Adverse Impact of Textile Dye Wastewater on Algae and Aquatic

Environment

Xinyun Cao

International Department of Qingdao No.58 High School of Shandong Province, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China

Keywords: Textile Industry, Dye Wastewater, Azo Dye, Algae, Aquatic Environment.

Abstract: Dye wastewater from the textile industry has many adverse impacts on the environment and is one of the main

factors causing pollution of water resources in particular. Due to technical problems in the textile industry,

dyes cannot be completely fixed on textiles and hence the dyes are mixed with water and discharged into the

water without treatment or with incomplete treatment. Algae has essential functions in aquatic ecosystems

and this paper investigates the effects of dye effluents on algae in several ways, focusing on the important

role relationship of azo dyes, the most commonly used dyes today, in the effects of algae and the aquatic

environment. In addition, azo dyes are structurally very steady and difficult to break down, which can have a

lasting impact on the environment. This article takes the Konto River, which is polluted by dye wastewater,

as an example to study and analyze that azo dyes will inhibit the growth of algae and reduce their nutritional

value. At the same time, the discharge of azo dyes into the water may cause eutrophication and form a dead

zone. This paper suggests that in the future, the government needs to set clearer discharge standards and study

more comprehensive utilization of dye wastewater treatment methods to achieve the best results.

1 INTRODUCTION

The problem of water environment pollution is a

growing and highly publicized problem. Textile

industry waste discharge is considered to be one of

the primary causes of pollution of water bodies

because more than 8000 chemicals such as nitro,

sodium hydroxide, azo group etc. are used in the

dyeing process which flows into the outside world

with the rinsing of water (Sharma et al., 2021). Dyes

are one of the most commonly used raw materials in

the textile industry and are also a major source of

pollutants, with about 15%-20% of the dyes failing to

adhere to the fabric during the dyeing process (

Adjid

et al., 2022)

. Dyes mixed with water and discharged

directly into rivers without treatment can cause

serious environmental pollution problems, however,

up to 200 thousand tons of dye wastewater is

discharged into the aquatic environment annually

(

Adjid et al., 2022). The most widely used dyes in the

textile sector are synthetic dyes, and azo dyes make

up approximately seventy percentage of the annual

production of synthetic dyes (Berradi et al., 2019).

Dye waste can cause ongoing harm to the

environment, especially in aquatic environments, as

bacteria in the water cannot degrade dye waste (Lim

et al., 2010). Dye waste produced in the textile

industry contaminates the habitats of aquatic animals,

and these organisms occur in more than one food

chain, so toxins are passed along trophic levels and

accumulated. At the same time, the dye wastewater

generated during the production process of the textile

industry seriously reduces the light transmission rate

of the waters, and the weak sunlight that enters the

water hinders the photosynthesis process of aquatic

plants to a great extent, leading to a reduction in the

production of aquatic plants, and this seriously affects

the food source of aquatic animals (Samchetshabam

et al., 2017). Therefore, untreated or incompletely

treated dye waste will have a serious impact on the

aquatic environment and endanger the life of aquatic

animals and plants (Kant, 2012). This article analyzes

how dye wastewater affects algae production and how

dyes and microfibers affect fish, and makes relevant

recommendations based on these negative effects.

Cao, X.

Adverse Impact of Textile Dye Wastewater on Algae and Aquatic Environment.

DOI: 10.5220/0013846900004914

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Renewable Energy and Ecosystem (ICREE 2024), pages 92-96

ISBN: 978-989-758-776-4

2 CASE DESCRIPTION

Indonesia is one of the regions with the most serious

dye wastewater pollution in the world. This article

uses Konto River as a case to analyze the impact of

dye wastewater pollution on the aquatic environment,

aquatic plants and aquatic animals.

As the population continues to grow, the demand

for clothing is increasing in various regions around

the world, which has promoted the expansion of the

textile industry in Indonesia (Adjid et al., 2022). At

the same time, the increasing investment value drives

the development of TPT in Indonesia (Adjid et al.,

2022). BPS pointed out that in 2021, the investment

amount in Indonesia's textile industry increased from

US$238.89 million to US$279.79 million, and the

export volume of clothing products reached 5.8565

million tons (Indonesian Statistic Center 2018 &

2021).

Local villagers told researchers they believed the

Konto River was polluted by textile waste. After the

interview, it was found that some villagers think that

the color of the river changes and the river often emits

a bad smell. There were also some who believe that

crop yields have decreased recently and that more

people are getting sick here. To test the idea, the

researchers took samples from four different

locations along the Konto River, and tested dye

concentrations and COD values in the water.

Table 1: Concentration of Dyes in Konto River Flow

(Adjid et al., 2022)

Sam

ple

Poin

Yel l

Ever

zol

Blac

GSP

Reac

tive

Blac

Rem

azol

Navy

RGB

Poin

t 1

22.

68.

12.

