Surface Waters are
presented in Table 1. All analyses have been conducted as per Standard Methods (APHA,
1998).
The results indicate improvement achieved in the effluent characteristics through proper
operation and maintenance of the various unit operations and processes of the plant. The
tertiary treated effluent from the ETP conformed to the prescribed limits for inland surface
water discharge except for the total dissolved solids (TDS) parameter.

3. Treatability studies for upgradation of ETP

In compliance with the directives of the Board for zero effluent discharge, application of
membrane separation processes comprising ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO)
system were initiated, and commissioned based on treatability studies.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 5

Fig. 1. Performance of RO in the removal of TDS at different operating pressures.

The performance of RO membrane in the removal of inorganics (TDS) was evaluated

under varying operating conditions. A pilot scale spiral wound configuration of polyamide
reverse osmosis membrane was used for the study. The feed of varying concentrations
(2080–3800 mg/l) of TDS were fed to the RO system at different operating pressures
(5.27–26.4 kg/cm2 ). Fig. 1 presents TDS removal at varying operating pressure and feed
concentration at constant temperature of 25 ◦ C and pH of 7.5. The percent rejection of TDS
ranged between 82 and 98%, indicating that as the feed concentration increases, the percent
rejection decreases.
The percent TDS rejection, and product water recovery, and the permeate flux at 25 ◦ C
and 15.8 kg/cm2 operating pressure of the RO pilot plant declined with increasing time of
operation for a feed concentration of 3800 mg/l as presented in Fig. 2. The steep increase
in the permeate flux followed by a gradual decrease could be restored by cleaning the
membrane. The percent water recovery ranged between 51 and 62%. TDS rejection by
the RO membrane was slightly more variable, and decreased from 95 to 90% during the
operating period. A study also reported TDS removal of the order of 90–95% at 40.1 kg/cm2
pressure with 5000 mg/l NaCl solution (Patra, 1987).
The UF and RO systems implemented based on treatability studies were assessed through
flow monitoring, and collection of samples of permeate from UF and RO, and rejects (con-
centrate) from the latter. Fig. 3 present the schematics of the advanced treatment processes
and technical details of the membrane systems are given in Table 2. Based on the samples
collected from the aforereferred sources, the detailed analyses for major parameters are
presented in Table 3. The UF was operated at feed flow rate of 8.0 m3 /h and the RO system
at a feed flow rate of 7.0 m3 /h and pressure of 13 kg/cm2 , achieved permeate recovery of
5.0 m3 /h (71.4%) and rejects of 2.0 m3 /h (28.6%). ATP (UF and RO) implemented achieved
100% removal of SS, BOD and COD, and 98.2% TDS removal.
Implementation of proper operation and maintenance of the existing effluent treatment
plant facilitate reuse/recycle of 64 m3 /d of tertiary treated effluent for process use, washing
of screens, blankets, winch machines, and boiler feed water make-up including ash quench-
ing. The permeate recovered from the reverse osmosis system (10 m3 /d) is reused as boiler
feed water make-up. The entire treated effluent after tertiary and advanced treatment is recy-
cled/reused within the industry for various purposes, and no effluent is discharged from the
industry, thereby attaining zero liquid effluent discharge. The water balance of the industry
is detailed in Fig. 4, and the water balance for various unit operations are given in Table 4.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

6 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Fig. 2. TDS rejection, product water recovery and water flux of RO pilot plant.

Fig. 3. Schematics of advanced treatment system.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 7

Table 2
Technical details of ATP (ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis)
Sr. no. Particulars Ultrafiltration Reverse osmosis
1 Membrane
Material Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Polyamide (TFC)
Module Hollow fiber Spiral wound
Pore size (MWCO) 0.01 ␮m (50,000) 0.0001 ␮m
Size 30 m2 33.91 m2
Life 4–5 years 3–5 years
Flux 105 l/m2 25.8 l/m2
Numbers 3 8 (2 per module)
2 Operational parameters
Capacity (product) 9.5 m3 /h 7 m3 /h
Mode of operation Automatic Semi-automatic
Operating pressure 2–3 kg/cm2 13–16 kg/cm2
Feed flow rate 10–10.5 m3 /h 9.5 m3 /h
Permeate flow rate 9.5 m3 /h 7 m3 /h
Rejects flow rate 0.5 m3 /h 2.5 m3 /h
Percentage recovery 90–95% 75%
Percentage rejection 5–10% 95–98%
Power consumption 1.5 units/h 11 units/h
3 Pretreatment Chlorination multi-grade filter Dechlorination antiscalant
dosing SMBS dosing
Source: Doshi Ion Exchange and Chemical Industries Ltd., 24–26, Phase-II, G.I.D.C. Estate, Vatva, Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, India.

