Removing colour from dyehouse waste waters — a critical review of technology available

Strict controls are being introduced on coloured effluents from UK dyehouses discharged to sewer. Failure to comply with these new regulations could result in prosecution. Yet in certain cases the technology to treat dyehouse waste waters adequately is either not available or prohibitively costly. This paper (originally given at a conference at the Manchester Conference Centre entitled ‘Waste water management for industry’) reviews the treatment technologies that can currently be used by the textile processor and discusses those newer techniques that may emerge in the near future.