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Physiochemical Assessment of Ludhiana Textile Industry Effluent near

Buddha Nullah

Article · July 2020

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3732462

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

Physiochemical Assessment of Ludhiana Textile

Industry Effluent near Buddha Nullah
Harpreet Kaur & Dr. Gursharan Singh Kainth*
Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies,
Amritsar
*
Email: idsasr@[Link]

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3732462
Abstract
One of the major contributors to pollution problems in India is Textile effluent. Coupled with, large quantities of untreated
wastewater lead to a rise in the water pollution level. The present study was undertaken to investigate the pollution potential
of textile effluent draining into the Buddha Nullah stream of the Ludhiana district of Punjab. Discharge from various
industrial outlets was collected for the study. Physicochemical analysis (pH, water temperature, total dissolved solids, total
suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand of Buddha Nullah water was carried out.
Resulting estimates revealed that the value of pH, water temperature, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids,
biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand is much higher than the recommendation of WHO and unfit for
human consumption. Such discharge has to recycle even for industrial and irrigation purposes.
Keywords: Textile effluent; bleaching; toxic chemicals; water pollution; fabric

Introduction
Textile effluent creates one-fifth of the world’s industrial pollution and uses 20,000 chemicals, many of them carcinogenic, to
make clothes. The color’s discharge from these textile industries causes contamination in textile wastewater and hence highly
polluted effluent in large amounts causing greater concern water pollution. Ludhiana is the hub of a textile mill and a highly
polluted city of Punjab. Various textile mills located near Buddha Nullah causes a lot of water pollution by discharging waste
into the Buddha Nullah. Keeping in view the water/environment pollution concern, mills have started the installation of water
treatment plants so that polluted water is not discharged into the surrounding area. Air also gets polluted by the textile industry
as the boilers, thermo pack, and diesel generators produce pollutants that are released into the air. The pollutants such as
Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), sulphur dioxide (SO2) gas, oxide of nitrogen gas, etc. are generated. The human
population in the nearby areas get affected adversely owing to the release of toxic gas into the atmosphere. Using sulphuric acid
in the neutralization process, Sulphate in the effluent exceeds 1700 mg/l sodium sulphate in the dying process before biological
treatment. However, this problem can be solved by using HCl or CO2 rather than H2SO4 in neutralization and NaCl instead of
Na2SO4, when not necessary (Tüfekci, N., Sivri, N., 2007). Release of dyes directly into water bodies without treatment stopped
the penetration of sunlight into the deeper layers of the water, altering photosynthetic activity, deteriorating water quality,
reducing the solubility of oxygen and exerting toxic effects on aquatic flora and fauna (de Almeida, E. J. R., Mazzeo, [Link].
2019).
Textile fibers are divided into two groups, i.e., natural fibers and man-made fibers. Natural fibers include cotton, linen, wool,
and silk. Man-made fibers are either derived from natural polymers or synthetic polymers. Therefore, the textile industries use
more water in the comparison of other industries and are likely to produce highly polluted wastewater. According to Vishal
Dethe, Assistant Manager, Organica Biotech Pvt Ltd, colossal volumes of effluent is generated by textile units that are rich in
chemicals and dyes, generated during the different phases of fabric processing. He says, “Various pollutants like heavy metals,
organochlorine based compounds, pigments, polyphosphates, preservatives, formaldehyde, benzidine and azo dyes laden the
wastewater. {Mani, S., Chowdhary, P. and Bharagava, R. N. (2019)}.
Various bioassays have been used to check the toxicity of wastewater. Microbial degradation is the most effective and reliable
technique for the elimination of pests from the environment compartments. The major problem of the textile effluent is color.
Chromophores having an azo bond (–N=N–), maybe mono-azo, di-azo, and poly-azo; –C=O; –N=O, etc., are responsible for
coloring properties of dyes. {Bhatia, D., Sharma, N. R., Kanwar, R. and Singh, J. (2018)}.
The industrial wastewater also contains a high amount of nitrogen in the form of nitrate, nitrite and organic nitrogen. The
presence of nitrogen in wastewater acknowledged causing major water pollution. Nitrogen poses to cause serious health problem
when present in drinking water. Nitrogen from wastewater must be removed before being discharged into the water bodies. No
doubt, the nitrate ion as such is not dangerous, but in water, it is reduced to highly toxic dioxo nitrate by certain bacteria (Siva
Kumar, K. K., Balamurugan, et al. 2011).

