Highly colored azo dye-contaminated wastewater poses significant environmental threats and requires effective treatment before discharge. The anaerobic azo dye treatment method is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution, while its time-consuming and inefficient processes present substantial challenges for industrial scaling. Thus, the use of iron materials presents a promising alternative. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that systems coupled with iron materials enhance the decolorization efficiency and reduce the processing time. To fully realize the potential of iron materials for anaerobic azo dye treatment, a comprehensive synthesis and evaluation based on individual-related research studies, which have not been conducted to date, are necessary. This review provides, for the first time, an extensive and detailed overview of the utilization of iron materials for azo dye treatment, with a focus on decolorization. It assesses the treatment potential, analyzes the influencing factors and their impacts, and proposes metabolic pathways to enhance anaerobic dye treatment using iron materials. The physicochemical characteristics of iron materials are also discussed to elucidate the mechanisms behind the enhanced bioreduction of azo dyes. This study further addresses the current obstacles and outlines future prospects for industrial-scale application of iron-coupled treatment systems.

Textile and cosmetic industries generate large amounts of dye effluents requiring treatment before discharge. This wastewater contains high levels of reactive dyes, low to none-biodegradable materials and chemical residues. Technically, dye wastewater is characterised by high chemical and biological oxygen demand. Biological, physical and pressure-driven membrane processes have been extensively used in textile wastewater treatment plants. However, these technologies are characterised by process complexity and are often costly. Also, process efficiency is not achieved in cost-effective biochemical and physical treatment processes. Membrane distillation (MD) emerged as a promising technology harnessing challenges faced by pressure-driven membrane processes. To ensure high cost-effectiveness, the MD can be operated by solar energy or low-grade waste heat. Herein, the MD purification of dye wastewater is comprehensively and yet concisely discussed. This involved research advancement in MD processes towards removal of dyes from industrial effluents. Also, challenges faced by this process with a specific focus on fouling are reviewed. Current literature mainly tested MD setups in the laboratory scale suggesting a deep need of further optimization of membrane and module designs in near future, especially for textile wastewater treatment. There is a need to deliver customized high-porosity hydrophobic membrane design with the appropriate thickness and module configuration to reduce concentration and temperature polarization (CP and TP). Also, energy loss should be minimized while increasing dye rejection and permeate flux. Although laboratory experiments remain pivotal in optimizing the MD process for treating dye wastewater, the nature of their time intensity poses a challenge. Given the multitude of parameters involved in MD process optimization, artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies present a promising avenue for assistance. Thus, AI-driven algorithms have the potential to enhance overall process efficiency, cutting down on time, fine-tuning parameters, and driving cost reductions. However, achieving an optimal balance between efficiency enhancements and financial outlays is a complex process. Finally, this paper suggests a research direction for the development of effective synthetic and natural dye removal from industrially discharged wastewater.

To understand which are the best strategies for textile waste management and to analyse the effects on the environment of applying circular economy practices to textile products, a review of 45 publications where life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to these topics has been carried out. The separate collection of textiles, followed by reuse and recycling brings relevant environmental benefits, with impacts related to reuse resulting lower than those of recycling. At the opposite, when mixed municipal solid waste is addressed to energy recovery, the textile fraction is the second most impacting on climate change, right after plastics, while for landfill disposal impacts textiles directly follow the more biodegradable fractions. Textiles manufacturing using recycled fibres generally gives lower impacts than using virgin ones, with a few exceptions in some impact categories for cotton and polyester. The circular practices with the lowest impacts are those that ensure the extension of the textiles service life. Another aim of this review is to identify the main variables affecting the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). These resulted to be the yield and material demand of recycling processes, the use phase variables, the assumptions on virgin production replaced by reuse or recycling, the substitution factor in reuse, and transportation data in business models based on sharing. Thus, in LCA modelling, great attention should be paid to these variables. Future research should address these aspects, to acquire more relevant data, based on industrial-scale processes and on people habits towards the circular economy strategies applied to textiles.

