Prospective Sustainability of Utilization of Effective Techniques for Remediation of Heavy Metals From Textile Effluents

Abstract

Textile industries are one of the prevalent water consumers and contaminators ensuing high generation of waste water. Wastewater from dyeing and printing units is often rich in organic compounds, colours, and heavy metals containing residues of various dyes and chemicals. Among these waste water pollutants, heavy metals are of serious environmental concern in recent years. Metals are extensively used for manufacture of synthetic dyestuffs and for colouration of natural dyes on textiles to achieve different shades and hues. Heavy metals such as lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), etc. are widely used for production of colour pigments of textile dyes. These heavy metals, highly toxic, get conveyed to the environment, and can bio-accumulate in the human body, aquatic life, natural water-bodies, and also possibly become trapped in the soil. The chapter deals with the utilization of heavy metals in textile wet processing, their important characteristics, various toxic aspects, and different methods for their elimination from the textile effluent liquors.