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

Numerous types of dyes are used in the textile industries but the synthetic dye is mostly used in the textile dyeing processes.
Major synthetic dyes are the azo type which includes reactive, disperse and acid dyes. The majority of these synthetic dyes are
water-soluble, but some dyes show hydrophobic behavior such as dispersed dyes used for polyester fabrics. Disperse dyes are
non-ionic aromatic compounds bearing azo or anthraquinone as a chromophore group. The dyes are applied to the fibers by
stable aqueous dispersion containing auxiliaries, especially dispersants at high temperatures (Carneiro, P. A., Umbuzeiro [Link].
2010). Methylene blue is most commonly used basic azo dyes in the textile industry which exhibits toxic effects on inhalation
shortness of breath, and if ingested may cause burning sensation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, discoloration of urine
and methemoglobinemia (Mor, S., Chhavi, M. K., Sushil, K. K., & Ravindra, K. 2018).
India’s Industrial development coupled with urban development is generating huge quantities of untreated wastewater
leading to increased water pollution and human diseases. Punjab - agriculturally advance the state of the Indian Union, where
land man ratio is declining at a rapid pace due to population explosion and urbanization is also facing a steady decline and
deterioration in its natural resources. Urbanization had widely affected the groundwater quality and course of natural drainage
due to which various problems like flooding and deterioration of groundwater quality has occurred (Singh, K., Singh, D., &
Mathur, A. 2013). A multidisciplinary approach involving chemical and biological methods should be used to monitor the
effluent due to exposure to textile wastewater to minimize environmental deterioration. However, the assessment of wastewater
through various chemical methods, require the standardization of thousands of organic pollutants present in the environment,
making them tedious and time-consuming processes (Khan, S., Anas, M., & Malik, A. 2019).
Water bodies cause pollution by the textile effluent affecting the growth of vegetation and aquatic life. These heavy metals,
when released in an aquatic environment, will enter the food chain through biomagnification causing various health problems in
humans. No doubt, all the industries in India are governed by the strict guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) but still, the environmental situation is not satisfactory.
Buddha Nullah of Ludhiana is a prime source of pollution from the discharge of industrial effluents, domestic and agricultural
waste and other anthropogenic activities around the Nullah. It might be harmful to the groundwater as well as to the human and
animals (Rajpal, N., Bhunia, H., & Bajpai, P. K. 2013). This study was undertaken to assess the quality of effluent of the
textile industries of Ludhiana, which are in the vicinity of Buddha Nullah.

Material and Methods

Collection of Textile Effluent
The wastewater was collected from 6 textile mills and also from a highly polluted drain, locally known as Buddha Nullah, which
receives textile wastewater discharge from many such industries. The raw effluent was directly collected from the outlet of the
industry. The physicochemical parameter of all the samples (textile effluent) was monitored. These include the pH, Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS); Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD); dissolved oxygen (DO); Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD);
turbidity and temperature. Wastewaters for the study were taken in a sterile glass bottle covered with a lid and stored at 4°C for
physiochemical analysis.
Various physicochemical parameters of all the samples (textile effluent) were determined. These include the pH in H 2O using a
glass electrode pH meter and the amount of TDS in a water sample is measured by filtering the sample through a 2.0 µm pore
size filter, evaporating the remaining filtrate and then drying. COD was determined using the titrimetric method, while dissolved
oxygen (DO) was determined before and after an incubation period of 5 days in the dark at 20° C by the alkaline–azide
modification of Winkler’s method. The BOD was estimated from the amount of DO present in each sample before and after the
incubation periods. Turbidity is measured as Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU)
Glassware
Throughout the experiment “A” grade glassware was used; chemical was of analytical reagent grade and double distilled water
was double distilled.

Result and Discussion

Estimated results of the analysis carried out are reported in Table 1 and depicted graphically in Fig 1. Various standard values
issued by the World Health Organization are also reported in Table 1. In general, all the estimated results are much higher than
the WHO norms indicating highly polluted water hence unfit for human consumption even for irrigation and industrial cooling.
Chemical pollution as a result of waste decomposition in dumpsites can equally reduce water pH. Low pH affects aquatic
animals negatively as seen in the formation of mucus on fish gills, retarded growth, and a problem with ion regulation as well as
reproductive failure. Raising the pH to 8.5 and above is an indication of hard water. Although hard water does not pose any
health risk in the short run, it causes the formation of scales on dishes, cooking utensils, and laundry basins, the inability of
soaps and detergents to lather, and the formation of insoluble precipitates on clothing (Ikpe, A. E., Owunna, I. B., and Agho, N.
(2019). However, in the long run, hard water is also responsible for cardiovascular diseases in humans as per WHO guidelines.
TDS is an important parameter of water quality as its high values indicate high mineral content in water (Jamil, A., Khan, T.,
Majeed [Link] 2019).
Turbidity is the cloudiness of water contributed by planktonic and suspended matter. Filters get blocked quickly due to high
turbidity and stop working effectively. High turbidity filled tanks and pipes with mud and silt, and damage valves and taps. On

