High organic loaded wastes and wastewater creates environmental pollution. The textile wastewater is a serious environmental challenge faced by Bangladesh textile sub sector. The textile wastewater contains organic compounds and synthetic chemicals. Certain chemicals which are used in the textile industry cause environmental or health problems. Due to presence of chemicals, it cause instance allergic skin reaction or even cause cancer. Environmental degradation by the industrial sector is a matter of serious concern in Bangladesh. Textile processing industries is one of the most important industries of Bangladesh with regard to production, export and labor force employment. The major raw material for textile processing is grey fabric and most of materials consist of cotton and blended fabric. Textile processing employs a variety of chemicals depending on the nature of raw material and products such as; enzymes, detergents, dyes, acids, soda and salt. The textile wastewater is a highly polluted in terms of organic matter and suspended matter such as fibers, grease and chemicals. The textile wastewater is usually hot and alkaline with strong smell and color due to use of chemicals dyes. Studies reveled that wastewater from textile industry is highly toxic and has inhibitory effects on an activated sludge and nitrification.

1. 2013
International University of Business
Agriculture and Technology
Sakil Ahmed
[ TEXTILE WASTEWATER TREATMENT]
[ The anaerobic treatment process is a high quality one having some favorable opportunities such as; low cost, simple
operational mechanism and able to produce less volume of excess sludge, and the organic matter can be converted into
energy in the form of biogas. Therefore, anaerobic process is a highly beneficial process in terms of environmental protection
and the process is economically viable. In Bangladesh, anaerobic process is completely a novel technology.]

2. 2
UASB Process
High organic loaded wastes and wastewater creates environmental pollution. The textile
wastewater is a serious environmental challenge faced by Bangladesh textile sub sector. The
textile wastewater contains organic compounds and synthetic chemicals. Certain chemicals
which are used in the textile industry cause environmental or health problems. Due to presence
of chemicals, it cause instance allergic skin reaction or even cause cancer. Environmental
degradation by the industrial sector is a matter of serious concern in Bangladesh. Textile
processing industries is one of the most important industries of Bangladesh with regard to
production, export and labor force employment. The major raw material for textile processing is
grey fabric and most of materials consist of cotton and blended fabric. Textile processing
employs a variety of chemicals depending on the nature of raw material and products such as;
enzymes, detergents, dyes, acids, soda and salt. The textile wastewater is a highly polluted in
terms of organic matter and suspended matter such as fibers, grease and chemicals. The
textile wastewater is usually hot and alkaline with strong smell and color due to use of
chemicals dyes. Studies reveled that wastewater from textile industry is highly toxic and has
inhibitory effects on an activated sludge and nitrification.

3. 3
Picture-1: Direct Discharge of Textile wastewater in the waterways of Bangladesh.
Anaerobic Process:
The anaerobic treatment process is a high quality one having some favorable opportunities
such as; low cost, simple operational mechanism and able to produce less volume of excess
sludge, and the organic matter can be converted into energy in the form of biogas. Therefore,
anaerobic process is a highly beneficial process in terms of environmental protection and the
process is economically viable. In Bangladesh, anaerobic process is completely a novel
technology. It can reduce environmental pollution and can achieve energy in terms of biogas
from wastewater. In this process in absence of oxygen, it converts organic compounds to CH4
and CO2. This CH4 is an alternative source of bio-energy which will be utilized for power
generation. The remaining sludge will be converted to bio-fertilizer and will be used
commercially for increasing crop production. This anaerobic digestion is a promising process
used widely for the treatment of textile wastewater in tropical and subtropical countries like
India, Brazil, Mexico and Malaysia (Zeeman and Lettinga et al., 1999).
Direct discharge of Textile wastewater in the
waterways
Direct discharge of Textile wastewater in the
waterways

4. 4
The successful application of anaerobic technology for treating textile wastewater depends on
high-rate bioreactors which achieve a high reaction rate per unit reactor volume by retaining
the biomass in the reactor for long period. Solid retention time (SRT) is not dependent on the
hydraulic retention time (HRT). The Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) process is a
“high rate” anaerobic treatment process. The major significant features of UASB reactor are as
follows:
A). It has high rate of anaerobic treatment capacity,
B). Treatment efficiency well under mesophilic temperature condition,
C). High organic loaded wastewater can be treated,
D). The process is simple and operation costs are very low,
E). High organic matter removal efficiency,
F). Bio-energy production through the biogas and
G). Very low sludge production compared to conventional treatment process.
Objectives:
The following objectives of the present experiment are as follows:
i. Reduction of organic load pollution from textile wastewater by using Bioreactor
system
ii. Investigation of biological ETP process by using UASB process.
iii. To protect the environmental bio-degradation of riverine systems
iv. Bioreactor system can serve as Bio-energy and Bio-fertilizer from textile
wastewater which is an economic and integration process
v. Through the combined process, the final effluent can be used in irrigation and
aquaculture system

