Replacing Urea-DAP in a Textile Industry
Introduction:

We, at Team One Biotech LLP, help industries achieve sustainability goals with our biological wastewater treatment solutions, offering natural replacements for chemicals like urea-DAP and other nutrients.

In this success story, we are going to walk through the treatment efficiency and results achieved using SustainX for a leading textile company located at Dabhasa, GIDC, Gujarat. If you want to know more, feel free to contact us. 

The industry happens to be one of the most compliant and efficient in terms of textile wastewater treatment, they had a very good ETP mechanism and trained staff. However, they had a huge consumption of UREA-DAP, leading to high OPEX, also they used to experience sudden spikes in Ammoniacal nitrogen values during winters.

ETP Flow chart:

Primary- Biological and Tertiary systems, with RO & MEE. The activated sludge process (ASP) has 3 aeration tanks in series and one anoxic tank before the aeration tanks. 

Flow:1500 m3/day
Inlet COD:8,000 to 12,000 ppm
Inlet Ammoniacal Nitrogen:280 to 320 ppm
COD outlet after biological treatment:  1800 to 2500 ppm
Ammoniacal Nitrogen after biological treatmeent120 to 170 ppmDuring Spike: 200-250 ppm
Urea – DAP consumption800 kgs/day – 400 kgs/day respectively
Challenges:

Why traditional nutrients are inefficient in ETPS:

The commonly used urea and DAP are often overused in industrial treatment plants and they limit bioavailability for microbes. This results in poor nutrient uptake in biomass and limitations in COD and nitrogen removal causing ammonia spikes disturbing overall textile wastewater treatment systems.

1.The F/M ratio was low due to heavy consumption of UREA-DAP, leading to higher OPEX.

2.Sudden spike in ammoniacal nitrogen levels, especially in winters, due to non-consumption of ammonia from these fertilizers.

3.Saturation in COD is degrading efficiency.

The Scrutiny:

After a complete study of the plant through our WWTP evaluation form, on-site visits, and discussions with the EHS team, we concluded:

1.The F/M ratio gets lower if we stop urea-DAP addition.

2.The spike in ammoniacal nitrogen was due to the higher concentration of non-available nitrogen in the aeration tank, which was not absorbed by the biomass.

3.The indigenous microbial population was only performing at 60% efficiency in terms of COD reduction due to lower nutrient absorption despite a heavier dosage of UREA-DAP.

The Approach:

How T1B SustainX Works Better Than Urea-DAP:

SustainX is enriched with the naturally derived formulations comprising organic carbon and essential nutrients. It accelerates microbial metabolism and enhances organic waste degradation. Its unique formula helps eliminate side effects of urea and DAP and stabilizes the ammonical nitrogen. SustainX has proven benefits of optimising F/M ratio.

1. Product Selection:
Sustainx for textile wastewater treatment

T1B SustainX—The natural replacement of UREA—DAP.

Natural powdered blend with a well-balanced 

  • C:N:P ratio, which will work in most scenarios.
  • Rich in organic carbon, bioavailable nitrogen, and phosphorus.
  • Contains natural trace elements and other nutrients essential for healthy biomass development.
  • Supports both aerobic and anaerobic microbes.

2.Dosing Schedule:

A dosing schedule was fixed for 60 days initially as follows:

DaysQuantity of T1B SustainX
Day 1 to Day 10250 kgs/day
Day 11 to Day 20200 kg/day
Day 21 to Day 30200 kg/day
Day 31 to Day 60180 kgs/day
3.The Execution:

The product was then dosed as per the efficiency of each aeration tank in series:

TanksAT-1AT-2AT-3
Capacity2500 KL1200 KL1200 KL
% of total T1B sustain quantity added60%20%20%

Results and discussions:

  • We observed a 94.5 % reduction in COD and a jump of 8% in efficiency from earlier values.
  • F/M ratio optimized to 0.234 , a rise of 64% was observed.
  • Use of MBR and the electricity to run the same was eliminated. 
  • Improved the flow rate by 12% without compromising on the outlet parameters. 

