Sustainable Water Reuse in a City’s Textile Industry Campus

Thesis Abstract

This study addresses the urgent water sustainability challenge facing urban textile campuses by evaluating the feasibility and performance of sustainable water reuse systems to support industrial processes, campus landscaping, and sanitation while minimizing freshwater intake and effluent discharge. The problem centers on rising water stress, regulatory constraints, and competing campus demands within a dense urban textile hub, necessitating an evidence-based approach to design, implementation, and operation of closed-loop water systems. The aim is to quantify the technical, economic, and environmental viability of integrating multi-barrier water reuse within a textile industry campus and to identify governance and behavioral factors that optimize system performance. Specific objectives are (1) to characterize baseline water demand, quality requirements, and current wastewater profiles across the campus; (2) to design and pilot a multi-stage treatment train comprising microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and advanced oxidation processes, coupled with a decentralized recycling loop for process water, cooling, and toilet flushing; (3) to evaluate treatment efficiency, energy intensity, recoverable water yield, and operability under variable production schedules; (4) to conduct a life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to compare the reuse system with the status quo; (5) to explore organizational and stakeholder factors driving adoption through a theoretical lens of the Technology Acceptance Model and Resource-Based View; and (6) to formulate a decision framework for scalable deployment across similar urban textile campuses. The methodology adopts a mixed-methods, case-study design anchored in a quasi-experimental pilot within the city’s principal textile campus. The population comprises the campus’s manufacturing units, utilities, and research laboratories (n?12 functional zones). A purposive sample of 6 zones with the highest freshwater footprints and 2 zones with varied process water quality is selected for intensive monitoring. Data collection uses (i) quantitative water quality and consumption data from automated sensors and portable meters (n?24 months of operational data, including parameters such as COD, BOD, TSS, NH4+, turbidity, pH, conductivity, and chlorine residual); (ii) treatment performance data from the pilot train (permeate quality, recovery rates, energy consumption, chemical usage); (iii) economic data from capital, operating costs, and maintenance logs; and (iv) qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 15 stakeholders across management, engineering, operations, and maintenance teams, supplemented by 8 focus groups to capture behavioral and governance dimensions. The instruments include calibrated water quality meters, SCADA logs, structured interview guides, and a survey instrument validated for reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ?0.8). Data analysis employs (a) statistical process control and regression analyses to assess treatment performance, relationships between operational variables, and sensitivity analyses; (b) ANOVA to compare water reuse performance across zones and operating conditions; (c) life cycle assessment (LCA) following ISO 14040/44 with attributional and consequential perspectives to quantify environmental impacts; (d) techno-economic analysis using net present value, levelized cost of water, and payback period under multiple price scenarios; (e) thematic analysis of qualitative data guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Resource-Based View to elucidate organizational drivers and barriers; (f) development of a process-based conceptual model linking water reuse performance with campus-scale sustainability metrics. Expected findings indicate that the integrated reuse system can deliver a 45–60% reduction in freshwater intake, with permeate suitability for non-potable process water and cooling requirements after treatment, achieving overall water-negative status for non-potable uses in peak months. Energy intensity is anticipated to increase modestly (15–25% rise relative to baseline), but with reductions in chemical usage and effluent load translating into a favorable life cycle impact. Economic analysis is projected to show a favorable net present value within 7–9 years under aggressive water pricing and regulatory incentives. The study contributes to knowledge by providing a practical, data-driven framework for implementing campus-scale water reuse in urban textile ecosystems, integrating technological performance with governance and adoption pathways, and offering transferable models for similar industry clusters. It advances theory by testing the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model in a circular-water context and by extending the Resource-Based View to capture infrastructural and organizational capabilities as strategic resources. The main conclusion is that a carefully designed, monitored, and adaptable multi-barrier water reuse system can substantially reduce freshwater dependence and environmental footprint in an urban textile campus while delivering economically viable outcomes. Recommendations include (i) establishing clear governance protocols and performance dashboards to sustain operator engagement; (ii) adopting modular treatment units enabling phased expansion aligned with production cycles; (iii) creating incentive structures and training programs to foster employee buy-in and proactive maintenance; and (iv) pursuing policy engagement to secure financial incentives and standards alignment that facilitate scalable replication across similar urban textile clusters.