UNASSIGNED: The purpose of this study was to present a systematic review of the health-related problems of factory workers in the textile and fashion industry. These workers endure long sitting postures, poor workspace conditions, and long working hours to complete their overload of tasks. This situation results in several health problems that affect the productivity, mental health, and well-being of the workers.
UNASSIGNED: The relevant data (21 article publications) were obtained from the Scopus database. Analysis of the 21 articles was grouped under 3 research themes based on the critical reading of the content and abstracts: respiratory problems, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological stressors and other health issues.
UNASSIGNED: The findings show that factory workers are exposed to dust particles of cotton and other raw materials, fumes, and chemicals from manufacturing processes. This prolonged exposure without the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) leads to respiratory diseases like byssinosis that affect the workers\' health. Additionally, working in a particular posture due to the workstation design for prolonged hours causes musculoskeletal disorders or pains. Workers also suffer from anxiety, depression, and stress from workload and pressure, hence making them unstable with reduced productivity.
UNASSIGNED: The findings of the study reinforce the need for a safe workspace and spacious work environment, provision of PPE, training in occupational hazards, frequent health checks, and ergonomic assessment of workstations to reduce prolonged work postures. Stakeholders, employers, policymakers, and governments should collaborate to safeguard and protect the well-being and health of the workers at these factories.

Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology emerges as a transformative solution for sustainable wastewater management in the textile industry, emphasizing water recycling and discharge minimization. This review comprehensively explores ZLD\'s pivotal role in reshaping wastewater management practices within the textile sector. With a primary focus on water recycling and minimized discharge, the review thoroughly examines the economic and environmental dimensions of ZLD. Additionally, it includes a comparative cost analysis against conventional wastewater treatment methods and offers a comprehensive outlook on the global ZLD market. Presently valued at US $0.71 billion, the market is anticipated to reach US $1.76 billion by 2026, reflecting a robust annual growth rate of 12.6%. Despite ZLD\'s efficiency in wastewater recovery, environmental challenges, such as heightened greenhouse gas emissions, increased carbon footprint, elevated energy consumption, and chemical usage, are discussed. Methodologies employed in this review involve an extensive analysis of existing literature, empirical data, and case studies on ZLD implementation in the textile industry worldwide. While acknowledging existing adoption barriers, the review underscores ZLD\'s potential to guide the textile industry toward a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.

This comprehensive review explores the complex environment of textile wastewater treatment technologies, highlighting both well-established and emerging techniques. Textile wastewater poses a significant environmental challenge, containing diverse contaminants and chemicals. The review presents a detailed examination of conventional treatments such as coagulation, flocculation, and biological processes, highlighting their effectiveness and limitations. In textile industry, various textile operations such as sizing, de-sizing, dyeing, bleaching, and mercerization consume large quantities of water generating effluent high in color, chemical oxygen demand, and solids. The dyes, mordants, and variety of other chemicals used in textile processing lead to effluent variable in characteristics. Furthermore, it explores innovative and emerging techniques, including advanced oxidation processes, membrane filtration, and nanotechnology-based solutions. Future perspectives in textile wastewater treatment are discussed in-depth, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary research, technological advancements, and the integration of circular economy principles. Numerous dyes used in the textile industry have been shown to have mutagenic, cytotoxic, and ecotoxic potential in studies. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the methods used to remediate textile waste water. Major topics including the chemical composition of textile waste water, the chemistry of the dye molecules, the selection of a treatment technique, the benefits and drawbacks of the various treatment options, and the cost of operation are also addressed. Overall, this review offers a valuable resource for researchers and industry professionals working in the textile industry, pointing towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future.

