Naveed Ahmed

Researchers in Pakistan have developed a new technology called resource-energy-water (REW) nexus for the textile industry to boost production at reduced costs through the efficient use of natural resources. Natural resource depletion caused by climate change has impacted the textile industry's output. The textile industry is vital to the economy of Pakistan as it provides jobs to hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the major contributors to the GDP. Dr Shahbaz Abbas, associate professor of electrical and mechanical engineering at the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CEME), National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, told WealthPK that the country’s textile industry is finding it hard to maintain production levels due to high costs.

“And to address this challenge, we have developed the REW nexus. This integrated technology prioritises resource, energy and water reuse to ensure production targets are achieved in the textile industry. The technology provides a more environment-friendly and sustainable manufacturing process and helps reduce manufacturing costs,” he explained. According to Abbas, the government should focus on the manufacturing sector due to its contribution to the country’s economic development and exports. He said the public and private sectors should join hands to ensure sustainable production processes through resource mobilisation for robust growth of the manufacturing sector. Explaining the REW technology developed to address resource scarcity in the textile industry, Shahbaz Abbas said that the technology reused agricultural waste like cotton crop waste to produce biomass energy to power the spinning and weaving processes.

He said energy is needed to heat, boil and process water in the textile manufacturing, and the model's water-energy nexus implies that after heat recovery process, textile effluent might be repurposed as a source of energy for production. He said this model, if implemented in letter and spirit, could help improve production along with providing solutions to handle environmental challenges and bring down carbon footprint. The necessity of properly managing resource, energy and water, especially in the textile industry, cannot be ignored. Textile mills can use REW nexus as an integrated technology for efficient use of resources.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk