Briefing: Usage of textile dye waste water in concrete

About 2 000 000 billion litres of water is consumed globally every year. The amount of potable water available is reducing due to pollution of various water bodies. The textile industry waste water is one of the sources of pollution. There are problems associated with handling dye waste water, with the treatment process, and with several environmental problems that also occur. On the other hand, about 700 million litres of potable water is used for the production of concrete. Using the waste dye water in concrete reduces the overall water consumption and at the same time it provides a solution to the dye waste water disposal problem, making it beneficial in socioeconomic as well as environmental terms. This study explored the possibility of 100% replacement of potable water with textile dye waste water in cement concrete. The preliminary study indicated that the fresh and hardened properties of concrete made using potable water and textile dye waste water (untreated water) are comparable.