EcoWater - Textile Industry

meso-level eco-efficiency indicators
to assess technologies
& their uptake
in water use sectors

Eco-efficiency improvements in the Textile Industry of Biella, Italy

The Case Study will assess eco-efficiency improvements from innovative technologies for wastewater treatment in the textile industry of Biella, Northern Italy.

The Biella textile industry has a distinct impact on the environment, particularly affecting river waters through pollution by process wastewater. The industry has a high economic significance on textile commerce and the local workforce. Processes and value added affect the local quality of life and the costs of products. Despite progress, areas for potential environmental improvement include:

Wastewater treatment, as the quality differs among factories, and different processes are required for the removal of fat, oil colours and other chemicals. This creates problems at the urban waste water collection and treatment plants of the Biella Province and limits potential for the reuse of sludge;
Enhancement of technologies for depuration, as the use of new technologies is confined to a few installations which could be considered good-practice examples.

The overall goal of the Case Study is to facilitate the emergence of innovative technologies for wastewater treatment, in order to minimise the associated environmental footprint and maximize eco-efficiency. Two different aspects will be considered: (a) the availability of technologies reducing environmental pressures on local rivers, and (b) the use of innovative wastewater treatment technologies as an instrument for a “self-paying” activity, to transform 100% of the sludge produced to fertilizers suitable for agricultural use.