GEKA

SOUTH AEGEAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Clean Production Financial Support Program
“First Step towards Zero Discharge with Wastewater and Salt Recycling for Sustainable Water Management of Five Textile Dyehouses”

Textile dyeing facilities are among the most highly polluting industries. This is mainly because dyestuffs and chemicals used in manufacturing processes are extracted from water wells and contaminate the water used as input. Recycling treated water for diminishing and depleting water resources is an expensive solution. To cover the investment costs of wastewater recycling, it is essential to obtain products and/or generate energy from the wastewater, thereby ensuring sustainable water management in textile dyeing facilities. Gümüşsu Treatment Plant applied to the South Aegean Development Agency (GEKA) Clean Production Financial Support Program with the aim of making a strong start for sustainable water management by installing decolorization, recycling and salt recovery systems in its existing treatment plant.

The Gümüşsu Treatment Plant receives an average of 7,500 m³/day of wastewater from its textile dyeing partners. To recover 1,000 m³/day of discharge water, a system was implemented to first remove the color without producing sludge. Of this 1,000 m³, 240 m³ is recycled back to the dyehouse for reuse, while the remaining 760 m³ is discharged after color removal.

The electrodialysis method for salt recovery system has successfully produced desalinated water of irrigation quality. The process results in 90% wastewater and 10% concentrated salt, suitable for use in leather processing industries as a second-grade product. The inauguration of this recovery system occurred on June 1, 2022, attended by officials from various entities including the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Denizli Governorship, Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, as well as representatives from public institutions, the press, and a sizable audience.