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

chlorination of water, even quite low turbidity will prevent the chlorine from killing the germs in the water efficiently. Plankton
cannot live in high salinity water (Hairoma, N., Barzani [Link]. 2016).
The higher dose of BOD, COD, and low DO in water causes aquatic species to suffocate or die. (Naubi, I., Zardari, N. H.,
Shirazi [Link]. 2016). Moreover, due to an increase in temperature, the rate of biological activity gets altered the solubility of
oxygen and other gases will be decreased leading to harmful effects on the aquatic community (Bhatia, D., Sharma, N. R.,
Kanwar, R., & Singh, J. 2018).
The textile wastewater samples showed high values that can cause a real threat to the environment. The high levels of BOD in
all units as well as in Buddha Nullah as compared to WHO standard value are indications of the pollution strength of the
wastewaters. They also indicate that there could be low oxygen available for living organisms in the wastewater when utilizing
the organic matter present. Also, the value of COD in all industries as compared to standard WHO value showed maximum
value. High COD levels imply toxic conditions and the presence of biologically resistant organic substances. Similarly, the
value of Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total organic carbon (TOC), pH; Turbidity, Temperature and TDS of textile effluent
were found to be significantly higher than the maximum permissible limit prescribed by WHO.

Conclusion and Policy Implications

The result of the study reveals that textile effluents are highly toxic for human beings living near the affected areas. Further, the
continuous deterioration of water quality due to effluents discharged into surface water bodies also has impacts on human and
aquatic life in water bodies. The need of the hour is that textile units should continuously monitor their effluents and properly
treat the wastewater before their disposal to water bodies. This will save the already depleted/depleting natural water resources.
It is further recommended that proper legislation; its implementation and monitoring should be ensured for all quality
parameters of wastewater regularly. Quality regulation must be enforced for industries to set up effluent treatment plants.
Effluent treatment plants should be set up individually which should remain effectively operational to safeguard the quality of
water for future generations. The separate drainage system must be constructed to prevent direct discharge of industrial effluents
into water bodies. The disposal sites for industrial and urban wastes should be away from the residential areas. Environmental
regulations must be implemented strictly. Above all, there is an urgent need to generate public awareness of the sources, extent,
and prevention of water pollution, and also the consequences of the impact of pollution on human health. Periodical monitoring
and evaluation of the wading water should be carried out to check the rise in pollution levels in water for sustainable living.

Reference
1]. Bhatia, D., Sharma, N. R., Kanwar, R., & Singh, J. (2018). Physicochemical Assessment of Industrial Textile Effluents of Punjab
(India). Applied Water Science, 8 (3), 83.
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Mutagenic Textile Effluent/ Dyehouse Effluent Bearing Disperse Dyes. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 174(1-3), 694-699.
3]. D. E. C., Sommaggio et al. (2019). Azo Dyes Degradation and Mutagenicity Evaluation with a Combination of Microbiological and
Oxidative Discoloration Treatments. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 6 August, 183: 109484.
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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

16]. Weber-Scannell, P.K., and Duffy, L.K., (2007). Effects of total dissolved solids on the aquatic organism: a review of literature and
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Table 1: Physicochemical Characteristics of Textile Effluent

Textile BOD COD TOC TSS pH TDS Temper Turbidit

Unit Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L value Mg/L ature in y(NTU)
0
C
WHO 30 mg/l 250 25 mg/l 100 6.5-8.5 2000 Not 10
norm mg/l mg/l mg/l exceed
40 0C
A 252.35 840 38 106 4.30 2560 44.5 89.6
B 210.0 350 35 143 11.9 2944 45.5 84.5
C 168.0 590 29 112 8.9 2816 48.0 69.6
D 197.0 390 53 132 9.22 2590 42.0 65.5
E 185.0 970 58 123 9.80 2690 43.0 60.8
F 198.0 550 32 140 8.78 2120 41.0 55.0
Buddha 217.57 780 44 138 8.76 2470 44.0 67.0
Nullah

Source: Based on the analysis carried out

For WHO norms: WHO (2008). Guidelines for drinking- water quality, 3rd edition, Vol. 1,
Recommendations, World Health Organization, Geneva

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International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

300
250
200
150 WHO

100 BOD

50
0
A B C D E F BN

1200

1000

800

600 COD

400 WHO

200

0
A B C D E F BN

70
60
50
40
TOC
30
WHO
20
10
0
A B C D E F BN

160
140
120
100
80 TSS
60 WHO
40
20
0
A B C D E F BN

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 International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997)/ Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2020

14
12
10
8
pH
6
WHO
4
2
0
A B C D E F BN

3500
3000
2500
2000
TDS
1500
WHO
1000
500
0
A B C D E F BN

50
48
46
44
TEMPERATURE
42
WHO
40
38
36
A B C D E F BN

100

80

60
TURBIDITY
40 WHO
20

0
A B C D E F BN

Fig 1: Different Physicochemical characteristics of textile effluent

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