2.08 5.37 3.70

Poin

t 2

12.

53.

8.4

0.95 2.22 1.63

Poin

t 3

10.

46.

0 0 0 0 0

Poin

t 4

10.

45.

0 0 0 0 0

Dye pollution was reported in four villages along

the river in Table 1. The dye with the highest

concentration in water sources is Yellow HR, an azo

dye. Because it has a double-bonded nitrogen group,

it is difficult to decompose naturally. Azo dyes

contain a variety of carcinogens, such as

aminobphenyl. At the same time, azo dyes pose

ongoing hazards to the environment because they are

not easily degraded by light, microorganisms, and

processing in related industries (Sweta and Tank,

2019).

Table 2: Results of the COD Parameter Measurement

(Adjid et al., 2022)

Sample

Point

COD level

(mg.L

-1

)

Description

Sample

Point1

Not above the quality

standar

Sample

Point2

320

Exceed the quality

standar

Sample

Point3

Not above the quality

standar

Sample

Point4

200

Exceed the quality

standar

The capacity of aquatic microbes to break down

organic matter through oxidation, which lowers the

amount of dissolved oxygen in a water body, is

measured by COD parameter (Estikarini et al., 2016).

Owing to the waste products from the textile sector,

150 mg/L of COD is allowed in water (Adjid et al.,

2022). In Table 2, at sampling points 1 and 2, the

COD level exceeds the quality standard. According to

observations, the sample at point 2 was taken from the

dam (Adjid et al., 2022). The COD value of the water

is extremely high because a lot of dye waste liquid

may accumulate on the riverbed (Adjid et al., 2022).

The COD level at Point 4 also exceeds the quality

standard, which may be caused by people from

nearby villages using river water to wash clothes

(Adjid et al., 2022).

3 ADVERSE IMPACT OF DYE

WASTEWATER ON AQUATIC

ENVIRONMENT

3.1 Dye Wastewater Influence Algae

3.1.1 The Photosynthesis Process Is Blocked

Dye wastewater greatly affect the photosynthesis

process of aquatic plants because when large amounts

of untreated dyes are discharged into the water, they

cover the water surface. This will cause sunlight that

would otherwise hit aquatic plants to be absorbed and

reflected by the dye on the water surface. Therefore,

the absorption of sunlight by aquatic plants, such as

algae, will be severely reduced. Sunlight is one of the

important factors for algae to perform photosynthesis.

Without sufficient sunlight, the algae will not be able

Adverse Impact of Textile Dye Wastewater on Algae and Aquatic Environment

to convert the absorbed oxygen and carbon dioxide

into glucose. Algae usually act as producers in the

food chain, which is at the first trophic level. This

means that algae can no longer provide sufficient

energy to consumers. This effect is not temporary,

most of dyes used in the textile sector today are azo

dyes, but they are difficult to degrade naturally,

especially in aquatic environments, because bacteria

and fungi in the water cannot degrade the dyes. And

they also have strong photostability and thermal

stability. This may lead to a reduction in the number

of consumers or even extinction, a significant

reduction in local biodiversity and serious damage to

the local ecological environment.

3.1.2 Algae Growth Parameters Are

Affected

Each different dye will have a different potential

impact on algae. Algae are 50% more sensitive to

pollutants than species frequently utilized in

toxicology studies when assessing contamination in

aquatic environment (Klaine and Lewis, 1995).

However, the current concentration of dyes in water

is constantly increasing, which severely limits many

factors of algae growth, such as pigment

concentration, protein concentration and other

nutrient concentrations (Samchetshabam et al., 2017).

For example, the photosynthetic pigment content of

algae can affect its growth, yield and nutritional

value. Photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll,

are key substances for algae photosynthesis. They

have the ability to transform light energy into

chemical energy, which is stored in the organic matter

it produces, thereby promoting the growth and

development of algae. The more photosynthetic

pigments that algae contain, the higher the efficiency

of photosynthesis, and thus more organic matter can

be synthesized. The content of photosynthetic

pigments also affects algae production. As the

photosynthetic pigment content of algae increases,

crop yields will increase accordingly. Because

photosynthetic pigments can improve the utilization

rate of light energy by algae, the algae can synthesize

more organic matter under the same light conditions,

thereby increasing production. In addition, the

content of photosynthetic pigments also affects the

quality of algae. For example, chlorophyll is one of

the most important photosynthetic pigments in algae.

The higher its content, the higher the nutritional value

of the algae. In addition, the protein content in algae

will also affect its growth and resistance to pests and

diseases. Spirulina platensis is a protein-rich algae,

but increasing the dye concentration in the water will

cause their growth to be inhibited and nutrient levels

to be reduced (Dwivedi, 2013). The utilization of

indigo dye has the potential to substantially inhibit the

growth and biomass production of S. quadricauda, a

freshwater microalga, while also causing alterations

to its morphological (Sousa, 2012).

