Abstract

Heavymetals content in inlet water, treated and untreated waste water of garments industries at Gazipur, Bangladesh

Author(s): AhasanurM.Rabbi, MehediM.Hasan, AyeshaAkhter

Ready–Made Garments (RMG) is the biggest sector in Bangladesh where a large amount of waste streams or effluents is produced. The presence of heavy metals in industrial waste water is one of the main causes of water and soil pollution in Bangladesh. The present research was carried out on eight garments industries of Gazipur region that are using Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for the waste watermanagement. In this investigation the heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni, As, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Sb and Co) contents in the 24 samples of different garment industry’s inlet water and waste water (before and after treatment) were determined. In most of the cases the Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni,As, Cr, Sb and Co content are not too high in the waste water and can be reduce to tolerable range with the ETP,whereas the textile manufacturing process discharge huge amount of Cu, Zn and Mn to the waste water and these metals content in the waste water even after treatment are beyond the tolerable range.