5. 5
UASB Process:
Most of the developing countries do not maintain any treatment process for textile wastewater
and some of the countries just follow the traditional methods such as stabilizing ponds for
wastewater treatment without applying the anaerobic treatment (de Sousa et al., 2001; Melo et
al., 2000). Stabilizing pond takes very long time, extensive land area is required, spread a
serious noxious smell and causes the air pollution and acts as breeding field for mosquitoes
which affect seriously the public health and spreads diseases. Many studies were conducted to
assess the treatment feasibility on anaerobic treatment process (Alaerts et al., 1990, 1993).
The Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) process is a “high rate” anaerobic treatment
process. The UASB treatment system has been developed first time in Netherlands in 1970s
(Lettinga and Vinken, 1980). Thereafter, the intensive use of UASB system has been
developed for sewage treatment over the past decades in developing countries in the tropical
and subtropical regions such as Brazil, Colombia, China, India, and Mexico (Ciftci and Oztiirk
1995). Under the UASB process treatment mechanisms are shown in Figure-1.
Since 1981, anaerobic digestion process has greatly increased as because of low cost and
generation of CH4 in terms of bio-fuel from wastewater. In Europe, more than 36,000
anaerobic treatment plants have been operating using anaerobic treatment systems and
producing over 15 million m3
·d-1
of methane which are using as bio-fuel (Tilche and
Malaspina 1998). In Mexico, presently treating the wastewater 2.5 m3
S-1
which is in terms
of 590 tons COD per day (Monroy, et al., 2000). Von Sperling (1996). During the earlier
development of anaerobic treatment, the main drawback was the low rate of treatment
process i.e., the reactor operated under the long Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT). It has
already been proved that the (UASB) system can be widely used in low and high

6. 6
temperature conditions with shorter retention time (Harada et al., 1996; Uemura and
Harada, 2000).
Bio-filtration Process
The Down-flow Hanging Sponge (DHS) system has been developed first-time in Japan to
make the standardized effluent quality of wastewater. The novel combined process of UASB
and DHS system is very appropriate technology for the significant reduction of organic matter
from the wastewater. The UASB and DHS combined system has been developed by Professor
Heideki Harada and his research group, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan
(Uemura and Harada, 2000). The aerobic bio-filtration process treatment mechanisms are
shown in Figure-2
Fig-2: Schematic frame of bio-filtration process for the reduction of carbon from wastewater
Ii). Full Scale Project on UASB and Bio-filtration Process:
Although this pilot project is successfully running but it is needed to setup as full scale mode
under a textile industry. A schematic flowchart and operational overview of the combined
system of UASB and bio-filtration system is shown in Figure-5. The full scale model of the

7. 7
Bio-rector design is described as below:
Fig-5: Flow-chart of the bioreactor process system.
A typical type of UASB and Bio-filtration experimental design is shown in Figure-6. The raw
textile wastewater will be fed from the bottom portion of the UASB reactor under the up-flow
mode direction. Continuous feeding will be made by using pump from the raw feeding tank.
The UASB effluent will be distributed at the top of the bio-filter by a distributor arm that rotates
and spray the UASB effluent homogenously. The total capacity volume of the ETP system will
be 60 m3
h-1
. A total amount of the bio-filter volume will be used at HRT is 4 h which depends
on bio-filter volume. A clarifier will be constructed under the Bio-tower for finally settle the
suspended particles.

8. 8
Fig: Typical reactor design of UASB and DHS combined system for textile
wastewater treatment.
Two months will be needed to stabilize the UASB process and then the inoculation of seedling
process will be started. The organic materials loads will be calculated on the basis of Biological
Oxygen Demand (BOD) and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). During the experiment, the
following pollution parameters will be determined such as; Suspended Solids (SS), Volatile
Suspended Solids (VSS), NH4-N, nitrification and denitrification process. Under the proposed
experiment the CODt mass balance of the whole treatment process will also be estimated to
testify the pollution removal efficiency rate. Finally the final treated effluent will be used in
irrigation and aquaculture system for the production purposes.