Transforming the Textile Industry with Sustainable Biological Solutions
March 11, 2025
The textile industry often struggles with a negative environmental image from the large quantities of dyes and other chemicals used to make fabric and leather. In addition to worker hazards, these chemicals present challenges for wastewater treatment. Fortunately, many biological solutions in the form of enzymes and probiotics are now available to make various aspects of the textile industry friendlier to workers and the environment.
The Expertise of Enzymes
Commercial enzymes such as those sourced from microorganisms are a great boon to textile processors because of their inherent benefits and/or potential to replace harsh chemicals. For example, enzymes available from Bionetix® International offer the following possibilities:
- ECL1000™ is a liquid amylase concentrate that can be used to remove starch during desizing of fabric.
- ECP1611™ is a powder enzyme concentrate containing protease with keratinase activity. This combination is ideal for removing hair in leather processing. It can also help with wool finishing for a smoother texter.
- ECL1200™ is a liquid lipase concentrate that can be used to degrease leather and bio-scour wool, replacing harsh and/or polluting chemicals normally used for these operations. It can also be used to pretreat wool for improved dyeing.
- ECL3000™ is a liquid cellulase concentrate that can be used for bio-polishing of plant-based fabrics, removing extraneous fibers for a smoother finish. Bio-stoning is another use, cutting down on the number of pumice stones needed to fade denim.
The Power of Probiotics
Although enzymes can replace some of the harsh chemicals that might otherwise end up in wastewater, textile effluent still has plenty of concentrated waste materials that need to be treated before the remaining water can be safely released to the environment. That is where bioaugmentation with probiotics (i.e., beneficial bacteria) takes over. Bioaugmentation introduces microbial reinforcements to any naturally-occurring colonies already present in wastewater material during the biological treatment stage at the wastewater treatment plant. Supplementary microbes should be chosen based on their ability to speed up the biodegradation of specific substances. In textile wastewater, these pollutants may include starches, surfactants, hydrocarbons, greases, ammonia, and nitrogen, reflected in characteristics such as high overall COD (chemical oxygen demand), BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), TSS (total suspended solids), and TKN (total Kjeldahl nitrogen) that increase wastewater surcharges. A variety of nutrient blends that target specific substances and help improve key wastewater quality markers like these are also available from Bionetix®:
- BCP10™ contains microorganisms that degrade complex organic chemicals such as phenols and surfactants, thus enhancing overall BOD/COD removal.
- BCP11™ improves effluent quality in industries with high chemical content such as solvents.
- BCP22™ is designed for wastewater with high concentrations of greases. Although often associated with the food industry, BCP22™ can also be used to degrade excess FOG (fats, oils, greases) produced by leather degreasing.
- BCP35M™ degrades hydrocarbons and other organic waste
- BCP55™ targets the degradation of starch, present in textile wastewater as a residual of the desizing process.
- BCP655™ consumes organic and inorganic nitrogen, reducing ammonia levels and eliminating expensive surcharges for high TKN discharge levels.
Specific treatment will vary from site to site, but when working with a technical consultant, textile facilities can stay one step ahead of high surcharges from excess contaminant levels in wastewater effluent. Incorporating enzymes into the manufacturing process and adding the right “bugs” to wastewater are two sustainable solutions for the textile industry to take advantage of for practical as well as ecological reasons. Contact Bionetix® to get more advice on
transforming your textile operations for a greener, more sustainable future.
Keywords: textile industry, sustainability, bioaugmentation, textile wastewater treatment, enzymes for manufacturing, cellulase suppliers, lipase suppliers, amylase suppliers, protease suppliers, Bionetix
Need a High-Resolution Photo? Please Visit: www.cortecadvertising.com
For a PDF version please click here.
