Textile-Washing Wastewater Treatment using Ozonolysis, Electro-coagulation, and Electro-oxidation.

Abstract

The textile industry is one of the largest water consumers, with an annual usage of 79 billion cubic meters, and it is also one of the primary sources of contaminated wastewater due to its diverse production processes. Textile effluents contain recalcitrant contaminants such as dyes, toxic substances, inhibitors, surfactants, detergents, chlorinated compounds, and salts. The treatment and monitoring of these effluents are essential yet challenging due to the stable and diverse structure of the contaminants present. This study presents the results of textile-washing wastewater treatment using ozonolysis, electrocoagulation, and electro-oxidation at a laboratory scale, achieving significant reductions in physicochemical parameters: COD = 54.74 %, TOC = 74.48 %, TSS = 96.83 %, with a neutral pH of 7.71. These results comply with the criteria established by NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021, which regulates wastewater discharges into surface water bodies in Mexico. Additionally, a relationship is established between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations / World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) standards for irrigation water, the European Union - Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD), and the Iranian standard for agricultural reuse in Iran, which aims to ensure good chemical and ecological status of water bodies through strict limits on organic and inorganic pollutants. The results allow compliance with the limits set by NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021 and reflect global efforts to improve water quality, as promoted by the FAO/WHO, EU-WFD, and Iranian standards. Finally, based on experimental conditions, a GPS-X model of the coupled wastewater treatment system is proposed as an additional tool to optimize textile wastewater treatment and ensure compliance with international regulations.