Textile wastewater treatable with silver nanoparticles present: Study

Two sequencing batch reactors were monitored over 246 days, including 18 days idle phase at 4°C. Both systems successfully formed granules within 40-50 days, but the reactor exposed to silver nanoparticles demonstrated improved settling and higher biomass accumulation. Despite the prolonged presence of silver, 80 per cent dye reduction was achieved within one week, and organic load removal stabilised in the second week—mirroring the results of the silver-free control.

Researchers also observed that only the nanoparticle-exposed granules could break down a stubborn aromatic amine produced during dye degradation. Toxicity assessments indicated no significant difference between the two systems, suggesting silver nanoparticle accumulation did not create measurable cytotoxic or genotoxic effects, iBB said in a post on its website.

The study provided encouraging evidence that AGS systems remain robust even when treating wastewater containing emerging contaminants such as silver nanoparticles—supporting their application under intermittent industrial discharge conditions common in the textile sector.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (SG)