Membrane-based treatment strategies for textile wastewater reuse: assessing reuse criteria with operational needs
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, cilt.23, sa.10, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 23 Sayı: 10
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s13762-026-07463-z
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Membrane process, Reuse criteria, Textile industry, Wastewater reuse
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Wastewater treatment and reuse are critical for water intensive sectors like the textile industry to ensure sustainability and combat freshwater scarcity. This study investigates the treatment and reuse potential of denim industry wastewater through four membrane-based configurations combining coagulation, ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) under low (2/6/10 bar) and high (5/10/15 bar) pressures. The systems were evaluated against two distinct target standards; literature-based washing criteria (Alternative-1) and the actual, operational water quality of the final washing tank (Y4) within a modified reverse washing process (Alternative-2). The results demonstrated that configurations with coagulation pretreatment (Scenarios 3 and 4) achieved outstanding pollutant removal efficiencies, with chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and color removals reaching 97–100%, and electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) reductions standing at 96–97%, successfully satisfying Alternative-1. In contrast, scenarios without pretreatment yielded lower salt rejections (77–89%). From an economic standpoint, meeting Alternative-1 required a complex Coagulation+NF/RO system with a 69% total water recovery rate. Crucially, Alternative-2 required only a standalone UF membrane operated at 5 bar (Scenario 2), which increased the system recovery rate to 81%. Evaluating reuse criteria based on real operational needs rather than standard literature metrics provides an 80–85% reduction in total treatment costs. Therefore, a holistic, process integrated approach is highly recommended for viable textile wastewater reclamation.