
ROURKELA: A research team of National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) has developed an innovative system for efficiently treating industrial wastewater contaminated with persistent dyes such as Bismarck Brown R.
The team led by Prof Sujit Sen of the department of Chemical Engineering and comprising research graduate of NIT-R Madhumita Manna and former professor of IIT-Kharagpur Prof Binay Kanti Dutta, has come up with this cutting-edge wastewater treatment system by combining two advanced technologies for effective outcome. The hybrid model efficiently treats wastewater from industries like textiles and dye manufacturing which is contaminated with stubborn dyes.
The conventional treatment methods including those relying on ultraviolet light often struggle with large-scale applications, especially when separating dye particles from water. Stubborn dyes such like Bismarck Brown R are small enough to pass through microfiltration membranes of the existing methods to potentially cause significant environmental and health hazards.
But this innovative system uses a ceramic membrane coated with an industrial-waste derived Zeolite and Zinc Oxide nanocomposite. This photocatalyst can break down dye molecules when exposed to light. The model also incorporates microbubbles generated via a simple air diffuser to enhance mass transfer and improve the breakdown process. A continuous tangential flow membrane photoreactor was designed and tested using both simulated and real wastewater from a local dyeing factory.
Prof Sen said, “Our hybrid system successfully achieved 95.4 per cent decolorisation of Bismarck Brown R and 94 per cent removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in just 90 minutes. The nanocomposite performed well under visible light, making this approach suitable for practical wastewater treatment applications.”
He said the potential applications of this hybrid system are vast. It offers a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to conventional oxidation methods, which often rely on expensive chemicals and complex equipment. The use of industrial waste-derived nanocomposites further enhances the sustainability of the system.
Additionally, the hybrid membrane is less prone to fouling, a common issue in long-term wastewater treatment processes, and can be easily regenerated through backflushing, minimising the need for chemical cleaning, Prof Sen added.
This technology could be applied across industries such as textile manufacturing, chemical, steel, petrochemical and pharmaceutical where robust wastewater treatment is required. It can also be scaled up and integrated into existing treatment plants to improve the efficiency of treating dye-laden wastewater.
This research work supported by Science and Engineering Research Board, DST, India (Now, Anusandhan National Research Foundation), has been published in the prestigious Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. The research team was also granted a patent for the model on June 25 2024.
The team is working on scaling up this technology for broader application.