Every year, the world produces more than 1 million tons of synthetic dye, which creates more than 70 billion tons of dye-contaminated wastewater. In many low- to middle-income countries, the vast majority of that wastewater is released back into the environment, untreated.
Sustainable advanced treatment solutions have already been developed, according to a new review article published by a multidisciplinary team from China, the U.K., and Belgium. In particular, emerging membrane-based filtering techniques can remove dyes and salts from contaminated wastewater, reclaiming them for reuse in coloring new textiles. Improved regulation around dye-contaminated wastewater could help incentivize adoption of similar sustainable technologies, the researchers believe.
▲ In this image, the dye transfer pathways from water, soil, and food to humans are indicated by arrows. Industrial sources of dye-containing wastewater include textile and leather tanning plants, among several other types of facilities. Figure courtesy of Univ. of Bath.
“Nearly everyone is aware of significant environment and health hazards...
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