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Case Study: Textile Colour Removal & Reuse

Colour removal and water reuse for a textile dyeing effluent — cutting discharge load and freshwater consumption together.

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Industry Overview

Water Management for Textile Operations

Textile manufacturing generates wastewater containing dyes, chemicals, suspended fibres, and high organic loads from sizing, scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and finishing operations. Our treatment solutions address the unique challenges of colour removal, chemical oxygen demand reduction, and water reuse for sustainable textile production. Colour removal by coagulation, oxidation or membrane treatment is combined with COD reduction and polishing to handle the full dyehouse load. We engineer each plant for water reuse, cutting both freshwater cost and the coloured-discharge risk that regulators scrutinise.

Colour Removal

Advanced treatment processes for removing dyes and pigments from textile wastewater to meet strict colour discharge standards.

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Chemical Treatment

Removal of sizing agents, surfactants, salts, and auxiliary chemicals used in textile processing operations.

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Water Reuse

Systems designed to enable water recycling for wash cycles and process water, reducing freshwater consumption.

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Fibre Recovery

Recovery of valuable fibres and lint from textile wastewater to reduce waste and improve process efficiency.

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Applications

Textile Sectors We Serve

Woven Fabric Mills

Wastewater treatment for sizing, desizing, scouring, bleaching, mercerizing, dyeing, and finishing operations.

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Knit Fabric Processing

Treatment of scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and finishing effluents from knit fabric manufacturing.

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Denim Manufacturing

Specialised treatment for indigo dyeing, stone washing, and finishing wastewater with high colour loads.

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Carpet & Rug Mills

Treatment solutions for dyeing, printing, and finishing operations in carpet and rug manufacturing.

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Technical Textiles

Wastewater treatment for industrial, medical, and speciality textile production with specific chemical requirements.

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Garment Washing

Treatment of wash water from garment dyeing, stone washing, and finishing operations.

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Key Challenges in Textile Wastewater

Understanding the contaminants that drive treatment design

Intense Colour & Dyes

Reactive, azo, and sulphur dyes create highly coloured effluent that is visible and heavily regulated.

Extreme Flow Variability

Batch dyeing creates peaks in flow, pH, temperature, and organic load that shock conventional systems.

High COD & BOD

Sizing agents, surfactants, and scouring liquors push organics to very high concentrations.

Toxic Chemicals

Heavy metals, formaldehyde, chlorinated organics, and aromatic amines require targeted removal.

Suspended Fibres & Lint

Loose fibres clog pumps, valves, and biological units if not removed upstream.

High Salinity & Alkalinity

Salt and caustic soda from mercerizing inhibit advanced biological treatment and drive conductivity.

Reynolds & Bauhm Treatment Options

Integrated technologies for every stage of textile wastewater

Physico-Chemical Treatment

Coagulation, flocculation, and DAF for rapid colour and solids removal.

Advanced Oxidation (AOP)

Ozonation and Fenton's oxidation for recalcitrant dyes and persistent organics.

Biological Treatment

MBBR and SBR systems for high-rate COD/BOD removal in compact footprints.

Filtration & Adsorption

Multimedia filters and GAC for final polishing and trace contaminant removal.

Fibre Recovery

Rotary drum and static screens for capturing fibres before they damage downstream assets.

Water Reuse Systems

MBR + RO trains for recycling up to 80% of process water back to production.

What Reynolds & Bauhm Offers

End-to-end support from audit to operation

Process Audit & Pilot Testing

Jar testing and on-site pilots to validate coagulants, doses, and process trains.

Bespoke Turnkey Systems

Containerised or civil-works plants designed around your space and discharge limits.

Equipment Supply

DAF, screens, MBBR, screw presses, dosing stations, and control skids.

Lifecycle Support

Commissioning, operator training, spare parts, and remote SCADA monitoring.

