Integrated best available wastewater management in the textile industry

Apart from cotton cultivation and the production of dyestuffs and optical brighteners, textile finishing is one of the environmental hotspots. The dominating emission mass stream from textile finishing is wastewater as practically all inorganic and most of the organic (more than 90 %) chemical compounds are discharged with wastewater. Emissions to air, although not negligible, and with solid wastes are of significant lower relevance. In addition, in many parts of the globe, water availability and water scarcity respectively are of increasing concern triggering the need to avoid, reduce or recycle textile wastewater.