Industrial Water Footprint: Case Study on Textile Industries
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textile BAT Reference (BREF), the specific water consumption for a cotton textile
industry lies in the range of 10–645 L/kg of the final product [27]. Also, huge quantities of chemicals are added to the wet processing unit of the textile industry. The
specific consumption of dye and other chemicals used in the processes are quantified
to be 10–50 and 58–670 kg/kg of final product produced [13]. These chemicals are
washed off from the fabrics by the action of water. Therefore, the effluent water gets
contaminated with these chemicals and it contributes to the grey water footprint.
Industrial processing forms the core of textile industries and is the key consumers of
blue and grey water footprints.
13.1 Water Utility: Process Operation
Based on the consumption of water in the process operations, the processes in
the textile industry are classified into dry, intermediate, and wet processing units
[12]. Dry processes are the operations that consume a minimal amount of water
and produce no significant wastes. Intermediate processes also consume water but
the amount of waste disposal is not significant compared to the wet processes. Wet
processes consume water and most of the water consumed is discharged as waste.
Hence, the majority of the water footprint in the case of industrial cotton processing
can be traced to the intermediate and wet processing of cotton fabrics [32].
13.2 Dry Processing Unit
Processes that consumes very less or negligible water footprint in the textile industry
are present in this category. These include spinning, weaving, and knitting process
which involves the production of yarn and fabrics from the cotton fiber. Also, a
significant amount of water is consumed only in the process of blending of fibers
of different varieties to improve the quality of yarn produced. But this amount is
also negligible when compared to the water footprint of the intermediate and wet
processes involved in fabric manufacturing. Therefore, the operations that are termed
as dry processing are not considered for the water footprint calculation.
13.3 Intermediate Processing Unit
The processes that consume a considerable amount of water in carrying out operations
and produce grey water less than the wet processing stage falls in this category. Sizing
is one such operation where its specific water consumption is in the range of 0.5–8.2
L/kg of product. Water in this process is used to mix with sizing agents and then
is applied to the yarn. During the operation, a certain amount of sizing liquid is
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textile BAT Reference (BREF), the specific water consumption for a cotton textile
industry lies in the range of 10–645 L/kg of the final product [27]. Also, huge quantities of chemicals are added to the wet processing unit of the textile industry. The
specific consumption of dye and other chemicals used in the processes are quantified
to be 10–50 and 58–670 kg/kg of final product produced [13]. These chemicals are
washed off from the fabrics by the action of water. Therefore, the effluent water gets
contaminated with these chemicals and it contributes to the grey water footprint.
Industrial processing forms the core of textile industries and is the key consumers of
blue and grey water footprints.
13.1 Water Utility: Process Operation
Based on the consumption of water in the process operations, the processes in
the textile industry are classified into dry, intermediate, and wet processing units
[12]. Dry processes are the operations that consume a minimal amount of water
and produce no significant wastes. Intermediate processes also consume water but
the amount of waste disposal is not significant compared to the wet processes. Wet
processes consume water and most of the water consumed is discharged as waste.
Hence, the majority of the water footprint in the case of industrial cotton processing
can be traced to the intermediate and wet processing of cotton fabrics [32].
13.2 Dry Processing Unit
Processes that consumes very less or negligible water footprint in the textile industry
are present in this category. These include spinning, weaving, and knitting process
which involves the production of yarn and fabrics from the cotton fiber. Also, a
significant amount of water is consumed only in the process of blending of fibers
of different varieties to improve the quality of yarn produced. But this amount is
also negligible when compared to the water footprint of the intermediate and wet
processes involved in fabric manufacturing. Therefore, the operations that are termed
as dry processing are not considered for the water footprint calculation.
13.3 Intermediate Processing Unit
The processes that consume a considerable amount of water in carrying out operations
and produce grey water less than the wet processing stage falls in this category. Sizing
is one such operation where its specific water consumption is in the range of 0.5–8.2
L/kg of product. Water in this process is used to mix with sizing agents and then
is applied to the yarn. During the operation, a certain amount of sizing liquid is