University Of Coimbra Scientists Develop Innovative Technology To Reduce Textile Industry Pollution

The 'CirRe-Dyeing' project aims to establish a circular platform for reusing dyes employed in fibre and fabric dyeing processes, along with the water contained in wastewater.

A research team from the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), is developing an innovative technology aimed at reducing pollution caused by the textile industry.

The 'CirRe-Dyeing' project, funded by the 'Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia' (FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology), aims to establish a circular platform for reusing dyes employed in fibre and fabric dyeing processes, along with the water contained in wastewater.

Currently, the textile industry ranks among the world's top five polluters, especially in terms of water consumption, with an anticipated increase in textile production by 145 million tonnes by 2030.

To address this issue, the team led by Jorge Pereira, professor at DEQ and researcher at the Centre for Chemical Engineering and Renewable Resources for Sustainability (CERES), has developed an innovative technology that allows the recovery and reuse of water, dyes and additives present in contaminated wastewater, in line with the principles of a circular economy. Basically, the aim is to help industry reduce its consumption of water and dyes - materials that, although cheap, have a serious negative environmental impact," explains Pereira, further adding "Our technology will significantly reduce contaminants in wastewater, making it easier to treat with more conventional processes, thereby reducing costs. Our goal is to create an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable platform that can be applied globally across multiple industries."

The technology developed at FCTUC is currently undergoing the process of intellectual property protection. 'The CirRe-Dyeing' project will run until 2025 and involves around two dozen researchers from DEQ and IIT Madras.