ingenieur Vol.87 July-Sept2021 Vol 87 2021 | Page 48

INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
Oxygen Demand ( BOD ), Chemical Oxygen Demand ( COD ), Total Dissolved Solid ( TDS ), Total Suspended Solid ( TSS ), and high color content from the use of dyes and pigments on the fabric . Appropriate treatment is essential to remediate the effluents to meet discharge standards , but due to their sporadic locations it is a challenge to build centralised wastewater treatment systems for batik premises . As a result , batik effluent is mostly discharged into waterways , public drains or estuaries untreated .
Batik production can be seasonal , depending on demand and the availability of labour force , mainly coming from household members or villagers in the neighbourhood . A typical home factory set-up can look like makeshift workshops where painting , soaking , boiling and washing activities are carried out . It is also the place to store paints , chemicals and solvents , making it look somewhat haphazard in some cases . A CP approach for this industry will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG ) and can potentially increase the global market for Malaysian batik . This in turn will work favourably towards the continued livelihood of batik makers who may depend on batik as their main source of income . Effluent treatment methods have also been developed and operated in a few premises .
Implementation of the Cleaner Production Integration Concept
This article refers to a project on CP implementation at a batik premise , which aims to create a showcase for other premises to follow . The study began with an audit to assess the premise , followed by an exercise to identify and select the best practical options for improvement . Detailed audits were done on the use of raw materials , fuel and utilities , waste and wastewater generation , as well as health and safety levels . Extensive analyses of the audit findings led to the generation of numerous CP options as deemed appropriate for the premise . These CP options are then screened according to their feasibility factors , based on the commitment of the premise and the availability of resources , namely the facilities available on the premises and financial resources . The selected CP options are fully exercised on the premises and the returns are monitored and evaluated in terms of finance , productivity , environment and company image . Additionally , the estimated Carbon Impact that can be reduced after implementing CP options on the premises was calculated as a new component to assess returns on environment impact . A few methods were developed and prototypes were fabricated for two techniques which were successfully installed and operated at two premises to deal with the recalcitrant wastewater from the process .
Based on the information obtained from the implementation of CP options , an SOP was developed for batik entrepreneurs , as a reference and guide in implementing the CP programme on their respective premises . Finally , promotional programmes , namely CP Seminar Roadshow , CP Workshop and Awareness Training for Batik Entrepreneurs , were instrumental in educating the owners of batik premises . They also visited the demonstration premise to see for themselves the CP options that have been implemented , as well as the wastewater treatment system .
Batik Making Process
Figure 1 shows a schematic of the batik making process . Raw materials used are white fabrics of either cotton , rayon or silk jacquard material , wax and resin , dye and sodium silicate . The premise selected for the demonstration study was producing on average 7,500 metres of batik per month . The batik making process starts with the cutting and washing of the white fabric , at times using bleach to whiten the fabric further . After drying , the batik design is created on the white cloth by either hand painting using a method known as canting , screen printing or block printing ( stamping ). The outline of the batik design is made possible by the use of wax to prevent the dye from penetrating the fabric . When the design is complete , the color fixing process is done by soaking the fabric in sodium silicate at least overnight . The fabric is then allowed to drip dry before being soaked , boiled in a vat , washed and rinsed a final time . The whole process uses a high volume of water at almost every step , from the soaking procedure onwards . Energy is required
46 VOL 87 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2021