Evaluation of Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse Opportunities in a Textile Dyeing Cluster in Kano State

Water scarcity and increasing freshwater abstraction costs in Kano State, North West Nigeria, have elevated the economic importance of wastewater reclamation and reuse in the textile dyeing and finishing cluster at Sharada Industrial Estate. This study evaluates the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of reclaiming treated textile effluent for reuse as process water in dyeing, rinsing, and cooling tower makeup at five dyeing facilities in the cluster. Textile effluent from pooled treatment lagoons was characterised for colour, conductivity, total dissolved solids, pH, temperature, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, and residual reactive dye concentrations. Three treatment train configurations were evaluated: coagulation-flocculation plus sand filtration, the same configuration plus activated carbon adsorption, and the previous configuration plus nanofiltration membrane. The nanofiltration configuration achieved colour removal exceeding 99%, total dissolved solids reduction to below 400 mg/L, and chemical oxygen demand reduction to below 20 mg/L, meeting all specified process water quality targets for dyeing and rinsing. The activated carbon configuration satisfied cooling tower makeup water requirements at lower capital cost. Life cycle cost analysis over a 10-year horizon indicated that the nanofiltration configuration offered net present value savings of 280 million Naira relative to continued freshwater purchase, yielding a discounted payback period of 3.7 years. The study recommends cluster-scale wastewater reclamation as a strategic water security measure for Kano textile manufacturers. Keywords: wastewater reclamation, textile dyeing, nanofiltration, Kano State, water reuse