Resource Efficient and Cleaner
Production in Textile Sector
C. Visvanathan
School of Environment Resources and Development,
Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Water Consumption in Textile Industry
• No. 1 polluter of clean water (after agriculture).
• More than 3600 individual textile dyes are being manufactured by
this industry today.
• More than 8000 chemicals are used in various processes of textile
manufacture
• Relatively low Tech Industry; slow advancement of technology
development;
• Low investment on sectorial R& D;
• Globalization poses incentives to invest in R&D, advanced
production technologies, and new organizational concepts.
2
Cloth Production
More than 70% of world cloth production is from Asia/Oceania
World cloth production in ‘000 metric tonnes
Asia/ Ocenia
7196
Europe
1043
Africa
231
Western Hemiphere
1414
Others
230
0
2500
5000
7500
10000
3
Textile Labor Cost Comparison
Textile labor cost in developing countries is much lower than in
developed countries
Labor Cost Comparison[per Hour], (in US $)
30
25.6
Developing
Countries
25
20
18.5
15.7
15
12.4
11.9
10.7
10
5
1.4 [VALUE].0
0.5
0.5
0.4
0
4
Source: Werner International Managing Consultants
Specific Electricity Consumption
Integrated, dyeing and finishing and man-made fiber mills
Min
Max
Textile subsectors
0.6
Man-made fiber
2.9
0.28
Dyeing and finishing
12.6
0.37
Integrated textile mills
1.2
0
5
10
15
Specific electricity consumption (MWh/ton)
5
Energy and Environmental Issues in Textile
Industry
Energy Consumption In Textile Processing
Wet Processing
16%
Spinning
48%
Stats remain same
Source : Chandran et al , SITRA, 1997
Weaving
36%
Textile industry retains a record of the lowest
efficiency in energy utilization and is one of the major
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energy consuming industry.
New Technology: Energy Consumption
•Supercritical Dyeing Technique
1. Innovative technique,
2. Conserves thermal energy
3. Fabric is dried as at end of process CO2 is released in
gaseous state
•Ultrasonic Assisted Wet Processing
1. Ultrasound equipment installed in existing machines
2. Offers improved performance
3. Fabric preparation and dyeing without impairing properties of
processed materials
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Cleaner Production Approach
A Textile Processor has to be Lean, Efficient and Innovative
Lean
Good housekeeping, Conservation,
Control
Efficient
“Right in First Time”
Approach, Mechanical/ Chemical/ Water/
Energy/ Audits, Optimization/
Rationalization.
Innovative
Reuse, Recovery, and Recycle Initiative
Process Change,
“Informed” Equipment Selection.
Productivity and Environmental consideration will remain Inseparable
Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry
•
Selection of Dyes
New brands requiring less energy and having high exhaust
properties….. (Metal content…market request are broadening)
Lab/R&D investigation needed
•
Recipe
Size
Dye
Use of catalysts has been one initiative to minimize consumption of
chemicals
Computer Based Selection, Expert System, Databases, Factsheets
9
Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry (cont’d)
“De-Facto” Emergence of process standards
E.g. Parcom recommendations
Starch-PVA/CMC………..?
CL2 Bleach-Peroxide Bleach………..
Recovery of caustic in merceriser
Low MLR Dyeing (Ultra Low)…………?
Recovery of chemicals in stentors………….?
Avoiding of Harmful Substances
PCP
Formaldehyde
Benserine Based Dyes
Substitution of non-biodegradables to degradable’s
………Sandoz RDT dyes
10
Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry (cont’d)
Game of Eco-Labelling Textile, Trade and Environment
•
Carpet
Govt-label, Belgium/Europe
•Textile products
OKO-TEX-Lable (100), Austria
MST: German Standard
STE/LMANN: Germany
MVT: Germany
Red List: UK/EEC
Cleaner Fashion: “Criteria for buying conditions”
Comparison with Benchmarks: Thermal
Energy Consumption
Country/institutions
Specific fuel consumption for
dyeing and finishing process
(GJ ton/Product)
Quantity
UKa
1.5 -20
UNIDOb
14-63
Tong-Niu (with old dyeing machine)
93
Tong-Niu (with new dyeing machine
8.2
Source: aETBPP(2000), bUNIDO(http://www.unido.org)
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Technology Breakthrough….
Dyeing- “Air Dyeing Technology”. --- Currently used only in US
Air Dyeing Technology is a dyeing process that uses air instead of water to dye
garments, allowing companies to create garments with vivid designs and colors,
without polluting water and environment
•
Benefits of Air Dyeing Technology.
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
60000
1200000
Greenhouse Gas
Energy (Mega joules)
Water (gallons)
70000
1400000
250000
1000000
800000
600000
400000
50000
40000
30000
20000
200000
10000
0
0
(a)
(b)
Wet Dye
(c)
Air Dye
Comparison of Air Dyeing and Traditional Wet Dyeing process for 25,000 medium men’s t-shirts.
(a) Water (gallons);(b) Energy (Mega joules);(c) Greenhouse Gas (kg Co2 equivalent emissions).
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No future for cotton.. Alternative and
better fibers
•
•
•
•
•
High Risk, New Options” centers on
assumption that scarcity of resources is a
serious problem.
Potential scarce resources crucial for clothing
production include water, energy, natural
fibres and oil for production of artificial fibres.
A shortage in natural fibres can be caused by
rivalry in production between textile fibres,
bio-fuel and food.
Alternative fibers such as bamboo and hemp
are coming into greater use in so-called ecofashions.
Smart Materials… nano fabrics
14
Progress in Recycled Polyester
•
Recycled plastic bottle fleece for men.
•
Made from an average of 10 plastic bottles
•
Chopping up used plastic bottles into flakes
•
Melting them and then squeezing them
through tiny holes to make a polyester yarn
•
Yarn is then woven into fleece fabric.
•
Recycled polyester is part of M&S Plan A
commitment to ensuring that key raw
materials come from most sustainable
Used
Plastic
Bottles
are collected
washed and
sorted
Smashed into
tiny flakes
Achievement:
M & S have recycled 37 Million plastic
bottles into polyester for clothing and home
wear
And turned into an
M&S fleece
then spun into yarn
to be woven and
knitted
Which are made
into polyester
fiber
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That’s it !
It’s Question Time!!
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