The feasibility of reusing highway runoff for fabric dyeing: a proof of concept

Urbanization transforms many natural catchments into urban areas with highly impervious surfaces creating considerable amounts of rainfall-runoff due to reduced infiltration rate of soil. Stormwater, previously infiltrated to recharge the aquifers, is now stormwater run-off rapidly draining into receiving waters. In this research work, an attempt is made to reuse the stormwater run-off in the textile industry for sustainable development and to avoid degradation of the ecosystem of receiving water bodies. Twenty-four stormwater samples were collected from an urban highway and analyzed for pH, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Electrical Conductivity (Ec), Hardness, Calcium (Ca), Magnesium Mg), Chloride (Cl) and Sulphate (SO4) to determine physiochemical properties of highway run-off water. After analyzing physiochemical parameters, three reactive dyes, Remazol brilliant red 6B, Remazol navy blue GG, and Remazol yellow GR, were prepared using stormwater. Washing fastness and crocking/ rubbing fastness tests were performed for performance evaluation.