Table 3
Efficacy assessment of advanced treatment processes (ATP)
Sr. no. Parameters Feeda Permeate from Concentrate from
reverse osmosis
Ultrafiltration Reverse osmosis
1 Appearance Clear Clear Clear Muddy
2 pH 7.7 7.7 6.0 7.8
3 Alkalinity 345 (±15.2) 325 (±14.1) 12 (±1.4) 1100 (±51.7)
4 Suspended solids 22 (±1.6) ND ND ND
5 Total dissolved solids 2234 (±57.7) 2196 (±53.0) 40 (±1.8) 7584 (±195.4)
6 COD 120 (±1.6) 20 (±1.2) ND 68 (±2.3)
7 BOD 20 (±1.2) 3 (±1.2) ND 11 (±1.2)
8 Total Kjeldahl nitrogen ND ND ND ND
9 Phosphates 1.1 (±0.08) 0.066 (±0.05) ND 0.22 (±0.06)
10 Sulphides 1.6 (±0.2) ND ND ND
11 Oil and grease 1.4 (±0.2) <1 (±0.1) ND 3.3 (±0.4)
12 Chlorides 494 (±29.1) 483 (±28.4) 12 (±0.8) 1653 (±97.8)
13 Calcium 330 (±11.1) 325 (±11.0) 3 (±1.1) 1125 (±112.9)
14 Magnesium 164 (±14.6) 143 (±12.7) 2 (±0.6) 493 (±42.5)
15 Sulphates 350 (±37.0) 307 (±32.7) ND 1070 (±114.1)
16 Sodium 289 (±14.0) 264 (±12.9) 3 (±0.9) 917 (±122.9)
17 Potassium 15 (±2.0) <1 (±0.2) <1 (±0.2) 1 (±0.2)
All values are expressed in mg/l except pH; values in parenthesis are standard deviation; ND: not detectable.
a Tertiary treated effluent from feed tank of ATP.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

8 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Fig. 4. Water balance of textile industry. (—) Effluent; (– · – · –) raw water (source: ground water); (- - - -) recycle
water. Values are m3 /d.

4. Disposal of RO rejects

Disposal of RO rejects can be carried out in an environmentally acceptable manner

through careful planning. Considering the site location of the industry, evaporation was
thought to be the most viable option, and steam heated evaporators find wide application.
Evaporation is carried out by adding heat to liquid, the heat supplied being the latent
heat of vaporization. The normal heating medium is generally low pressure steam. A pilot
scale Kettle evaporator was fabricated and installed for conducting experimental studies
for its adequacy and efficacy assessment prior to full scale implementation. Fig. 5 depicts
the schematics of the installed evaporator. The pilot unit was fabricated of 12 mm mild

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 9

Table 4
Water balance for various unit operations

steel sheet with a liquid volume capacity of 330 l. The evaporator was jacketed for steam
circulation, and evaporation was through indirect heating using low pressure steam.
The performance assessment of the pilot plant evaporator was conducted under batch
operation. The RO rejects from the collection sump was pumped to the evaporator, and the
magnitude of the operating parameters were as follows:

- Feed (rejects) mass: 200–300 kg;

- feed temperature: 30–32 ◦ C;
- feed solids concentrations: 0.74–0.76% (7400–7600 mg/l);
- steam feed pressure: 3.0–4.5 kg/cm2 ;
- vessel temperature: 100 ◦ C.

Figs. 6 and 7 present the plot of evaporation rate as a function of varying feed mass and
steam pressure, respectively. The concentrations of the major parameters in the concentrate
collected at regular interval from the bottom of the vessel, and also of the condensate are
given Table 5.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

10 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Fig. 5. Schematics of pilot scale evaporator. (1) Evaporation vessel; (2) steam jacket; (3) foundation stand; (4)
vessel cover; (5) liquid level indicator; (6) pressure gauge; (7) temperature indicator; (8) steam trap; (9) concentrate
outlet.

Fig. 6. Evaporation rate as a function of feed mass.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 11

Fig. 7. Evaporation rate as a function of steam pressure.

