UNIQUE AND SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING GARMENTS WITHOUT WATER DISCHARGES

Introduction

LIFE ANHIDRA proposes an innovative, efficient, and effective solution to water regeneration and reuse of water in situ in the textile finishing process. The new concept will allow water reuse in industrial washing machines during 60 operation days, saving up to 21,000 m³ during this period. This results in savings of 123,408 m³/year in one industrial facility.

Water Consumption and Wastewater Reduction

This new alternative concept of water reuse in a closed-loop system integrated with the production process will:

• Reduce water consumption by 92%
• Decrease wastewater generation by 98% from conventional textile finishing processes
• Simultaneously avoid discharges of emerging pollutants, microfibres, and pathogens to the environment

Additionally, electric energy consumption will also be reduced by 15%.

Technology Development and Replicability

The technology has been previously developed under several R&D actions and tested at a smaller scale. This system will be patented internationally with a high replicability potential all over the world.

Implementation and Impact

The success of the technology will be supported with detailed replication and business plans to reach European textile industries in the short term. The expected implementation includes:

1. 36 facilities within 3 years after the project
2. At least 100 systems in the following 5 years at international locations

This will lead to potential savings of up to 12.34 million m³/year of water.

Environmental Benefits

The use of ANHIDRA will allow the installation of finishing textile industries in locations with a shortage of water resources or with high restrictions for dumping large volumes of wastewater. Therefore, LIFE ANHIDRA contributes to reducing the negative impact of damaging compounds on the equilibrium of the fauna and flora of several water bodies and reduces the use of primary resources.

Fiber Recovery and Circular Economy

In addition, ANHIDRA technology will recover textile fibres that normally arrive at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with wastewater. New routes for valorisation of these fibres will be defined during the project based on a circular economy approach, in order to be used in new added-value applications.