Waste derived from the textile industry can contain a wide variety of pollutants of organic and inorganic natures, such as dyes (e.g., acid, basic, reactive, mordant dyes) and toxic metals (e.g., lead, chromium, cadmium). The presence of pollutants at high concentrations in textile waste makes them relevant sources of pollution in the environment. To solve this problem, various technologies have been developed for the removal of pollutants from these matrices. Thus, adsorption emerges as an efficient alternative for textile waste remediation, providing advantages as simplicity of operation, economy, possibility of using different adsorbent materials, and developing on-line systems that allow the reuse of the adsorbent during several adsorption/desorption cycles. This review will initially propose an introduction to the adsorption world, its fundamentals, and aspects related to kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics. The possible mechanisms through which a pollutant can be retained on an adsorbent will be explained. The analytical techniques that offer valuable information to characterize the solid phases as well as each adsorbate/adsorbent system will be also commented. The most common synthesis techniques to obtain carbon nano-adsorbents have been also presented. In addition, the latest advances about the use of these adsorbents for the removal of pollutants from textile waste will be presented and discussed. The contributions reported in this manuscript demonstrated the use of highly efficient carbon-based nano-adsorbents for the removal of both organic and inorganic pollutants, reaching removal percentages from 65 to 100%.

The textile industry is known for its large consumption of water, energy, and chemical products, making it one of the most environmentally impactful activities. To measure these environmental impacts, life cycle analysis (LCA) is a powerful tool that considers the entire process, from the extraction of raw materials to the finalization of textile products. In this context, this work aimed to present a systematic study on the use of the LCA methodology in the environmental assessment of effluents from the textile industry. The survey for data was carried out using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, and the PRISMA method was utilized for organizing and selecting of articles. During the meta-analysis phase bibliometric and specific data were extracted from selected publications. For the bibliometric analysis, a quali-quantitative approach was adopted, and the VOSviewer software was employed. The review encompasses a total of 29 articles, which were published between 1996 and 2023.The majority of the reviewed articles have shown the use of the LCA as a supportive tool for optimization focusing on sustainability, comparing the environmental, economic, and technical aspects through different approaches. The findings revel that China has the highest number of authors among the selected articles, while researchers from France and Italy had the highest number of international collaborations. The ReCiPe and CML methods were the most frequently used for evaluating life cycle inventories, with global warming, terrestrial acidification, ecotoxicity, and ozone depletion being the main impact categories. The use of activated carbon in textile effluents treatment has shown to be promising since it is environmentally friendly.

Bioactive textile materials are a promising field in the development of functional textiles. The integration of bioactive compounds, such as natural dyes, into textiles offers a range of benefits, including UV protection, anti-microbial properties, and insect repellency. Natural dyes have been shown to have bioactivity, and their integration into textiles has been extensively studied. The application of natural dyes on textile substrates will be an advantage for their inherent functional properties along with their non-toxic and eco-friendly nature. This review addresses the effect of natural dyes on surface modification of most used natural and synthetic fibers and its subsequent effects on their anti-microbial, UV protection and insect repellent properties with natural dyes. Natural dyes have proved to be environmentally friendly in an attempt to improve bioactive functions in textile materials. This review provides a clear view of sustainable resources for the dyeing and finishing of textiles to develop a cleaner pathway of bioactive textiles using natural dyes. Furthermore, the dye source, advantages and disadvantages of natural dye, main dye component, and chemical structure are listed. However, there is still a need for interdisciplinary research to further optimize the integration of natural dyes into textiles and to improve their bioactivity, biocompatibility, and sustainability. The development of bioactive textile materials using natural dyes has the potential to revolutionize the textile industry and to provide a range of benefits to consumers and society.

The rapid growth of population and industrialization have intensified the problem of water pollution globally. To meet the challenge of industrialization, the use of synthetic dyes in the textile industry, dyeing and printing industry, tannery and paint industry, paper and pulp industry, cosmetic and food industry, dye manufacturing industry, and pharmaceutical industry has increased exponentially. Among these industries, the textile industry is prominent for the water pollution due to the hefty consumption of water and discharge of coloring materials in the effluent. The discharge of this effluent into the aquatic reservoir affects its biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH. The release of the effluents without any remedial treatment will generate a gigantic peril to the aquatic ecosystem and human health. The ecological-friendly treatment of the dye-containing wastewater to minimize the detrimental effect on human health and the environment is the need of the hour. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the catastrophic effects of textile dyes on human health and the environment. This review provides a comprehensive insight into the dyes and chemicals used in the textile industry, focusing on the typical treatment processes for their removal from industrial wastewaters, including chemical, biological, physical, and hybrid techniques.