Page 23 - AW SEPOCT 2019

PRESS RELEASE

Revolutionary filter technology

licensing agreement was signed between Twinery- stage of the aluminium sludge generates AlOH which is
A the innovation arm of MAS Holdings and Colombo used for the adsorption-coagulation effects that is used
Science and Technology Cell of the University of Colombo, for the filtration process while the inert matter is allowed
Sri Lanka recently to implement the process of developing to settle and is used for the exiting MAS eco brick process.
a revolutionary filter technology to use aluminium waste The qualitative analysis of waste ensures that the
for treating waste-water in the textile industry at the MAS entire process is safe and managed within the local and
Fabric Park. international norms of environment safety. The final brick
The new process is a sustainable closed-loop model was tested and verified at the large-scale textile water
which creatively uses the waste from aluminium anodizing treatment plant at MAS Fabric Park in order to ensure the
to treat the waste-water from the textile industry and any industry applicability.
final waste is converted into eco-bricks. There would be a significant reduction in the import
The research teamed up to find a cheaper, costs of agents used for waste-water treatment, adding to
environmentally sound process as a solution for treating the significant advantage of being able to use the existing
waste-water in the textile industry. The idea was to convert infrastructure to scale up the solution.
sludge from the aluminium industry as a filter material to This is a homegrown sustainable solution for wastewater
treat the waste-water from the apparel industry. The proof treatment with far reaching environmental, industrial and
of concept for the technology was developed through a economic benefits for both the textile and aluminium
series of undergraduate research projects with minimal industries as it has the potential to eliminate solid-waste
funding of Rupees 16,000 in the department of Physics. from the aluminum industry that would have otherwise
Even though this was an undergraduate research, the been disposed and is instead converted to a wastewater
outcome was impactful. treatment material and eliminates the importation of other
In this process, solid waste from aluminium anodizing wastewater treatment material.’
industry is being converted with minimal processing With this innovation, the potential for total industrial
to remove colour from dye containing waste-water. sludge-waste of the aluminium industry and MAS is
The textile industry currently uses costly agents to treat expected to be reduced by approximately 40 - 50%. When
wastewater to ensure that it is meeting stringent local and up-scaled, there is the possibility of totally eliminating all
international standards. This new finding has proved the aluminium sludge-waste which would otherwise have
possibility of partially or even fully replacing such agents gone into incineration or expensive end-processing. AW
with an aluminium sludge based solution. The dissolving

Asian Water SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 21