Abstract
Because textile industry is the second largest industry in Egypt and as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a great proportion of the total industry therein, it is desirable to attempt to decrease the pollution resulting from them for both economical and environmental advantages. In this regard a case was investigated which dealt with pollution prevention of cotton-cone reactive dyeing by several options, namely: dye reduction, soda ash minimization, acid substitution and finally their integration. Based on criteria such as product quality, effluent analysis, material balance, heat balance as well as cost estimation, the integrated process was found to be the most favorable that lead to cost saving of one million EGP per year. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.