Recent developments in integrated anaerobic/aerobic (A/O) process for textile industry wastewater treatment: A review

Abstract

Textile wastewater (WW) is a complex mixture of dyes, salts, organic matter, and other chemicals that can negatively affect the environment if not properly treated. The progress made in integrated anaerobic/aerobic (A/O) WW treatment method is believed to be efficient and practical for textile dyeing WW compared to the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process. This study aims to critically review the efficacy and feasibility of integrated A/O process for textile WW treatment, the underlying dye degradation mechanisms, and the different factors affecting biodegradation. Moreover, the potential of haloalkaliphilic and thermophilic microorganisms is highlighted as they are the best candidates for textile WW treatment. The performance of the A/O treatment system in removing color, COD, and TKN was demonstrated to be highly effective, achieving reductions of up to 100 %, greater than 90 %, and 80 %, respectively.Anaerobes play a crucial role in breaking down complex organic matter during the anaerobic phase, which is subsequently converted into non-toxic byproducts by aerobes in the aerobic reactor, making the process effective in mitigating adverse environmental impacts. Recently, the performance and efficiency of biological treatment processes have been improved using this treatment system, enabling the textile industry to meet the requirements for effluent discharge standard limits. Nevertheless, further research and practical applications are still in their infancy stage; hence, additional exploration of the practicality of these concepts, including scalability and sustainability, as well as policy recommendations for their implementation, is imperative.