3.2 Dye Wastewater Influence Aquatic

Environment

Azo dyes are among the most widely used synthetic

dyes in the textile industry, and they are primarily

used for dyeing synthetic fabrics. Azo dyes contain

substances that form the basic color, and the azo

structure has strong stability, so it is widely used in

clothing printing and dyeing processes. However, due

to problems with dyeing technology, about 15%-20%

of dyes cannot be fixed on fabrics (Adjid et al., 2022).

Therefore, many nitrogen-containing compounds are

discharged into the water body, causing an increase in

toxins and severe eutrophication in the water body.

There is an increase in biochemical oxygen demand,

which is an indicator of the quantity of organic matter

present in a water body. It measures the amount of

oxygen decomposers need to break down the organic

matter. Because the organic matter in the water

continues to increase, the decomposers need more

oxygen to decompose them. As a result, the water's

oxygen level decreases and a dead zone is formed.

Dead zone is an oxygen-deprived zone in oceans and

lakes, and most organisms cannot survive in anoxic

environment. The formation of Dead Zone will

seriously damage the ecosystem in the lake and

reduce the biodiversity of the ecosystem.

4 ENVIRONMENTAL-FRIENDLY

DYE WASTEWATER

TREATMENT

4.1 Adsorption of Dye Wastewater

Using Coral Wood Legumes

As the problem of dye wastewater pollution becomes

more and more serious, more methods have been

invented to treat wastewater. The main methods now

include membrane separation technology, activated

sludge method, adsorption method, etc (Huang et al.,

2020). Among them, the adsorption method has

gradually attracted attention because of its simple

operation, small footprint, simple process flow, good

treatment effect, and low cost, especially in the

treatment of printing and dyeing wastewater (Huang

ICREE 2024 - International Conference on Renewable Energy and Ecosystem

et al., 2020). Research results show that in order to

adsorb different types of dyes, more new adsorbents

are needed (Huang et al., 2020). There is a natural

adsorbent, coral wood tree legume because of its good

adsorption effect and the wide variety of dyes it can

adsorb, it can be used as one of the alternatives to

other natural adsorbents. The adsorption effect of

Coral wood tree legume is influenced by numerous

factors, including pH value, adsorbent dosage, dye

concentration, and contact time.

Table 3: Adsorption times for dye at various pH values

(Bhanuprakash et al., 2015)

e Acidic Neutral Basic

Crystal violet 19 19 11

Cotton blue 24 48 48

-Rosaniline LA 69 LA

Bromo th

mol blue 48 LA LA

Indi

ocaramine 72 LA LA

Eriochrome Blac

-T 120 LA LA

Patton and Reeder’s 48 LA LA

Note: LA-less adsorption

In Table 3, experimental results also show that

most dyes adsorb faster in acidic media

(Bhanuprakash et al., 2015).

Figure 1: Relation between the dose of absorbent and percentage of removal (Bhanuprakash et al., 2015)

Figure 2: Relation between the concentration of all dyes and percentage of removal (Bhanuprakash et al., 2015)

Figure 3: Relation between the contact time and amount of removal (Bhanuprakash et al., 2015)

1234

dose in gm

100

12345

concentration in ppm

2468

concentration in ppm

Adverse Impact of Textile Dye Wastewater on Algae and Aquatic Environment

In Figure 1, as the dose increases, the adsorption

capacity increases. In Figure 2, All dye solutions have

a decreasing adsorption capability as concentration

rises. In Figure 3, the adsorption amount increases

with the increase of contact time (Bhanuprakash et al.,

2015).

5 CONCLUSION

Dye wastewater produced in the textile industry can

cause great harm to the environment. Dye wastewater

covering the water surface will reduce light

penetration, thereby blocking algae’s photosynthesis

process. Moreover, the dyes in the water will inhibit

the growth of algae and reduce its nutritional level by

inhibiting the growing parameters of algae, including

pigment and protein composition. At the same time,

the discharge of azo dyes into the water will cause

bacteria and fungi in the water to decompose more

organic matter, resulting in an increase in

biochemical oxygen demand. When photosynthesis

of plants is blocked and oxygen demand increases, it

is easy to form a dead zone. The balance of the local

ecosystem will be disrupted, and biodiversity will be

severely reduced. All in all, dye wastewater will

cause huge harm to the environment, it is necessary

to formulate clearer discharge standards and invent

new wastewater treatment methods. At the same time,

a variety of treatment methods can be used in

combination to better treat dye wastewater. For

example, the filtration method can be combined with

the coral wood adsorption method. Although coral

wood can adsorb dyes very well, in order to increase

the adsorption area, the coral wood will be quashed

into small pieces and then put into the water. After the

adsorption process is completed, the coral wood

debris will settle on the bottom of the water. If

filtration can be used to separate these debris from the

water after the coral wood absorbs the dye, it can

achieve optimal treatment results.

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