Finishing process waste sources

Even if care is taken to minimize waste, there will still be waste to treat. Currently used wet finishing processes produce waste containing organic as well as inorganic compounds. The efflnents are rich in chemicals of which some are persistent or resistant to water treatment methods. Table 2.1 lists typical examples of finishing waste that resists biodegradation. Removal of these substances from wastewater is expensive and difficult to achieve. Because of this, the effiuent segregation and source reduction methods are preferred as economically attractive alternatives. 

These are relatively clean processes because care is taken to avoid loss of product through spillage. The primary source of waste material is from the washing of railroad tank cars or tankers prior to loading finished products. These wash waters are high in emulsified oil. 

As the first step in the wet processing sequence, substrates are typically cleansed of contaminants that inhibit sorption or interfere with reaction of the processing solutions used for dyeing, printing, and finishing. A wide variety of contaminants are present in raw fibers [48], As the fiber is heated or scoured, these contaminants are liberated into water and air as pollutants. Due to the massive amounts of fibers used, impurities present even in trace quantities can be important pollutants. The total polyester/cotton fiber wastes (from all sources in the United States) is estimated to be 4.5 x 10 lb annually [31]. 

In Chapter Y. processes of soap-making are described in which (1) the glycerine is retained in the finished soap, and (2) the glycerine is contained in the lyes, in very dilute solution, contaminated with salt and other impurities. These lyes, though now constituting the chief source of profit in the manufacture of cheap soaps, were till early in last century simply run down the drains as waste liquor. 

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