Optimisation of Water Consumption in Textile Dyeing Processes in a Sahelian Context: Industrial Audit, Scenario Analysis and Techno-Economic Assessment
Water scarcity is one of the most serious constraints on industrial development in the Sahel. Textile dyeing is among the largest industrial users of water, yet in low-income West African countries its water management is poorly documented and rarely optimised. This study reports an industrial audit of water use in a representative Burkinabe textile dyeing plant, together with mass-balance modelling and a scenario analysis of three optimisation pathways: (1) low liquor-ratio (LLR) dyeing technology, (2) LLR combined with 50% internal effluent recycling, and (3) full process optimisation that adds advanced effluent treatment to LLR and recycling. Baseline water intensity is 183 L/kg of textile, against an EU best-practice benchmark of 45 L/kg. Scenario 2 achieves a 45% water reduction (from 1100 to 605 m3/day), corresponding to a water intensity of about 101 L/kg; Scenario 3 reaches a 57% reduction (79 L/kg). Estimated payback periods are reported in Section 4.3. A multi-criteria evaluation indicates that Scenario 2 gives the best balance of water savings, economic viability, and technical feasibility for small-to-medium enterprises in the Sahel. The results offer a practical roadmap for water stewardship in West African textile manufacturing.
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