Recycled wool-based nonwoven material for decolorisation of dyehouse effluents

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible application of recycled wool-based nonwoven material (RWNM) for removal of different dyes that are used in textile dye houses. Design/methodology/approach - The sorption kinetics, the influence of initial dye concentration, pH and temperature are analyzed. Basic, reactive, direct and metal complex dyes are studied. Findings - The sorption properties are highly influenced by the type of the dye owing to differences in their chemical structure and thus, the mechanism of binding to wool. Modification of material with chitosan and hydrogen peroxide improves the sorption capacities and sorption rates but no general trend can be established. Consequently, the sorption behaviour is analyzed separately for each type of the dye. Originality/value - The results indicate that RWNM can be used as an efficient, low-cost Sorbent for decolorisation of effluents