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Wastewater treatment plant for integrated textile industry
Effective Wastewater Treatment Plant for an Integrated Textile Industry in India
Introduction:

The Integrated Textile Industry is a leading cloth manufacturing company that involves denim production, cotton apparel manufacturing, and is also involved in the pulping of raw materials and paper manufacturing. With a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, the Integrated Textile Industry operates a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at its textile manufacturing facility to treat the industrial effluent generated during its textile production processes.

However, the industry faced challenges in meeting the effluent discharge limits for certain pollutants, including the presence of components from reactive dyes, high chemical oxygen demand (COD), elevated biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), higher levels of color, and effluent temperature reaching up to 50°C. To address these challenges, the industry implemented a bioaugmentation program at its effluent treatment plant (ETP), which resulted in significant improvements in the wastewater treatment process and compliance with regulatory standards for industrial effluents.

Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) Details:

The industry had primary treatment, biological treatment, and then a tertiary treatment.

Flow500-600 KLD
Type of processMBBR
No. of aeration tanks2 (in parallel)
Capacity of aeration tanks650 KL each
Total RT hours
Challenges:
ParametersInlet parameters Outlet parameters (Secondary System)
COD13,000 to 10000 8500 to 6800 
BOD4000 to 25002800 to 1650
Colour750 to 900 Hazen560 to 700 Hazen
  • The primary treatment system was working at 20-30% efficiency in terms of COD reduction.
  • The biological treatment was working at an average of 10-15% efficiency combined in terms of COD removal.
  • The system was struggling to effectively treat pollutants originating from reactive dyes and to reduce color contamination in the textile effluent.
  • The mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) were very low, and the microbial population in the biological treatment tanks could not develop due to the high wastewater temperature of 50°C.
  • The conventional MBBR waste water treatment plant was not efficient enough to consistently meet the stringent effluent discharge standards set by local environmental regulatory agencies.

As a result, the textile manufacturing company faced the risk of non-compliance, which could lead to regulatory fines, reputational damage, and environmental pollution.

The Bioaugmentation Approach:

The Integrated Textile Industry partnered with us to enhance the efficiency of their biological units. They had two aeration tanks in parallel, equipped with diffusers, handling a daily wastewater flow of 500-600 KLD.

Bioaugmentation is a biological wastewater treatment technique that involves adding specifically selected microorganisms, such as bacteria and enzymes, to improve the biological degradation of pollutants in a waste water treatment plant. The team conducted a comprehensive wastewater assessment to analyze the industrial effluent characteristics and the WWTP’s operational parameters, identifying the best bioaugmentation strategy for this textile effluent treatment plant.

Based on the assessment, a customized bioaugmentation program was designed and implemented. The microbial cultures were carefully selected to target organic pollutants, particularly contaminants from reactive dyes in the industrial effluent stream. Thermophilic bacteria were introduced to withstand high-temperature wastewater conditions and enhance the biological treatment process.

The bioaugmentation process was seamlessly integrated into the existing wastewater treatment process, and the performance of the WWTP was monitored over the next three months.

Improved Effluent Quality After Bioaugmentation:

Parameters

Inlet Parameters (ppm)

Outlet Parameters (After Bioaugmentation) (ppm)

COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)13,000 to 10,0002,500 to 1,800
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)4,000 to 2,500800 to 650
Color (Hazen Units)750 to 900150 to 300
Results and Benefits of Bioaugmentation in Wastewater Treatment:

The implementation of the bioaugmentation program resulted in significant improvements in the performance of biological units at the wastewater treatment plant:

✅ Achieved around 80-84% reduction in COD & BOD levels in the treated industrial effluent.
✅ Attained 80-85% color removal efficiency, demonstrating visible improvement in effluent clarity.
✅ Enhanced microbial population growth in biological tanks, even at higher wastewater temperatures.
✅ The biological treatment system became more stable, reducing process fluctuations caused by influents variability.
✅ Increased plant reliability, ensuring consistent compliance with regulatory discharge limits.
✅ Reduced operational costs through optimized biological treatment efficiency.

The successful bioaugmentation application has helped the Integrated Textile Industry maintain regulatory compliance, improve wastewater treatment plant performance, and support their commitment to sustainable textile manufacturing.

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