Valorising Desizing Textile Effluent

Textile wet processing is an energy-intensive and water-consuming process. Right from pretreatment to finishing several basic, auxiliary, and specialty chemicals are used during the manufacturing of textiles. There are two main processes, namely sizing and desizing which are mutually responsible for increasing the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values of liquid effluent emerging after the pretreatment process. This review describes in detail the types of commercial sizing agents depending on their origin, performance, and environmental profile. The review further throws light on the possibilities of extracting energy-efficient, value-added products from the residual waste and effluent. Such recovery mechanisms can enhance sustainability and bring circularity to textile wet processing.