To monitor the concentrations of total hydrocarbon (THC), non-methane hydrocarbons

(NmHC), methane (CH4 ), and carbon monoxide (CO) in vaporized steam from the evapora-
tor, air samples were collected at the mouth of the outlet pipe of the evaporator. In addition,
ambient air samples were also collected to assess the concentration of the above parameters.
Samples were collected in Tedlar bags manually, and analyzed for parameters THC, NmHC
and CH4 using F.I.D. Hydrocarbon Analyzer and Carbon Monoxide Analyzer were used

Table 5
Magnitude of pollutants in RO rejects water, evaporator concentrate and condensate
Parameters At steam pressure 3.5 kg/cm2

200 (kg)a 250 (kg)a 275 (kg)a 300 (kg)a

Fe Cf Fe Cf Fe Cf Fe Cf
pH 7.8 8.0 7.6 8.3 7.8 8.7 7.7 7.8
Solids (g/kg) 7.42 738.0 7.44 28.96 7.44 22.12 7.44 15.82
COD (mg/l) 79 1202 89 1309 98 1348 76 1102

Parameters At feed mass 280 kg

3.0 (kg/cm2 )b 3.5 (kg/cm2 )b 4.0 (kg/cm2 )b 4.5 (kg/cm2 )b

Fe Cf Fe Cf Fe Cf Fe Cf
pH 7.7 8.1 7.8 8.1 7.8 8.2 7.8 8.2
Solids (g/kg) 7.58 14.1 7.58 52.86 7.58 846.3 7.58 36.44
COD (mg/l) 72 1200 88 1250 88 1252 88 1260

Parameters Condensate (at feed mass 280 kg and steam pressure 4.0 kg/cm2 )
pH 8.3
Solids (g/kg) 0.25
COD (mg/l) 15
Fe = RO rejects (feed); Cf = evaporator concentrate.
a Feed mass.
b Steam pressure.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

12 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

Table 6
Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in vaporized steam of evaporator and ambient air
Sr. no. Parameters Concentration (mg/l)

Vaporized steam Ambient air

1 Total hydrocarbons 3.4–3.9 3.5–3.7
2 Non-methane hydrocarbons 1.9–2.4 1.8–2.0
3 Methane 1.3–1.6 1.6–1.7
4 Carbon monoxide 1.65–2.18 1.6–2.33

Table 7
Steam consumption and heat transfer area requirement for evaporation of RO rejects
Data
RO rejects water at feed rate of 4000 kg/d containing 0.74–0.76% solids to be concentrated to 50 kg/d
Steam pressure: 4.0 kg/cm2
RO rejects water (feed) temperature: 30 ◦ C
(1) Mass balance of RO rejects water (Ross and Freshwater, 1962)
Weight of solids in rejects water feed = 30.4 kg/d
Weight of water in feed (inflow) = 3969.6 kg/d
Weight of water in concentrate (outflow) = 19.6 kg/d
Weight of water evaporated = 3950 kg/d
(2) Heat energy transferred (Dawande, 1999)
Q = me λ + mf CpT
where Q is the quantity of heat transferred (kcal/d)
me is the mass of water evaporated (kg/d)
mf is the mass of total feed entering (kg/d)
λ is the latent heat of vaporization = 539 kcal/kg
Cp is the specific heat of water ≈ 1.0 kcal/kg ◦ C
T is the temperature difference (◦ C) = T2 − T1
T1 is the initial temperature of feed = 30 ◦ C
T2 is the boiling point of feed = 100 ◦ C
Q = 3950 × 539 + 4000 × 1 × (100 − 30)
Q = 2409050 kcal/d
(3) Steam required (Ross and Freshwater, 1962)
Total heat required = 2409050 kcal/d
Steam is available at 4.0 kg/cm2 , at which pressure the latent heat of vaporization is 510 kcal/kg
Steam consumption = 2409050/510 = 4724 kg/d
(4) Heat transfer area (Dawande, 1999)
Q = UATm
where Q is the quantity of heat transferred (kcal/d)
U is the overall heat transfer coefficient (for mild steel) = 914 kcal/m2 h ◦ C
A is the heat transfer area (m2 )
Tm is the Logmean temperature difference (◦ C) = (TS − T1 ) − (TS − T2 )/ln{(TS − T1 )/(TS − T2 )}
TS = temperature of steam at 4.0 kg/cm2 pressure = 143 ◦ C
A = Q/UTm = 2409050/21936 × 72.45
A = 1.516 m2
5. Steam economy (Ross and Freshwater, 1962)
Steam economy = 3950/4724 = 0.84 kg of evaporation/kg of steam

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 13

for determination of CO. The concentration of the aforereferred parameters in vaporized

steam and ambient air are presented in Table 6.
The total steam requirement for evaporation of 4000 kg/d of RO rejects water with 0.76%
solids to be concentrated to 50 kg was estimated at 4724 kg steam, and the heating surface
area requirement worked out to be 1.52 m2 (Table 7). The performance assessment of the
pilot scale evaporator highlighted the following:

