Researchers Convert Textile Waste to Compost
by Lori Brown
Published on August 5th, 2009
7 Comments
A new report published in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution finds that waste from the textiles industry could be transformed into rich, agricultural compost, with the use of earthworms and animal manure.
Indian researchers Vinod Gard, Renuka Gupta and Priya Kaushik of the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology have found a particular species of earthworm to be productive in converting the huge volumes of solid sludge produced by the textiles industry into compost.
The earthworm, known as Eisenia foetida, tends to thrive in rotting vegetation, animal waste and compost, making it a commercially grown species for composting.
Textile sludge is seen packed in plastic bags and discarded on the side of the road in India. Photo: M. Govarthan/Hindu.com
Solid textile mill sludge is difficult to dispose of, as landfilling and incineration are not viable options given the expense and environmental concerns. Indian textiles industries are under pressure to find sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to the disposal of this industrial waste.
Textile manufacturing produces large amounts of wastewater which, when treated, creates a sludge as the water is removed and the pollutants are concentrated.
Earthworms are added to the sludge mixture, along with urine-free cow and horse dung, beginning a process that changes the physical and chemical properties of the mixture significantly.
The researchers found the vermicompost process created a compost-like, homogeneous mixture after 180 days.
The earthworms thrive in the manure-enhanced textile sludge, lowering the pH of the alkaline sludge, decreasing the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the material and increasing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous available for aided plant growth.
The successful tests with vermicompost in textile sludge can prove extremely useful in countries like India which manufacture large amounts of textiles for export. Research has shown other means of treating post-industrial textile waste, including anaerobic digestion, to be successful as well, often producing gases that can be used as fuel.
Researchers Convert Textile Waste to Compost | Organic Vida Community
posted on August 5th, 2009 at 11:39 am
[...] might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet BoxEarth 911 Lori Brown Wednesday, August 5, [...]
Navnath
posted on August 5th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hi,
I am also working on recycling of textile waste.
We at our laboratories have successfully converted textile polyester waste (apparel, industrial) into textile utility chemicals such as softeners, dyes, pigments, etc.
The results are very promising..
Trey Granger
posted on August 5th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
So it sounds like composting is only an option before the textiles are treated to become clothes, by adding dyes and other chemicals as mentioned by Navnath. Still pretty cool though.
Barbie Thomas
posted on August 12th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Beautiful article written to use textile waste, nice collection of textile can be found my site
Guru Jambeshwar University
posted on August 15th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
[...] reported in a scientific journal that they were able to take the sludge put out … Researchers Convert Textile Waste to CompostIndian researchers Vinod Gard, Renuka Gupta and Priya Kaushik of the Guru Jambheshwar University of [...]
Jen
posted on November 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
This is fascinating! India has been inspirational as far as using worms to deal with all sorts of environmental problems. They also have a program that has been using large quantities of red worms to clean up toxic waste sites. Within a couple of years, the sites are clean enough to grow food on. Amazing!
majdi
posted on January 21st, 2010 at 1:11 am
sent me information about municipality waste compost abut 200 ton/day