Studies of textile effluent discharges in Nigeria

Abstract

Baseline studies were carried out on some textile factories in Nigeria, and the effluents were analysed for their pollution characteristics. The studies revealed that the wastewater from the factories were untreated and that high amounts of pollutants, as shown by the high values of pollution characteristics, were discharged from them daily. The pollutants, aggravated by the presence of free chlorine and toxic heavy metals, caused rapid depletion of dissolved oxygen leading to ’oxygen sag’ in the receiving water. These pollutants are known to destroy micro‐organisms stabilizing wastes in the receiving stream and leading to a reduction in the self‐purifying capacity of the stream.