- The optimum evaporation rate of RO rejects containing 0.76% solids was 70 kg/h at an
optimum inlet steam pressure of 4.0 kg/cm2 , maintaining vessel temperature at 100 ◦ C.
- Operating at optimum steam pressure of 4.0 kg/cm2 , the feed mass of 280 kg containing
0.76% solids, was concentrated to 2.5 kg with 846.28 g/kg solids, during evaporation
period of 4 h.
- No crystallation of the concentrate was achieved in the pilot scale evaporator.
- The condensate collected through condensation of vaporized steam have low TDS con-
centrations of 200–300 mg/l, and traces of major polluting parameter (COD < 15 mg/l).
- The concentration of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide do not vary much in the samples
of vaporized steam from evaporator and ambient air. The carbon monoxide concentrations
in samples from ambient air were well within the stipulated Standards of CPCB for
industrial areas.

5. Conclusions

The various unit processes and operations of the ETP designed to treat combined
wastewater from a small scale textile industry under existing operating conditions were
not functioning at optimal levels of performance as per design. This was mainly attributed
to poor operation and maintenance of the plant. The performance of the ETP was
improved by optimizing the operational parameters in the individual units of the ETP.
Based on the adequacy assessment, efforts were made to improve the performance of
the plant through optimization of commercial grade chemical coagulants dosages, and
build-up of active biomass in the activated sludge system. In addition, proper mainte-
nance activity comprising regular pumping schedule of various pumps, regular coagulant
dosing and desludging, continuous operation of mixers and surface aerators were also
initiated.
The existing treatment facility was further upgraded through implementation of mem-
brane separation processes comprising ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis units based on
treatability studies to produce recyclable boiler feed water quality. The advanced treatment
facility at full scale level achieved reusable effluent characteristics with concentrations of
SS, BOD and COD below detectable limits and TDS concentration of 40 mg/l (average).
The treated effluent recycle within the plant not only achieved zero effluent discharge, but
also resulted in conservation of 74 m3 /d of fresh water requirement.
An evaporation system was studied on pilot scale for concentration of rejects generated
from the RO system. Based on the studies conducted, full scale implementation along with a
crystallizer unit is planned for management of rejects. This would facilitate ease of handling,
transportation of the end product residue, and safe disposal through secured landfill. The

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004
RECYCL-1874; No. of Pages 14

14 T. Nandy et al. / Resources, Conservation and Recycling xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

chemical and biological sludge generated from the ETP are disposed through a common
secured landfill facility.
Upgrading the effluent treatment facilities through implementation of membrane sepa-
ration processes would definitely yield in conservation of more than 55% of fresh water
requirement in the small scale textile sector in the country.

References

APHA. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 20th ed. Washington, DC, USA: American
Public Health Association; 1998.
Bilstad T, Espedal E. Membrane separation of wool scour effluent. Water Sci Technol 1994;29:251–6.
Brik M, Chaman B. Effect of ozone chlorine and hydrogen peroxide on the elimination of colour in treated textile
wastewater by MBR. Water Sci Technol 2004;49:299–303.
Celenza GJ. Industrial waste treatment process engineering. Specialized treatment system, vol. III. Lancaster,
Basel; Pennsylvania, USA: Technomic Publication Co., Inc; 2000.
Cicek N. A review of membrane bioreactor and their potential application in the treatment of agriculture wastewater.
Biosyst Eng 2003;45:6.37–44.
Dawande SD. Process design of equipments. 1st ed. Nagpur, India: Central Techno Publication; 1999.
Gupta SK, Deshpande RD. Water for India in 2050: first-order assessment of available options. Curr Sci
2004;86(9):1216–24.
Frank JJ. Introduction to membrane technologies for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and reuse. In:
Proceedings of Membrane Technologies for Industrial and Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse; 2000.
Landes M, MacDonald S, Singh SK. Growth prospect for India cotton and textile industries. United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture (USDA); 2005.
Patra RN. Reverse osmosis process for boiler feed make-up water at Dhuvaran thermal power station, Gujarat. J
IWWA 1987;39(1):39–46.
Ross TK, Freshwater DC. Chemical engineering data book. 24th ed. London: Leonard Hill (Book) Ltd.; 1962.

Please cite this article as: Tapas Nandy et al., Water conservation through implementation of
ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system with recourse to recycling of effluent in textile industry–A
case study, Resources, Conservation and Recycling (2006), doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.08.004