Zero Liquid Discharge as a Sustainability Requirement with Limited Available Energy a Quagmire for Bangladesh Textile Industry

Zero liquid discharge is a goal set by the regulatory agencies of Bangladesh to protect the rapidly depleting aquifers of greater Dhaka city as a conservation measure. Unfortunately textile wastewater contains high total dissolved solids that have to be removed and disposed before the wastewater can be reused. This calls for a highly energy intensive process to treat the wastewater by reverse osmosis and evaporate the reject stream to recover the salt. This paper reports on a case study which showed that the energy required reaching the treatment goal cannot be achieved with the energy supply situation in Bangladesh.