Typical Textile Wastewater Profile

Stream chemistry by mill process — desizing, scouring, dyeing, finishing

Process StreamBOD (mg/L)COD (mg/L)TSS (mg/L)pHColourKey Contaminants
Desizing2,500 – 20,0005,000 – 50,000200 – 4,0006 – 8lowStarch, PVA, CMC, enzymes, lubricants
Scouring1,000 – 5,0002,500 – 12,000500 – 5,00010 – 13200 – 1,000NaOH, surfactants, waxes, pectins, oils
Bleaching200 – 800800 – 3,000100 – 8008 – 12moderateH2O2, NaClO, stabilisers, residual peroxide
Mercerising50 – 200200 – 80050 – 30012 – 14lowStrong NaOH 20–30% recoverable
Dyeing — reactive (cotton)200 – 1,500800 – 4,000100 – 60010 – 121,500 – 6,000Unfixed reactive dyes (30–50%), Na2SO4 30–80 g/L, NaCl, urea
Dyeing — disperse (polyester)150 – 600500 – 2,500100 – 4004 – 5500 – 2,000Disperse dyes, dispersants, carriers (often aromatic)
Dyeing — acid (nylon, wool)250 – 1,000800 – 3,000100 – 5003 – 5800 – 3,000Acid dyes, levelling agents, CH3COOH
Printing wash-off500 – 2,0001,500 – 6,000200 – 1,5006 – 102,000 – 5,000Pigments, thickeners (alginate, guar), urea, fixers
Finishing300 – 1,2001,000 – 4,000100 – 6004 – 9lowSofteners, resins, formaldehyde-based fixers, silicones, PFAS (legacy)
Combined mill effluent400 – 1,5001,500 – 5,000200 – 1,0008 – 11800 – 3,000Mixed dye load, salinity 3,000–15,000 mg/L TDS, 30–50 °C

EU IED BAT-AELs for textile finishing: COD 30–160 mg/L; TSS 5–30 mg/L; AOX 0.05–0.5 mg/L; total-N 5–15 mg/L. ZDHC MRSL restricts ~250 hazardous substances (APEOs, chlorobenzenes, formaldehyde, PFAS, certain azo dyes). Colour removal almost always requires coagulation (FeCl3) plus AOP (ozone or Fenton) or activated carbon polishing.

Treatment Process

Multi-Stage Approach

1

Pre-Treatment

Screening to remove fibres and lint, with grit removal for abrasive particles.

2

Equalization

Flow and load balancing to handle variable wastewater characteristics from batch dyeing operations.

3

Chemical Treatment

Coagulation, flocculation, and DAF for colour removal and suspended solids separation.

4

Biological Treatment

MBBR or SBR systems for removing biodegradable organics and reducing COD.

5

Polishing & Reuse

Filtration and activated carbon for final polishing to enable water reuse.

Recommended Equipment

Products for Textile Applications

DAF Flotation Systems

Dissolved air flotation for effective colour and suspended solids removal from dyeing and finishing wastewater.

Benefit: 90%+ colour removal efficiency

Fibre Recovery Screens

Rotary drum screens for recovering valuable fibres and lint from textile process water.

Benefit: Recover reusable fibres

LAMELLA Separator

High-rate clarification for settling chemical floc and removing precipitated solids from treated wastewater.

Benefit: Compact footprint

MBBR Systems

Moving bed biofilm reactors for effective COD and BOD reduction from textile sizing and scouring effluents.

Benefit: Up to 90% COD removal

Activated Carbon Filters

GAC filtration for adsorption of residual dyes, colour, and organic compounds for water reuse applications.

Benefit: Enable water reuse

Sludge Dewatering

Multi-disc screw presses for dewatering chemical and biological sludge from textile wastewater treatment.

Benefit: 50-70% disposal requirement reduction

Benefits & Efficiency Gains

Operational, Environmental & Economic Advantages

Operational Benefits

  • Effective colour removal
  • Handle variable dye batches
  • Automated operation
  • Fibre recovery capability
  • Low maintenance requirements

Environmental Benefits

  • Meet colour discharge limits
  • Reduce water consumption
  • Enable sustainable production
  • Support ZDHC compliance
  • Lower environmental footprint

Efficiency Gains

  • Avoid regulatory penalties
  • Reduce freshwater requirements
  • Recover valuable fibres
  • Lower disposal requirements
  • Reduce chemical usage

Related Applications

Explore Other Industries We Serve

Pulp & Paper Mills

Water treatment for pulp and paper manufacturing.

Pulp & Paper Solutions

Chemical Processing

Wastewater treatment for chemical manufacturing.

Chemical Processing Solutions

Industrial Pre-treatment

Pre-treatment solutions for industrial facilities.

View Pre-Treatment Solutions

Food Processing

Wastewater treatment for food manufacturing.

Food Processing Solutions

Discuss Your Textile Water Treatment Needs

Contact our experts for colour removal and water reuse solutions.

Industries We Serve

Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.