Physicochemical Characterization of Textile Waste Water

An attempt was made to analyze the water quality of the effluent from the textile industry. The effluent sample was collected from Karur, a textile city in Tamilnadu. In this investigation physicochemical parameters such as colour, odour, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorides, sulphates, phosphates, nitrate nitrogen, lead, nickel, zinc, chromium, copper, oil and grease were determined using standard procedures. The result of this analysis was compared with the water quality standards of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard). The effluent sample was dark violet in colour with objectionable odour. It showed high electrical conductivity, high TSS, TDS,TS values, alkaline pH, high BOD and COD, low DO, high amounts of chlorides, nitrates, sulphates and also showed the presence of heavy metals, oil and grease. It was observed that all the parameters studied exceeded the BIS limits.